Everyone knows that diamond is the most precious stone on earth. It is unique in that it is the hardest, most radiant and sparkling among minerals; its external characteristics are not subject to time, mechanical damage and even fire. Both thousands of years ago and now, diamonds attract humanity, beckoning with their cold beauty. Processed diamonds not only produce magnificent diamonds that adorn luxury jewelry, they are also (due to their properties) used in many industrial sectors. There are enough deposits where diamonds can be found in Russia to say that our country is a diamond power. In this article we will tell you more about the extraction of such a useful and beautiful mineral. So, further about where diamonds are mined in Russia: cities, location of deposits.
Diamonds in nature
In the upper mantle of the Earth, at a depth of more than 100-150 km, under the influence of high temperatures and enormous pressure, pure carbon atoms from the graphite state are modified into crystals, which we call diamonds. This crystallization process takes hundreds of years. After spending several million years in its depths, diamonds are brought to the surface of the earth by kimberlite magma during volcanic explosions. With such an explosion, so-called pipes are formed - kimberlite diamond deposits. The name “kimberlite” comes from the African town of Kimberley, in the area of which diamond-bearing rock was discovered. Nowadays, there are two types of diamond deposits: primary (lamproite and kimberlite) and secondary (placers).
Diamonds were known to mankind three thousand years before our era; the first mentions of them were found in India. People immediately endowed diamond with supernatural properties, thanks to its indestructible hardness, brilliance and transparent purity. It was accessible only to selected persons who had power and authority.
Diamond producing countries
Since each diamond is unique in its kind, it is customary to separate their accounting among world countries according to production volumes and in value terms. The bulk of diamond production is distributed among only nine countries. These are Russia, the Republic of Congo, Botswana, Australia, Canada, Angola, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
In value terms, the leaders among these countries are Russia, African Botswana and Canada. Their total diamond production accounts for more than 60% of the value of the world's mined diamonds.
In less than 2017 (according to the latest data), Russia takes first place in terms of production volumes and value. Its share in value terms accounts for about 40% of total world production. This leadership has belonged to Russia for several years.
The first diamond in the Russian Federation
Now in more detail about production in our country. When and where did diamond mining in Russia first begin? This happened in the 19th century, in the summer of 1829, the serf teenager Pavel Popov, panning for gold at the Krestovozdvizhensky gold mine in the Perm province, found an incomprehensible pebble. The boy gave it to the caretaker and after assessing the precious find, he was given his freedom, and all other workers were told to pay attention to all the transparent stones. So two more diamonds were found. Humboldt, a former German geologist nearby, was told about the place where diamonds are mined in Russia. Then the development of the diamond mine began.
Over the next thirty years, about 130 diamonds were discovered, weighing a total of 60 carats. In total, before 1917, no more than 250 precious stones were found in Russia, where diamonds were mined in the Urals. But, despite the insignificant number, they were all of excellent beauty. These were stones worthy of decorating jewelry.
Already in 1937, large-scale expeditions were organized in Soviet Russia to explore Ural diamonds, but they were not crowned with great success. The placers found were poor in precious stone content; primary diamond deposits were never discovered in the Urals.
Siberian diamonds
Since the 18th century, the best minds of our country have wondered where the diamond deposits are in Russia. The great Russian scientist of the 18th century, Mikhail Lomonosov, stated in his writings that Siberia could be a diamond-bearing region. He outlined his assumption in the manuscript “Diamonds Could Have Occurred in the Northern Lands.” However, the first Siberian diamond was found at the end of the 19th century on the Melnichnaya River, near the city of Yeniseisk. Due to the fact that it weighed only two-thirds of a carat, and also due to a lack of funding, exploration of other diamonds in the area was not continued.
And only in 1949 in Yakutia on the Sokolinaya Spit, near the village of Krestya in the Suntarsky Ulus, the first Siberian diamond was found. But this deposit was alluvial. The search for indigenous kimberlite pipes was crowned with success five years later - the first pipe not located in Africa was found near the Daldyn River by geologist Popugaeva. This was a significant discovery in the life of our country. The name of the first diamond-bearing pipe was given in the Soviet style of that time - “Zarnitsa”. The next to be discovered were the Mir pipe and the Udachnaya pipe, where diamonds are still mined in Russia. By the end of 1955, 15 new diamond pipe deposits appeared in Yakutia.
Yakutia, or as the locals call this region, the Republic of Sakha, is the place where gold and diamonds are mined in Russia. Despite the severity of the climate, it is a fertile and generous region, giving our country natural resources.
