Saturday, April 25, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
What is the Victor Diamond Project?
The Victor Diamond Project is a massive diamond mine being proposed by the DeBeers diamond conglomerate in northeastern Ontario near Attawapiskat on James Bay. This region is part of one of the largest, intact wilderness areas left on earth and currently has no industrial development. There are several First Nations communities in the area that are accessible by winter road only. This wilderness supports abundant wildlife, including threatened woodland caribou, healthy fisheries, clean and plentiful water, and sustains the traditional activities of First Nations. How big would the mine be?
| The mine site would cover an area of 5,000 hectares. The open pit would be 220 metres deep and 1-2 kilometres wide. The ecological footprint of the mine (the area its operations will impact), however, is much larger. Up to 260,000 hectares -- an area roughly four times the size of the City of Toronto -- will be impacted by dewatering, the pumping of water out of the pit, which is likely to massively change water flows above and below ground throughout the area. There is a good chance that this project will be expanded if more diamonds are discovered in the region. |
Merlin Diamond Project
North Australian Diamonds Limited acquired 100% of Mining Lease 1154 covering the former Merlin Diamond Mine operations in the Northern Territory from Ashton Mining Limited (a wholly owned subsidiary of the Rio Tinto Group) in 2004. This acquisition built on the Merlin Orbit exploration tenements which had been previously acquired from Rio Tinto.
The project is situated approximately 75km SSE by road from McArthur River, 80km due south by air from the town of Borroloola and 720km SE of Darwin in the Gulf Region of the Northern Territory.
The Merlin diamond field comprises 14 kimberlite pipes, grouped into four clusters. Twelve of the pipes, all subject to either open pit mining or testing, are located within the mineral lease MLN1154, which was granted on 15th June 1998.
Merlin diamonds are known for the brilliant white colour and large size. The largest diamond ever found in Australia, a 104.73 carat white gem quality stone, was recovered from Merlin and was valued at approximately US$525,000 in 2002. Recently NADL sold a 10.60ct gem stone for A$201,672.
In line with world increases in diamond prices a recent revaluation of Merlin goods indicates a 30% increase in price to approximately US$140 per carat. The prognosis for rough diamond prices over the next 10 years is very favorable with annual increases of 5% predicted due to declining production from current world reserves and demand for diamonds increasing.
About De Beers
Debswana to reopen some Botswana mines on Wednesday
GABORONE (Reuters) - Debswana, the world's biggest diamond producing company by value, said on Tuesday it would resume production on Wednesday at three of its four mines in Botswana, after suspending output due to weak demand.A global economic slowdown has slashed demand for diamonds, leading to output cuts in Botswana, and led to a large budget deficit for the country after revenue dried up.
Debswana, a 50/50 joint venture between the government of Botswana and De Beers, which is 45 percent owned by mining group Anglo American, said in February it would close its Orapa, Letlhakane and Jwaneng mines from February 25 to April 14.
On Tuesday, Debswana said in a statement production at the firm's fourth and smallest mine, Damtshaa and at Orapa No. 2 plant would remain suspended for the rest of the year because demand was expected to be depressed.
The closures had cut production costs and preserved jobs, and given the company a chance to sell off some of the diamonds that had piled up in its inventories, it said.
It had also and carried out maintenance during the closure.
"At the time of suspending operations, the company was carrying uneconomic quantities of inventories (diamonds) occasioned by very low sales of the 2008 fourth quarter production," Debswana said.
Ratings agencies have cut the country's foreign currency rating outlook, and forecast the economy will contract in the 2008/09 and 2009/10 financial years.
Monday, April 20, 2009
American Diamond Mines
Crater of Diamonds State ParkDiamond mining in the United States has met with limited success with one minor exception: Arkansas' "Crater of Diamonds." The Crater of Diamonds is an 888 acre State Park located in Murfreesboro, Arkansas. Crater of Diamonds is the only diamond mine in the world that is open to the general public. The park is situated over an 95 million year old eroded lamproite volcanic pipe that was created from magma rising to the surface due to the final shifting of the continental plates. The pipe consists of ash tuffs, lamproite and epiclastic crater sediments similar to the some of the lamproites in Western Australia.
The first diamond was found in 1906 by John Huddleston, who owned the property that became the State Park. Shortly after Mr Huddleston's discovery, a diamond rush turned Murfreesboro into a boomtown. After unsuccessful attempts at commercial exploitation, the area was used as a privately owned tourist attraction called the "Arkansas Diamond Mine." The state of Arkansas purchased the property and converted it into a state park in 1972. Unsuccessful diamond-drilling (below) was conducted in 1992 by several groups, including Rio Tinto.
