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Jwaneng diamond mine
Diamond mine in the Kalahari Desert, Botswana
Diamond mine in the Kalahari Desert, Botswana
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Jwaneng diamond mine |
| image | Jwaneng Open Mine.jpg |
| caption | Jwaneng diamond mine |
| pushpin_map | Botswana |
| pushpin_map_caption | Location in Botswana |
| coordinates | |
| place | Naledi River Valley, Kalahari Desert |
| country | |
| owner | Debswana |
| products | Diamonds |
| opening year | 1982 |
| state/province = The Jwaneng diamond mine is the richest diamond mine in the world, and also the second largest in the world. It is nicknamed "the Prince of Mines", and is located in south-central Botswana about 170 km southwest of the city of Gaborone.
Jwaneng means "a place of gems", and "where a small stone is found" in Setswana. The mine is owned by Debswana, a joint venture between De Beers and the government of Botswana. It commenced operations in 1982.
The mine owns and operates the local Jwaneng Mine Hospital, Acacia Primary School, and Jwaneng Airport. The mine maintains an ISO 14001 certificate for environmental compliance, being the first mine in Botswana to achieve this certification in 2000.
History
Discovery and early exploration
In the early 1970s, extensive geological surveys by De Beers Exploration led to the identification of the Jwaneng deposit in February 1973, and after 9 years of evaluation and construction it became fully operational in 1982. In 2021, around 107 million tonnes of rock were mined. In 2023, it produced 13.3 million carats of diamonds.
Development and construction
Major expansions
Timeline of discovery
| Year | Activity | Geologist(s) | Discovery | Note | Reference | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Road reconnaissance | Jim Gibson/Jim Platt | Barren samples | n/a | ||||||||||||||||||
| *No activity* | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Reconnaissance soil sampling | Mike Whateley/Keith Huxham and others | First kimberlite indicator material recoveries, confirmed by DRL | |||||||||||||||||||
| Detailed soil sampling | Mike Whateley/Bruce Lynn | Progressive kimberlite indicator material spatial distribution results | n/a | ||||||||||||||||||
| Detailed grid loaming | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground magnetics and gravity/drilling | Peter Bickerstaff | 2424D/K1 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Detailed soil sampling/detailed grid loaming/ground magnetics/drilling | Stuart Vercoe/Norman Lock | 2424D/K2 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Detailed grid loaming/ground magnetics/drilling/airborne magnetics | Stuart Vercoe and others | 2424KD/K3 and 2424KD/K4 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Detailed grid loaming/ground magnetics/drilling | 2424D/K5 and 2424KD/K6 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2424D/K7 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2424D/K8 |
Geology
The Jwaneng Diamond Mine is situated within the Orapa Kimberlite Field. In the mine lies the "Jwaneng pipe," a volcanic crater formed during the Permian period. The mine consists of three kimberlite pipes. Diamond-bearing ores are extracted from the vast pit and transported to processing facilities and manufacturing facilities.
Economic impact
Employment
The mine employs more than 2,500 people as of 2024. 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.
Notes
References
Footnotes
Sources
References
- (2021). "Jwaneng & Orapa Mine Hospitals".
- "Ministry of Works & Transport: Department of Civil Aviation: Jwaneng Aerodrome".
- (2018). "EXCURSIONS: Debswana Mine, Botswana Meat Commission, and Culture Day".
- (10 April 2011). "Jwaneng Diamond Mine tour - excerpts".
This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.
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