Below is a map that clearly shows where these precious stones are mined in Russia. The darkest areas are the places where there are the largest number of deposits, and the diamonds themselves are the most expensive in value. As you can see, most of the pipes are concentrated in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). There are also diamonds in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Irkutsk Region, the Republic of Karelia, the Arkhangelsk and Murmansk Regions, the Perm Territory, the Komi Republic and so on.
Mirny is the city with the most diamonds in Russia
In the summer of 1955, geologists searching for kimberlite pipes in Yakutia saw a larch tree with exposed roots. This fox dug a hole here. The color of the scattered earth was bluish, which is a characteristic feature of kimberlite. The geologists were not mistaken in their guesses, and after some time they sent a coded message to the top Soviet leadership: “We smoked the pipe of peace, the tobacco is excellent!” A year later, in the west of Yakutia, large-scale development of the Mir kimberlite pipe begins, similar to quarry excavations.
Around a huge quarry in the form of a funnel, a village is formed, named in his honor - Mirny. Within two years, the village turns into the city of Mirny, today it is a city with a population of more than three tens of thousands of residents, 80% of whom are employed in the diamond mining enterprise. It can rightfully be called the diamond capital of Russia, because millions of dollars worth of diamonds are mined here every year.
Now it is the largest quarry not only in Russia, where diamonds are mined, but throughout the world. The depth of the huge quarry is 525 meters, its diameter is about 1200 meters, the quarry could easily accommodate the Ostankino TV tower. And when descending to the center of the quarry, the length of the serpentine road is more than 8 kilometers.
Below in the photo is just this diamond quarry (Mirny city, Yakutia).
"Yakutalmaz"
The Yakutalmaz trust was created in 1957 in the tent village of Mirny at that time with the aim of developing mining operations for diamond extraction. Exploration of the following deposits was carried out in the difficult conditions of the deep taiga, with severe frosts of 60 degrees and the absence of any infrastructure. Thus, in 1961, almost near the Arctic Circle, the development of the Aikhal pipe began, and in 1969 another pipe was discovered - the International pipe - the most diamond-bearing pipe to date.
In the 1970s and 1980s, several more diamond mines were opened through underground nuclear explosions. The International, Yubileynaya, and other pipes were discovered in this way. In the same years, Yakutalmaz opened the world’s only kimberlite museum in the city of Mirny. At first, the exhibits represented private collections of geologists, but over time they became more numerous. Here you can see various rocks of kimberlite - a harbinger of diamonds, from different kimberlite pipes around the world.
ALROSA
Since 1992, the joint-stock company ALROSA (Diamonds of Russia-Sakha), with a state controlling stake, has become the successor to the Soviet Yakutalmaz. Since its formation, ALROSA has received a state monopoly on exploration, mining and diamond processing activities in the Russian Federation. This group of diamond mining and processing enterprises produces about 98% of all diamonds in Russia.
Today ALROSA has six mining and processing complexes (GOK), four of which are part of the group. These are Aikhal, Udachninsky, Mirny and Nyurbinsky mining and processing plants. Two more plants - Almazy Anabara and Arkhangelsk Severalmaz - are subsidiaries of ALROSA. Each mining and processing plant consists of one or more diamond deposits and a complex of special equipment and processing facilities.
From all mills in Russia, diamonds, no matter where they were mined, are delivered to the Diamond Sorting Center. Here they are assessed, weighed and initially processed. Then the rough diamonds are sent to Moscow and Yakut cutting plants.
The largest deposits in Russia
Among the largest deposits in Yakutia one can note the Yubileiny quarry. Diamond mining on an industrial scale began here in 1986, and to date the depth of development has reached 320 meters. Further development of Yubileiny up to 720 meters is predicted. Diamond reserves here are estimated at 153 million carats.
The Yubileiny diamond quarry is slightly inferior to the Udachny diamond quarry, which has reserves of precious stones worth 152 million carats. In addition, the Udachnaya pipe was discovered among the very first diamond-bearing pipes in Yakutia in 1955. And although open-pit diamond mining here closed in 2015, underground mining may still continue for several decades. The depth of the Udachny deposit at the time of closure was a world record - 640 meters.
The Mir deposit has also been closed since 2001, and diamond mining here is carried out underground. The oldest quarry still produces surprisingly large diamonds - in 2012, a specimen of 79.9 carats was found. The name of this diamond was given to “President”. True, it is 4 times smaller than the diamond with the name “XXVI Congress of the CPSU” also mined in the Mir pipe in 1980 and weighing 342.5 carats. The total reserves of the Mir quarry are estimated at 141 million carats.