Southern Era Diamonds Projects
Gahcho Kué Diamond Project
Fort à la Corne Diamond Project
Other De Beers Canada operations that are expected to go online in the future are the Fort à la Corne Diamond Project (FALC), 50km north-east of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. The Fort à la Corne field comprises the largest diamondiferous kimberlite clusters in the world, with over 71 diamondiferous kimberlite pipes. The field is expected to produce an average of 7 to 16 carats per hundred tonnes of extracted ore.
Victor Diamond Project
The Victor Diamond Project Another is another Anglo American/De Beers Canada operation, that will be an open-pit mine with an expected life of 12 years, located in the James Bay Lowlands, Northern Ontario. The Victor Project is located over 1 of 18 kimberlite pipes located on the property. Mining operations are expected to employ 380 permanent workers.
Snap Lake Diamond Project
Diavik Diamond Mine
The Diavik open-pit diamond mine (above, left) is located approximately 20 kilometers south-east of the Ekati diamond mine and 300 kilometers northeast of the capital city of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories, Canada. The Diavik Mine is built over four kimberlite pipes that lie directly beneath the existing shallow lake-bed of Lac de Gras. Mining operations are located on Lac de Gras' East Island. Due to the harsh weather conditions, access to the Ekati and Diavik mines is by air or a temporary ice road. The gravel landing strip can accommodate large jet aircraft.The mine began construction in 2001 and mining production commenced on January of 2003. The Diavik diamond mine is a joint venture between the Aber Diamond Corporation and Diavik Diamond Mines Inc., a subsidiary of Rio Tinto Group and was built for a cost of 1.13 billion dollars. The Diavik mine is expected to produce 1.5 million tons of kimberlite ore material in its estimated 16-22 year lifespan. The mine employs some 700 workers and produces around eight million carats (approx. 90 million dollars US) of rough diamonds per year.Canadian Diamond Mines
Both the Ekati and Diavik mines are located in the pristine arctic wilderness of Canada's Northwest Territories some 350 miles south of the Arctic Ocean. The Ekati diamond mine (below, right) is Canada's first diamond mining operation. It is located on Lac de Gras, in the Northwest Territories, Canada. Prospector Chuck Fipke discovered the Lac de Gras kimberlite pipes in 1991.Ekati means "Caribou Fat Lake" in the language native to the Dog-Rib Indians of the Northwest Territories (NWT). The Ekati mine began operations on October 14 1998. The Ekati Diamond Mine now produces an average of three million carats of rough diamonds every year.
Diamonds from the Ekati mines are found in 45 to 62 million year old kimberlite pipes which lie directly underneath shallow lakes formed in inactive volcanic calderas or craters (crater lakes). Diamonds from the Ekati Mine are sold under the trade name "Aurias" and their authenticity is verified through the "CanadaMark" service, operated by BHP Billiton Diamonds Inc. BHP Billiton Group is the world's largest diversified resources company.
The Ekati Mine laser-engraves the girdle of each diamond with the Ekati logo and a unique serial number signifying its authenticity and Canadian origin. The laser-engraving is only visible under magnification and using special light filters (see simulation above, right).
Mining in India Today
India is no longer a source for rough diamonds. Although most all of India's diamond mines were depleted centuries ago, there is one active diamond mine at Panna in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh (below, right). The mine is owned by the National Mineral Development Corporation. De Beers India is currently prospecting in the Madhya Pradesh region as well as in the sothern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. The De Beers mining operation will be a joint venture with Hindustan Diamond, be based in Mumbai.The 'Valley of Diamonds'
Most of the diamonds entering Europe originated in India. In the later half of the 14th century, the diamond trade route extended from India to Bruges, Paris and eventually to the Diamond Bourses of Antwerp, Belgium. After Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias' 1488 discovery of the 'Cape of Good Hope' on Africa's southern most tip, fellow Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama discovered a sea route to the India and Orient by sailing around the Cape in 1498. This provided Europeans with an easier route to the Indian diamond trade, avoiding the costly and dangerous 'Silk Road' caravan routes.
Geology
'Golconda' diamonds found on the Indian subcontinent, were created from the enormous forces generated by the 'Tethys Oceanic Crust' colliding, and being subducted under the 'Asian Continental plate' (aka plate tectonics). Although these massive continental plates collided at the incredibly slow rate of 10 centimetres per year, this was enough force over 100s of millions of years, to create the Himalayan Mountain range, and to cause the necessary volcanic activity to create diamondiferous intrusive and extrusive igneous rock known as 'kimberlite.'
Millions of years of erosion caused by rainfall and snow-melt, unearthed the diamonds from their kimberlite source, and washed them downstream to their final resting place in the alluvial river gravels of the 'Golconda' region.
Golconda (golkunda) was a region located between the lower reaches of the Godavari and Krishna rivers, in the present-day state of Andhra Pradesh, central India (map above). Today, the exact source of the 'lost mines of Golconda' are unknown, and the India's only remaining diamond source is the Majhgawan pipe near Panna (see:" Mining in India Today" below).
