Jwaneng diamond mine


Jwaneng diamond mine


The Jwaneng diamond mine is the richest diamond mine in the world, and also the second largest in the world. It is nicknamed "the Prince of Mines", and is located in south-central Botswana about 170 kilometers (110 mi) southwest of the city of Gaborone.

Jwaneng means "a place of small stones", and the Jwaneng mine means "where a small stone is found" in Setswana. The mine is owned by Debswana, a joint venture between De Beers and the government of Botswana. It commenced operations in 1982.

The mine owns and operates the local Jwaneng Mine Hospital, Acacia Primary School, and Jwaneng Airport. The mine maintains an ISO 14001 certificate for environmental compliance, being the first mine in Botswana to achieve this certification in 2000.

History

Discovery and early exploration

Development and construction

Major expansions

Timeline of discovery

Geology

The Jwaneng Diamond Mine is situated within the Orapa Kimberlite Field. In the mine lies the "Jwaneng pipe," a volcanic crater formed during the Permian period. The mine consists of three kimberlite pipes. Diamond-bearing ores are extracted from the vast pit and transported to processing facilities and manufacturing facilities.

Economic impact

The discovery of diamonds in the Jwaneng area marked a significant turning point in Botswana's economic trajectory, even being considered as Botswana’s economic pulse. In the early 1970s, extensive geological surveys by De Beers Exploration led to the identification of the Jwaneng deposit in February 1973, and after 9 years of evaluation and construction it became fully operational in 1982. In 2021, around 107 million tonnes of rock were mined. In 2023, it produced 13.3 million carats of diamonds.

Employment

The mine employs more than 2,500 people as of 2024. A major project aims to extend production at Jwaneng by creating around 4,500 jobs or more a year, and is expected to contribute more than US$25 billion to Botswana’s economy. This project also plans on increasing the mine's depth from 400 meters to 650 meters.

Notes

References

Footnotes

Sources

  • Gap International (14 April 2022). "Gap International BrandVoice: Operation Botswana: How The Richest Diamond Mine In The World Navigated Covid-19". Forbes. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  • Guest, Peter (3 December 2015). "Inside the world's richest diamond mine - CNN.com". CNN. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  • Lock, Norman (2019). "Jwaneng - the untold story of the discovery of the world's richest diamond mine". Journal of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. 119 (2): 155. doi:10.17159/2411-9717/2019/v119n2a8. ISSN 2225-6253. Archived from the original on 2 November 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  • Eligon, John; Silva, Joao (29 June 2023). "Is Botswana Getting a Raw Deal From De Beers Diamonds?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 6 May 2024.*
  • Davies, Aura (5 October 2023). "How Diamonds are Mined, Processed, and Cut in Botswana". Goop. Archived from the original on 3 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  • Benson, Steven (28 April 2021). "World's richest open-pit diamond mine to become the world's largest underground mine". MID House of Diamonds. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  • Mala, Alisa (13 April 2024). "The 10 Largest Diamond Mines In The World". WorldAtlas. Archived from the original on 29 April 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  • NASA (26 October 2008). "Jwaneng Diamond Mine, Botswana". NASA Earth Observatory. Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  • Debswana (2023a). "Debswana Jwaneng Mine". Debswana. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  • Debswana (2023b). "Debswana Community". Debswana. Archived from the original on 29 November 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  • De Beers (2022). "Botswana". De Beers. Archived from the original on 12 June 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  • Mining Technology (29 February 2024). "Jwaneng Diamond Mine, Botswana". Mining Technology. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  • DTC (2024). "Jwaneng". Diamond Trading Company. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  • Schlüter, Thomas (2006). Geological Atlas of Africa (PDF). Germany: Springer. ISBN 978-3-540-29144-2.

Text submitted to CC-BY-SA license. Source: Jwaneng diamond mine by Wikipedia (Historical)



 


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