“Yubileiny”, “Udachny”, and “Mir” are the largest diamond deposits not only in Russia, but also in the world.
The Botoubinskaya kimberlite pipe is one of the young, recently developed deposits, also located in Yakutia. Industrial-scale development here began in 2012, and Botouba diamonds entered the world market in 2015. Experts predict that diamond production from this deposit will amount to 71 million carats, and its service life will be at least forty years.
Where are diamonds mined in Russia (except Yakutia)
The opinion that the ALROSA group of companies operates only in cold Yakutia will be erroneous. Moreover, ALROSA is developing deposits not only in Russia, where diamonds are mined, but also in ten other countries.
Indeed, the group’s basic production is concentrated in the Republic of Sakha - in the cities of Yakutsk, Mirny and other cities of Western Yakutia. But there are also representative offices of the joint-stock company ALROSA in other regions of Russia. For example, a subsidiary diamond mining enterprise in the Arkhangelsk region, where the development of diamond deposits began quite recently, about 20 years ago, and the Lomonosov Mining and Processing Plant was opened.
There are also placer diamond deposits in the Perm region. Here they concentrated in the city of Aleksandrovsk and Krasnovishersky district. Although the Permian deposits are not primary, the diamonds mined here are of high quality and are recognized as one of the best for jewelry for their transparency and purity.
ALROSA also has its own representative offices in other cities of Russia, where diamonds are not mined, but processed and turned into polished diamonds. These are Yakutsk, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Orel and a number of other cities.
ALROSA outside Russia
AK ALROSA conducts major activities in the South African Republic of Angola. Here she owns about 33% of the shares of the local mining company - Africa's largest diamond producer. Cooperation began in 2002, after several meetings at the level of senior management in the capital of the republic, the city of Luanda, an ALROSA branch was opened.
In marketing its specific products, ALROSA has opened several sales branches around the world - in London (UK), Antwerp (Belgium), Hong Kong (China), Dubai (United Arab Emirates), as well as in the USA and Israel. These countries are the location of the main rough and polished diamond trading centers, where they are sold at special auctions and tenders.
In Soviet times, a sufficient number of cities were built on the territory of our country, many of which are truly unique in their geographical location and the engineering solutions used. This is the city of Mirny (Yakutia). The diamond quarry, which is located within its boundaries, is one of the wonders of the modern world, as it amazes even seasoned specialists with its size.
"Peace Pipe"
By the way, scientifically this quarry is a “kimberlite pipe” called “Mir”. The city itself appeared after its discovery and the start of development, and therefore was named in its honor. The quarry has an unreal depth of 525 meters and a diameter of almost 1.3 km! It itself was formed in time immemorial, when streams of lava and hot volcanic gases burst out from the depths of our planet at tremendous speed. When cut, it resembles a glass or cone. Thanks to the enormous force of the explosion, kimberlite, the name given to the rock containing natural diamonds, was ejected from the bowels of the Earth.
The name of this substance comes from the name of the South African city of Kimberley. Almost 17 grams were discovered there in 1871, as a result of which prospectors and adventurers from all over the world poured into that area in an unstoppable stream. How did our city of Mirny (Yakutia) come into being? The quarry is the basis for its appearance.
How the deposit was discovered
In mid-June 1955, Soviet geologists in Yakutia were looking for traces of kimberlite and came across a fallen larch, the roots of which had been torn out of the ground by a powerful hurricane. The fox took advantage of this natural “preparation” by digging a hole there. It served us well: judging by the color of the earth, the experts realized that there was excellent kimberlite under the fox hole.
A coded radiogram was immediately sent to Moscow: “We lit the peace pipe, excellent tobacco!” Just a few days later, huge columns of construction equipment were pouring into the wilderness. This is how the city of Mirny (Yakutia) arose. The quarry had to be developed in extremely difficult conditions. One has only to look at the pit covered with snow to understand the enormous scope of the work carried out here!
Delegation from South Africa
To break through a few meters of permafrost, tens of thousands of tons of powerful explosives had to be used. Already in the 60s of the last century, the deposit began to consistently produce two kilograms of diamonds, and at least 1/5 of them were of excellent quality and could be sent to jewelry stores after cutting. The remaining stones were intensively used in Soviet industry.
