Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, but diamond is metastable and converts to it at a negligible rate under those conditions. Diamond has the highest hardness and thermal conductivity of any natural material, properties that are used in major industrial applications such as cutting and polishing tools. They are also the reason that diamond anvil cells can subject materials to pressures found deep in the Earth.
Volcanic pipes or volcanic conduits are subterranean geological structures formed by the violent, supersonic eruption of deep-origin volcanoes. They are considered to be a type of diatreme. Volcanic pipes are composed of a deep, narrow cone of solidified magma, and are usually largely composed of one of two characteristic rock types — kimberlite or lamproite. These rocks reflect the composition of the volcanoes' deep magma sources, where the Earth is rich in magnesium. They are well known as the primary source of diamonds, and are mined for this purpose. Volcanic pipes are relatively rare by this definition based on minerals and depth of the magma source, but on the other hand volcanic diatremes are common, indeed the second commonest form of volcanic extrusion.
The Catoca diamond mine is the fourth largest diamond mine in the world, and is located in Angola. The mine is located on a kimberlite pipe. The mine is owned by a joint venture between the Angolan state-owned company Endiama, and the Russian company Alrosa.
The Udachnaya pipe is a diamond deposit in the Daldyn-Alakit kimberlite field in Sakha Republic, Russia. It is an open-pit mine, and is located just outside the Arctic circle at 66°26′N112°19′E.
Alrosa is a Russian group of diamond mining companies that specialize in exploration, mining, manufacture, and sale of diamonds. The company leads the world in diamond mining by volume. Mining takes place in Western Yakutia, the Arkhangelsk region, and Africa. Alrosa is Russia's leading diamond mining and distribution company, accounting for 95% of Russian diamond production and 27% of global diamond extraction.
The Mir mine, also called the Mirny mine, is an open pit diamond mine located in Mirny, Sakha Republic, in the Siberian region of eastern Russia. The mine is more than 525 meters deep, has a diameter of 1,200 m, and is one of the largest excavated holes in the world.
Canadian diamonds are diamonds which have been mined in any one of the provinces and territories of Canada. Diamond-rich areas were not commercially extracted in Canada until the early 1990s. For the first 60 years of the 20th century, diamonds originated from kimberlite pipes and alluvial deposits in places such as Africa and some from South America. Later, diamond discoveries were made in the Soviet Union. Since the 1990s, major diamond discoveries were made and mining operations began. Canadian diamonds play a large role in the world market of diamonds.
The Gahcho Kué Diamond Mine is located on the Canadian tundra in the Northwest Territories. It is situated at Kennady Lake, in the Akaitcho Treaty 8 Territory claim block, which is 85 km (53 mi) southeast of the Snap Lake Diamond Mine and approximately 280 km (170 mi) east northeast of Yellowknife. The site is served by Gahcho Kue Aerodrome, which has both an ice runway in winter and a year-round gravel runway, and a spur of the Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road from Lupin Mine. the main camp is at 63°26′05″N109°12′02″W, north of the ice strip, with a smaller site at 63°25′48″N109°12′00″W, south of the runway.
The Mining industry of Ghana accounts for 5% of the country's GDP and minerals make up 37% of total exports. Gold contributes over 90% of the total mineral exports. Thus, the main focus of Ghana's mining and minerals development industry remains focused on gold. Ghana is Africa's largest gold producer, producing 80.5 t in 2008. Ghana is also a major producer of bauxite, manganese and diamonds. Ghana has 20 large-scale mining companies producing gold, diamonds, bauxite and manganese; over 300 registered small scale mining groups; and 90 mine support service companies. Other mineral commodities produced in the country are natural gas, petroleum, salt, and silver.
Mining in Angola is an activity with great economic potential since the country has one of the largest and most diversified mining resources of Africa. Angola is the third largest producer of diamonds in Africa and has only explored 40% of the diamond-rich territory within the country, but has had difficulty in attracting foreign investment because of corruption, human rights violations, and diamond smuggling. Production rose by 30% in 2006 and Endiama, the national diamond company of Angola, expects production to increase by 8% in 2007 to 10,000,000 carats (2,000 kg) annually. The government is trying to attract foreign companies to the provinces of Bié, Malanje and Uíge. Angola has also historically been a major producer of iron ore.
The mineral industry of Russia is one of the world's leading mineral industries and accounts for a large percentage of the Commonwealth of Independent States' production of a range of mineral products, including metals, industrial minerals, and mineral fuels. In 2005, Russia ranked among the leading world producers or was a significant producer of a vast range of mineral commodities, including aluminum, arsenic, cement, copper, magnesium compounds and metals, nitrogen, palladium, silicon, nickel and vanadium.
Mining is the biggest contributor to Namibia's economy in terms of revenue. It accounts for 25% of the country's income. Its contribution to the gross domestic product is also very important and makes it one of the largest economic sectors of the country. Namibia produces diamonds, uranium, copper, magnesium, zinc, silver, gold, lead, semi-precious stones and industrial minerals. The majority of revenue comes from diamond mining. In 2014, Namibia was the fourth-largest exporter of non-fuel minerals in Africa.
