Diamond Mining
Browse DiamondsHow it works:
Diamond mining is a complex subject.
Mining of a diamond-bearing pipe starts with the excavation of a pit into the pipe. In this
process, called "open-pit" or "open-cast" mining, the initially loose and eventually hard ore
material is removed with large hydraulic shovels and ore trucks. Hard rock is drilled and blasted
with explosives so the broken material can be removed. In bedrock adjacent to the pipe, shafts
are sunk and tunneled into the pipe. Concrete-lined tunnels are excavated under a large vertical
section, 400 to 600 feet of kimberlite. Along the tunnels are draw points, or openings in the
concrete casing. Broken kimberlite falls through the draw points and is scraped out of the tunnel
with a drag or scraper bucket attached to a cable. The scraped kimberlite rubble is loaded into
cars on a lower level and moved to a crusher underground. The crushed ore is then conveyed to
skips that carry the ore up the vertical shaft for processing.
Tourist Diamond Miners:
If you love diamond jewelry are a fortune seeker or tired of playing the lottery, you and
the entire family can hunt for diamonds (and keep what you find!) at the
Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro Arkansas. Before the site
became a state park, it was a farm belonging to John Huddleston. After
Huddleston found two diamonds after tilling the ground over 90 years ago,
people all over caught "diamond fever" and continues to pull in over 60,000
people per year. Are there any diamonds left? Park rangers say on average
two diamonds the size of a match head are found each day! Visitors can
take their new finds to the visitors center in the park where analysts
will weigh it for free.
Shop for Diamond Jewelry Now
|