The deposit developed so rapidly that the South African company De Beers was simply forced to buy Soviet diamonds in droves just to prevent a global decline in their prices. The leadership of this organization submitted a request for a visit to the city of Mirny (Yakutia). The quarry amazed them, but they didn’t stay there for long...
Tricks of the trade
The USSR government agreed, but demanded a return favor - that Soviet specialists be allowed into the fields in South Africa. The delegation from Africa arrived in Moscow... and was delayed there for a long time, because banquets were constantly being held for the guests. When the specialists finally arrived in the city of Mirny, they had no more than 20 minutes to inspect the quarry itself.
But what they saw still shocked them to the core. For example, the guests simply could not imagine the technology of diamond mining without the use of water. However, there is nothing surprising in the conditions for this: in those places there is sub-zero temperature for almost seven months of the year, and permafrost is not something to joke about. The city of Mirny is in a dangerous place! The depth of the quarry is such that, if desired, you can even create a miniature sea here.
Brief history of mining
From 1957 to 2001, more than $17 billion worth of diamonds were mined here. During the development process, the quarry near the city of Mirny in Siberia expanded so much that from the bottom to the surface the length of the road for trucks was eight kilometers. It should be understood that in 2001 the deposit was not depleted at all: open-pit diamond mining simply became too dangerous. Scientists were able to find out that the vein stretches to a depth of more than a kilometer, and in these conditions an underground mine is needed. By the way, it reached its design capacity of one million tons of ore already in 2012. Today, experts believe that this unique deposit can be developed for another 35 years (approximately).
Some terrain problems
Helicopters are strictly prohibited from flying over the quarry, since such a flight is certain death for the vehicle and crew. The laws of physics simply throw the helicopter to the bottom of the quarry. The high walls of the tube also have their share of disadvantages: there is a far from remote possibility that one day precipitation and erosion will lead to the formation of a monstrous landslide that will completely engulf the city of Mirny (Yakutia). The quarry, a photo of which is in the article, can also be used for purposes that some may consider truly fantastic. We are talking about the possibility of creating a unique city of the future in a titanic pit.
“City of the Future”: dreams or reality?
Nikolai Lyutomsky was appointed head of this project. The most difficult thing in the upcoming work is to create a cyclopean concrete structure that will not only strengthen the walls of the quarry, but will also expand it, providing additional strength. This will be an incredible tourist attraction that only the city of Mirny can boast of!
The quarry, a photo of which can be seen in the review, is supposed to be covered from above with a transparent dome, on the sides of which solar panels will be mounted. Of course, the climate in Yakutia is extremely harsh, but there are plenty of sunny days. Energy experts suggest that batteries alone will be able to generate at least 200 MW of energy per year. Finally, it will be possible to take advantage of the warmth of the planet itself.
The fact is that in winter this area cools down to -60 degrees Celsius. Yes, it’s hard to envy those whose homeland is the city of Mirny (Yakutia). The quarry, the photo of which is amazing, is frozen in the same way, but only to a depth of 150 meters. Below is a constantly above-zero temperature. The futuristic city is supposed to be divided into three main tiers. On the lowest one they want to grow agricultural products, on the middle one it is planned to mark out a full-fledged forest park area.
The upper part is an area for permanent residence of people; in addition to residential premises, there will be offices, entertainment complexes, etc. If the construction plan is fully implemented, the area of the city will be three million square meters. Up to 10 thousand people will be able to live here at the same time. The peaceful city itself (Yakutia) has about 36 thousand citizens. The quarry, which is half a kilometer deep, will allow them to rest comfortably without having to fly to distant lands.
Other information on the Eco-City project
Initially, this project was given the name “Eco-city 2020”, but today it is clear that it will clearly not be possible to implement it by the scheduled date. By the way, why are they even going to build it? The point is the residents: only five months of the year their living conditions more or less correspond to the comfortable norm, and the rest of the time they live at temperatures that are more typical for the Arctic and Antarctica. The city will allow them to relax at any time of the year, basking in the sun’s rays, and they shouldn’t forget about the production capacity of giant farms: all residents and tourists will be more than provided with vitamin-rich fruits and vegetables.
To ensure that the lower levels receive enough light, it is planned to leave a lighting shaft of gigantic diameter in the center. In addition to solar panels, the effectiveness of which is still quite questionable (plus installation difficulties), some engineers offer the option of building a nuclear power plant. Today, all this is at the stage of very vague plans. I really want to hope that the city of Mirny, whose diamond quarry is famous all over the world, will become more comfortable for people to live in.