Diamonds are inextricably woven into the cultural fabric and mysticism of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Tibetan Lamaism. The 'dorjes' is an ancient Buddhist talisman shaped like a pyramidal four-faceted diamond [2] representing the sacred mountain of Mount Meru at the 'center of the universe.'
India's Diamonds of Golconda
Diamonds were discovered in India during the 4th century B.C., and India was one of the first countries to mine the gem. India's diamonds were prized for their size and beauty for hundreds of years. "Indian" diamonds were mined in numerous locations that included Borneo (Landak), Golconda, Hindostan, and Raolconda. The majority of India and Borneo's diamond deposits were alluvial as opposed to kimberlite.India's most prized diamonds are known as the "diamonds of Golconda," and the most famous Golconda stones include the Hope Diamond, Koh-i-Noor Diamond, Orlov Diamond, and Sanc Diamond. The Darya-i-Nur (Sea of Light) was a rare blue-diamond weighed 186 carats, which was owned by the Nadir Shah of Persia after it was plundered from the last 'Great Mughal Emperor,' Aurangzeb's heirs in the 'sack of Delhi' in 1739.
The largest rough gem-quality diamond
In 1907 King Edward VII had the stone cut into eleven gemstones by Joseph and Jacob Asscher in Amsterdam. The largest of the eleven was named the "Cullinan l" or the "Great Star of Africa" (below, far right) which weighed 530.20 carats. The second largest cut diamond to come from the Cullinan stone was called the "Cullinan ll" or "Lesser Star of Africa", weighing 317.40 carats (below, right).The Great Star of Africa was the largest polished diamond in the world until the discovery of the "Golden Jubilee" diamond in 1985. The Golden Jubilee diamond was also from the Premier Diamond Mine and has a cut weight of 545.67 carats.
Gauteng Province
after the present owner Willem Prinsloo died. The mine is located in Gauteng Province (adjacent to Limpopo Province), South Africa. The mine is situated over one of the largest kimberlite pipes in the world.
Limpopo Province
Venetia is a conventional open-pit mine located on a kimberlite pipe. At present the mine employs surface mining techniques that are expected to carry on for 20 years. After that point it will be determined if it is feasible to continue the mining operation using underground "hard rock" mining.
located in Limpopo's north-east is The Oaks Diamond Mine 20km south-east of Swartwater. The Oaks is one of South Africa's newer diamond mines, operated by De Beers Group.
At the time, the British controlled much of the surrounding land of South Africa and decided to annex the area around the diamond mine. As a result of this decision, Kimberley was besieged at the beginning of the Second Boer War on October 14 1899.
As of today, five enormous holes have been dug into the earth at Kimberley, each following the trail of the kimberlite pipes. The largest, the "Kimberley Mine" or "Big Hole," covered 170,000 meters and reached a depth of 3,520 feet (1,097 meters). Kimberley's Big Hole mine is the largest hand-dug excavation in the world. The Big Hole yielded over 3 tons of diamonds before it was closed in 1914. Three of the remaining holes; the Du Toitspan, Wesselton, and Bultfontein mines closed in 2005. New Orange River alluvial deposits have been located along the Namibian boarder, near South Africa's northwest coast. The Baken Diamond Mine sits on the south bank of the Orange River, approximately 50 miles from Alexander bay.
South African Diamond Mines
It all started in 1866 on a farm near Hopetown, a young shepherd named Erasmus Jacobs found a small white pebble along the bank of the Orange River. That white pebble was passed on to a neighboring farmer named Schalk van Niekerk who sent it to Grahamstown to be identified by a Dr W.G. Atherstone. The pebble turned out to be a 21.25 carat diamond, dubbed the "Eureka."
In 1870, diamond diggers discovered stones at the Bultfontein, Du Toits Pan, and Vooruitzight farms, and in 1871, an 83.50 carat diamond was found on the slopes of Colesberg Kopje, leading to the first 'diamond rush' into the area. Miners began arriving by the thousands, and the hill at Colesberg Kopje began to disappear, replaced by a gigantic open-pit mine that became known as the "Big Hole".
Kimberley began as a town called "New Rush" and was renamed Kimberley on June 5th 1873. Kimberley was named after the British Secretary of State of the Colonies, John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley. A diamond trader/speculator from England, named Barney Barnato systematically bought up pieces of the Big Hole to eventually create the 'Kimberley Central Mine.'
Herkimer Diamonds
Herkimer Diamonds are world-famous quartz crystals found only in specific locations in New York State. These unusually clear, brilliant crystals began forming millions of years ago and are highly sought for their exceptional beauty Digging for these diamonds at Crystal Grove Diamond Mine & Campground is a fun and enjoyable experience for all ages. You don't have to be an expert to prospect - a shovel, hammer and chisel will help, but even small garden tools will work. (Some rental tools are available.) If "breaking rock" is not for you, sifting through the dirt will also reveal these stunning gems.
