Jwaneng diamond mine
 Jwaneng Mine Buildings | |
| 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[2] |
| Owner | |
| Company | Debswana |
The Jwaneng diamond mine is the richest diamond mine in the world,[2][3] and also the second largest in the world.[4] It is nicknamed "the Prince of Mines",[2][5] and is located in south-central Botswana about 170 kilometers (110 mi) southwest of the city of Gaborone.[6] Jwaneng, meaning "a place of small stones",[7] and Jwaneng mine meaning "where a small stone is found" in Setswana.[5] The mine is owned by Debswana, a joint venture between De Beers and the government of Botswana.[6] It commenced operations in 1982.[2] As of 2024[update], the mine is expected to last until 2035 with its current known reserves.[8]
The mine employs more than 2,500 people,[9] and the mine owns and operates a local hospital,[10] a primary school,[11] and an airport.[12] The mine maintains an ISO 14001 certificate for environmental compliance, being the first mine in Botswana to achieve this certification in 2000. Jwaneng is known for its excellent safety record, winning multiple national and international safety awards.[13]
History[edit]
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.[14] In the early 1970s, extensive geological surveys by De Beers Exploration led to the identification of the Jwaneng deposit in February 1973,[3] and after 9 years of evaluation and construction[15] it became fully operational in 1982.[2] In 2021, around 107 million tonnes of rock were mined.[5] In 2022, it produced 13.4 million carats of diamonds.[9]
Geology[edit]
The Jwaneng Diamond Mine is situated within the Orapa Kimberlite Field.[16] The heart of the mine lies the "Jwaneng pipe,"[17] a volcanic crater formed during the Late Permian—Early Triassic periods.[3] It is composed primarily of kimberlite rock,[3] and in total the mine consists of three volcanic pipes.[18] Diamond-bearing ores are extracted from the vast pit and transported to processing facilities[19] and manufacturing facilities.[20]
References[edit]
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b c d e 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.
- ^ a b c d Brown et al. 2008, p. 195-208.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c "Debswana Jwaneng Mine". Debswana. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Jwaneng Diamond Mine, Botswana". Mining Technology. 29 February 2024. Archived from the original on 6 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.
- ^ Schmidt, Donna (20 March 2019). "Jwaneng to live a longer life". Mining Magazine. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Jwaneng". Diamond Trading Company. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ "Jwaneng & Orapa Mine Hospitals". Healthshare. Archived from the original on 28 November 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ "Debswana Community". Debswana. Archived from the original on 29 November 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ "Ministry of Works & Transport: Department of Civil Aviation: Jwaneng Aerodrome". Ministry of Works and Transport (Botswana). 3 February 2007. Archived from the original on 3 February 2007. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ "Jwaneng". Debswana. Archived from the original on 17 March 2012.
- ^ "Botswana embarks on economic diversification beyond diamonds". Africanews. 13 November 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ Lock 2019, p. 155.
- ^ "Botswana". De Beers. Archived from the original on 12 June 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ "Jwaneng Diamond Mine tour - excerpts". International Diamond Manufacturers Association. 10 April 2011. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ "Jwaneng Diamond Mine, Botswana". NASA Earth Observatory. 26 October 2008. Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. 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.
- ^ 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.
Bibliography[edit]
- 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.
- Brown, R.J.; Gernon, T.; Stiefenhofer, J.; Field, M. (2008). "Geological constraints on the eruption of the Jwaneng Centre kimberlite pipe, Botswana". Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. 174 (1–3): 195–208. Bibcode:2008JVGR..174..195B. doi:10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2007.12.032. ISSN 0377-0273.