As we said, in the 60s, up to two kilograms of diamonds were mined here per year, and a fifth of them were of high jewelry quality. Per ton of rock there was up to a gram of pure raw material, and among the stones there were many that were suitable for jewelry processing. Today, there are approximately 0.4 grams of diamonds per ton of ore.
The largest diamond
At the end of December 1980, the largest in the history of the deposit was found here. This giant, weighing 68 grams, received the solemn name “XXVI Congress of the CPSU.”
When did open-pit mining cease?
When did they finish off Mirny? The diamond quarry became dangerous to develop in the 1990s, when the working depth reached 525 meters. At the same time, the bottom of the pit was flooded. It was Mir that became the largest diamond mine in our country. Mining lasted more than 44 years. Until that time, production was managed by the Sakha company, whose annual profits exceeded $600 million. Today the mine is managed by Alrosa. This corporation is one of the largest diamond producers in the world.
When did the idea of a closed mine come about?
Already in the 1970s, construction of the first tunnels began, as everyone understood the impossibility of permanent open-pit mining. But this method was transferred to a permanent basis only in 1999. Today it is known for sure that the vein still exists at a depth of 1200 meters. Perhaps diamonds will be able to be mined deeper.
This is how the Republic of Yakutia is rich in raw materials: the city of Mirny, the quarry in which stuns everyone’s imagination - one of the sources of national wealth. The diamonds that are mined there go not only to the needs of jewelry companies, but also to the production of many complex devices and mechanisms.
In Yakutia, near the city of Mirny, there is the largest diamond quarry in the world by total volume - the Mir kimberlite pipe (the city of Mirny appeared after the discovery of the pipe and was named in its honor). The quarry has a depth of 525 meters and a diameter of 1.2 kilometers.
The formation of a kimberlite pipe occurs during a volcanic eruption, when gases from the bowels of the earth burst out through the earth's crust. The shape of such a tube resembles a funnel or glass. A volcanic explosion removes kimberlite from the bowels of the Earth, a rock that sometimes contains diamonds. The breed is named after the town of Kimberley in South Africa, where an 85-carat (16.7 gram) diamond was found in 1871, sparking the Diamond Rush.
On June 13, 1955, geologists searching for a kimberlite pipe in Yakutia saw a tall larch tree whose roots had been exposed by a landslide. The fox dug a deep hole under it. Based on the characteristic bluish color of the soil scattered by the fox, geologists realized that it was kimberlite. A coded radiogram was immediately sent to Moscow: “We lit the peace pipe, the tobacco is excellent.” Soon after 2800 km. off-road, convoys of vehicles flocked to the site of the discovery of the kimberlite pipe. The working village of Mirny grew up around the diamond deposit; now it is a city with a population of 36 thousand people.
The development of the field took place in extremely difficult climatic conditions. To break through the permafrost, it had to be blown up with dynamite. In the 1960s, 2 kg were already produced here. diamonds per year, of which 20% were of jewelry quality and, after cutting and turning into diamonds, could be supplied to a jewelry salon. The remaining 80% of diamonds were used for industrial purposes. The South African company De Beers was concerned about the rapid development of Mir, which was forced to buy Soviet diamonds in order to control prices on the world market. The management of De Beers agreed on the arrival of its delegation in Mirny. The leadership of the USSR agreed to this on the condition that Soviet specialists would visit diamond quarries in South Africa. A De Beers delegation arrived in Moscow in 1976 to fly to Mirny, but the South African guests were deliberately delayed by endless meetings and banquets in Moscow, so when the delegation finally reached Mirny, they had only 20 minutes to inspect the quarry. However, South African experts were still amazed by what they saw, for example, by the fact that the Russians did not use water when processing ore. Although this is understandable: after all, 7 months a year in Mirny there is sub-zero temperature and therefore the use of water is simply impossible.
Between 1957 and 2001, the Mir quarry produced $17 billion worth of diamonds. Over the years, the quarry expanded so much that trucks had to travel 8 km along a spiral road. from bottom to surface. The Russian company ALROSA, which owns the Mir quarry, stopped open-pit ore mining in 2001 because... this method has become dangerous and ineffective. Scientists have found that diamonds lie at a depth of more than 1 km, and at such a depth it is not a quarry that is suitable for mining, but an underground mine, which, according to the plan, will reach its design capacity of one million tons of ore per year already in 2012. In total, the development of the field is planned for another 34 years.
