Jwaneng diamond mine
 Jwaneng diamond mine | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
  Jwaneng diamond mine Location in Botswana | |
| Location | Naledi River Valley, Kalahari Desert[1] |
| Country |  Botswana |
| Coordinates | 24°31′23″S 24°42′07″E / 24.52306°S 24.70194°E |
| Production | |
| Products | Diamonds |
| History | |
| Opened | 1982 |
| Owner | |
| Company | Debswana |
The Jwaneng diamond mine is the richest diamond mine in the world,[2] and also the second largest in the world.[3] It is nicknamed "the Prince of Mines",[2] and is located in south-central Botswana about 170 kilometers (110 mi) southwest of the city of Gaborone.[4]
Jwaneng means "a place of small stones",[5] and the Jwaneng mine means "where a small stone is found" in Setswana.[6] The mine is owned by Debswana, a joint venture between De Beers and the government of Botswana.[4] It commenced operations in 1982.[2]
The mine owns and operates the local Jwaneng Mine Hospital, Acacia Primary School, and Jwaneng Airport.[7][8][9] The mine maintains an ISO 14001 certificate for environmental compliance, being the first mine in Botswana to achieve this certification in 2000.[10]
History
[edit]Discovery and early exploration
[edit]In the early 1970s, extensive geological surveys by De Beers Exploration led to the identification of the Jwaneng deposit in February 1973,[11] and after 9 years of evaluation and construction it became fully operational in 1982.[2][11] In 2021, around 107 million tonnes of rock were mined.[6] In 2023, it produced 13.3 million carats of diamonds.[12]
Development and construction
[edit]Major expansions
[edit]Timeline of discovery
[edit]
| Year | Activity | Geologist(s) | Discovery | Note | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Road reconnaissance | Jim Gibson/Jim Platt | Barren samples | n/a | [13] |
| 1963 | No activity | ||||
| 1964 | |||||
| 1965 | |||||
| 1966 | |||||
| 1967 | |||||
| 1968 | |||||
| 1969 | Reconnaissance soil sampling | Mike Whateley/Keith Huxham and others | First kimberlite indicator material recoveries, confirmed by DRL | [a] | |
| 1970 | Detailed soil sampling | Mike Whateley/Bruce Lynn | Progressive kimberlite indicator material spatial distribution results | n/a | |
| 1971 | Detailed grid loaming | ||||
| 1972 | Ground magnetics and gravity/drilling | Peter Bickerstaff | 2424D/K1 | [b] | |
| Detailed soil sampling/detailed grid loaming/ground magnetics/drilling | Stuart Vercoe/Norman Lock | 2424D/K2 | |||
| 1973 | |||||
| 1974 | Detailed grid loaming/ground magnetics/drilling/airborne magnetics | Stuart Vercoe and others | 2424KD/K3 and 2424KD/K4 | ||
| 1975 | Detailed grid loaming/ground magnetics/drilling | 2424D/K5 and 2424KD/K6 | |||
| 1976 | 2424D/K7 | ||||
| 1977 | 2424D/K8 | ||||
Geology
[edit]The Jwaneng Diamond Mine is situated within the Orapa Kimberlite Field.[14] In the mine lies the "Jwaneng pipe,"[15] a volcanic crater formed during the Permian period.[16] The mine consists of three kimberlite pipes.[17] Diamond-bearing ores are extracted from the vast pit and transported to processing facilities and manufacturing facilities.[18][19]
Economic impact
[edit]Employment
[edit]The mine employs more than 2,500 people as of 2024.[12] 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.[12]
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]Footnotes
[edit]- ^ Gap International 2022.
- ^ a b c d Guest 2015.
- ^ Mala 2024.
- ^ a b Mining Technology 2024.
- ^ Benson 2021.
- ^ a b Debswana 2023a.
- ^ "Jwaneng & Orapa Mine Hospitals". Healthshare. 2021. Archived from the original on 28 November 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ Debswana 2023b.
- ^ "Ministry of Works & Transport: Department of Civil Aviation: Jwaneng Aerodrome". Ministry of Works and Transport (Botswana). Archived from the original on 3 February 2007. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ "EXCURSIONS: Debswana Mine, Botswana Meat Commission, and Culture Day" (PDF). Parliament of Botswana. 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
- ^ a b Lock 2019, p. 155.
- ^ a b c DTC 2024.
- ^ Lock 2019, p. 159.
- ^ De Beers 2022.
- ^ "Jwaneng Diamond Mine tour - excerpts". International Diamond Manufacturers Association. 10 April 2011. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ Schlüter 2006, p. 48.
- ^ NASA Earth Observatory 2008.
- ^ Eligon & Silva 2023.
- ^ Davies 2023.
Sources
[edit]- 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 Earth Observatory (26 October 2008). "Jwaneng Diamond Mine, Botswana". Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- Debswana (2023a). "Debswana Jwaneng Mine". Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- Debswana (2023b). "Debswana Community". Archived from the original on 29 November 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- De Beers (2022). "Botswana". Archived from the original on 12 June 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- Mining Technology (29 February 2024). "Jwaneng Diamond Mine, Botswana". Archived from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- DTC (2024). "Jwaneng". Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- Schlüter, Thomas (2006). Geological Atlas of Africa (PDF). Germany: Springer. ISBN 978-3-540-29144-2.