Mirninsky District is an administrative and municipal district, one of the thirty-four in the Sakha Republic, Russia. It is located in the west of the republic and borders Olenyoksky District in the north and northeast, Nyurbinsky and Suntarsky Districts in the east, Lensky District in the south, and Irkutsk Oblast and Krasnoyarsk Krai in the west. The area of the district is 165,800 square kilometers (64,000 sq mi). Its administrative center is the town of Mirny. As of the 2010 Census, the total population of the district was 38,802.
The Victor Mine was the first Canadian diamond mine located in Ontario, and De Beers' second diamond mine in Canada. It is located in the Northern Ontario Ring of Fire, in the James Bay Lowlands 90 kilometres (56 mi) west of Attawapiskat in the remote northern part of the province. In June 2005, the Attawapiskat First Nation voted in favour (85.5%) of ratifying the Impact Benefit Agreement (IBA). Construction of the mine began in February 2006 which created 3200 positions; mining and operations will create around 400 permanent positions. The Victor Mine is an open-pit mine, with a processing plant, workshops, and an airstrip located on site. By 2013–2014 royalties collected from De Beers Victor Mine amounted to $226. At that time De Beers was continuing to pay off its "$1 billion investment to build the mine and from now until it closes, the company expects to pay tens of millions of dollars in royalties." The mine completed mining and processing in 2019 and has moved to a shut-down phase including demolition of infrastructure and rehabilitation of the site.
An artisanal miner or small-scale miner (ASM) is a subsistence miner who is not officially employed by a mining company, but works independently, mining minerals using their own resources, usually by hand.
Peak minerals marks the point in time when the largest production of a mineral will occur in an area, with production declining in subsequent years. While most mineral resources will not be exhausted in the near future, global extraction and production has become more challenging. Miners have found ways over time to extract deeper and lower grade ores with lower production costs. More than anything else, declining average ore grades are indicative of ongoing technological shifts that have enabled inclusion of more 'complex' processing – in social and environmental terms as well as economic – and structural changes in the minerals exploration industry and these have been accompanied by significant increases in identified Mineral Reserves.
Koidu Limited a subsidiary of OCTÉA Limited, is a locally registered Company in the Republic of Sierra Leone.
The mining industry of Lesotho is mostly concentrated on diamond mining and as such the mining sector in the country has not played any significant role in furthering its economy. Apart from diamonds, the country's main mineral resources have been identified as base metals, clays, dimension stone, sand, gravel and uranium. The lack of initiative to extract other minerals commercially is mainly attributed to the inadequacy of infrastructure and finances. Between 2000 and 2011, the percentage of GDP contributed by diamond mining to Lesotho's economy rose from "virtually zero" to about 4%.
JSC «Severalmaz» is a Russian diamond mining company. It is a subsidiary of JSC "Alrosa" and holds a license for Europe's largest Lomonosov diamond mine, in Arkhangelsk Oblast, with reserves of 220 million carats of rough diamonds. Production in 2009 amounted to 500,000 carats of rough diamonds.
The Matryoshka is a double diamond, one with a second diamond moving freely inside. It was mined in Yakutia at the Nyurba mining and processing division of Alrosa. Due to its features, the stone resembles a traditional Russian Matryoshka doll. Experts who studied the find claimed that this was the first such diamond in the history of world diamond mining until October 2019. The maximum size of the diamond is 4.8 × 4.9 × 2.8 mm. The volume of the internal cavity is 6 mm³. The internal crystal volume is 1.6 mm³ with an estimated weight of 0.02 carats. The inner diamond has a flat shape, its size is 1.9 × 2.1 × 0.6 mm.
1. ALROSA official website: The official website of ALROSA, the company that owns and operates the Dalnyaya diamond mine, may provide detailed information about the mine's history, geology, operation, production, and impact.
2. Industry publications: Articles and reports from reputable industry publications such as Mining Weekly, Mining.com, and International Mining may offer insights into the Dalnyaya diamond mine's operations, developments, and market significance.
3. Academic journals: Scientific and academic journals focused on mining, geology, and diamond exploration may contain research articles and studies related to the geological characteristics, mining methods, and environmental impact of diamond mines, including the Dalnyaya mine.
4. Government sources: Government agencies responsible for mining regulation and oversight in Russia, such as the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation or the Federal Agency for Mineral Resources, may provide official data, reports, and publications related to diamond mining activities in the country, including the Dalnyaya mine.
5. Corporate reports and presentations: ALROSA's annual reports, sustainability reports, investor presentations, and press releases may contain relevant information about the Dalnyaya diamond mine's ownership, operation, production, and sustainability initiatives.
6. News articles: News outlets covering the mining industry, particularly those with a focus on Russia and diamond mining, may publish articles and features about the Dalnyaya diamond mine, its developments, and its impact on the local community and industry.
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