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Jwaneng diamond mine

Coordinates: 24°31′23″S 24°42′07″E / 24.52306°S 24.70194°E / -24.52306; 24.70194
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Jwaneng diamond mine
Jwaneng diamond mine
Location
Jwaneng diamond mine is located in Botswana
Jwaneng diamond mine
Jwaneng diamond mine
Location in Botswana
LocationNaledi River Valley, Kalahari Desert[1]
Country Botswana
Coordinates24°31′23″S 24°42′07″E / 24.52306°S 24.70194°E / -24.52306; 24.70194
Production
ProductsDiamonds
History
Opened1982
Owner
CompanyDebswana

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

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Discovery and early exploration

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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

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Major expansions

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Timeline of discovery

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Plot of regional DSS ilmenite grain counts in the Jwaneng diamond mine
Plot of regional detailed soil sampling ilmenite grain counts in the Jwaneng diamond mine
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

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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

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Employment

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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

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  1. ^ DRL stands for Diamond Research Laboratory, De Beers Campus, Crown Mines, Johannesburg
  2. ^ 2424KD/KX refers to an ilmenite field.

References

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ Gap International 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d Guest 2015.
  3. ^ Mala 2024.
  4. ^ a b Mining Technology 2024.
  5. ^ Benson 2021.
  6. ^ a b Debswana 2023a.
  7. ^ "Jwaneng & Orapa Mine Hospitals". Healthshare. 2021. Archived from the original on 28 November 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  8. ^ Debswana 2023b.
  9. ^ "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.
  10. ^ "EXCURSIONS: Debswana Mine, Botswana Meat Commission, and Culture Day" (PDF). Parliament of Botswana. 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  11. ^ a b Lock 2019, p. 155.
  12. ^ a b c DTC 2024.
  13. ^ Lock 2019, p. 159.
  14. ^ De Beers 2022.
  15. ^ "Jwaneng Diamond Mine tour - excerpts". International Diamond Manufacturers Association. 10 April 2011. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  16. ^ Schlüter 2006, p. 48.
  17. ^ NASA Earth Observatory 2008.
  18. ^ Eligon & Silva 2023.
  19. ^ Davies 2023.

Sources

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