Helicopters are strictly prohibited from flying over the quarry, because a huge funnel sucks aircraft into itself. The high walls of the quarry are fraught with danger not only for helicopters: there is a threat of landslides, and one day the quarry may swallow the surrounding, including built-up, areas. Scientists are thinking about a project for an eco-city in a now empty huge hole. The head of the Moscow architectural bureau Nikolai Lyutomsky talks about his plans: “The main part of the project is a huge concrete structure, which will become a kind of “plug” for the former quarry and will burst it from the inside. On top of the pit will be covered with a translucent dome on which solar panels will be installed. Climate in Yakutia is harsh, but there are many clear days and the batteries will be able to generate about 200 MW of electricity, which should more than meet the needs of the future city. In addition, you can use the heat of the Earth. In winter, in Mirny the air cools to -60 ° C, but at a depth below 150 meters (that is, below permafrost) the ground temperature is positive, which adds energy efficiency to the project. The city space is proposed to be divided into three tiers: the lower one - for growing agricultural products (the so-called vertical farm), the middle one - a forest park area that purifies the air, and the upper one for permanent residence of people, which has a residential function and serves to house administrative and sociocultural buildings and structures. The total area of the city will be 3 million square meters, and up to 10,000 people will be able to live here - tourists, service personnel and farm workers."
October 10th, 2012
In 2008, the underground mine put into operation a skip shaft complex, skip hoisting machines, two 7-cubic-meter skips, as well as a cage for transporting people and lowering goods. From February to August 2008, commissioning work was completed on the main fan installation, which performs the most important function - providing ventilation of underground mine workings. At the end of December 2008, the mining and capital works section No. 8, headed by A. Velichko and foreman A. Ozol, carried out a conveyor crosscut and reached the diamond pipe. The author of these lines, under the thickness of the earth 650 meters, 150 meters from the bottom of the famous MIR quarry at horizon 310, was able to touch the treasured ore body. In 2009, the mine builders achieved a serious task - connecting between the -210m and -310m horizons, which made it possible to deliver cargo to all layered runs of the first operational block of the subway. Secondly, it ensures reliable ventilation of the mine. By the way, it must be said that the first production block was promptly prepared for mining operations or, at the miner’s term, the mining operation. In March 2009, an important operation was completed - the sliding of the above-mine structure to accommodate a lifting unit, the function of which is to lower workers to underground levels, deliver materials, equipment, and also issue rock. And in the spring of 2009, commissioning work began. The Mir mine was commissioned in 2009.
August 21, 2009 will be remembered as a significant date in the modern history of diamond mining: Mirny pompously celebrated the launch of the first stage of the MIR underground mine. This is the crown of many years of work, significantly strengthening the position of AK ALROSA in all aspects. The MIR underground mine has become a powerful production unit of AK ALROSA, capable of producing 1 million tons of diamond ore. Now it’s time to complete the construction of the stowage complex. Much will depend on the progress of its construction and equipping.
—> Satellite images (Google Maps) <—
sources
http://sakhachudo.narod.ru
http://gorodmirny.ru
Kimberlite pipes from which diamonds are mined are the result of underground volcanic eruptions that occurred millions of years ago. Under the influence of high temperatures and enormous pressure, carbon received a strong crystal lattice and turned into a gemstone. Subsequently, the discovery of this property made it possible to establish the production of artificial diamonds. But natural stones, of course, are much more valuable.
The photo shows a view of the main quarry of the Udachny mining and processing plant - “Udachny”. Mining operations at the deposit of the same name began in 1971, and over the past 25 years the plant has been a leading enterprise in the Russian diamond mining industry and one of the largest open-pit mines in the world. In 2010, the Udachny Mining and Processing Plant accounted for 33.8% of diamond production in value terms and 12.5% of mining operations out of the total volume of the Alrosa group.
The first large-scale industrial diamond mining began in southern Africa about a hundred years ago. In Russia, kimberlite pipes were discovered only in the middle of the last century - in Yakutia. This discovery laid the foundation for Alrosa, today the world leader in diamond mining. Thus, the company’s forecast reserves are about a third of the world’s total, and the explored reserves are sufficient to maintain the current level of production for 25 years without reducing the quality of raw materials. In numbers, the diamond reserves at the deposits owned by Alrosa amount (according to data published in May 2011) to 1.23 billion carats according to the Russian classification (1.014 billion proven and 0.211 billion probable).
For the last five years, the company has annually allocated from 2.5 to 3.5 billion rubles for geological exploration. In 2011, geological exploration costs amounted to about 4 billion rubles, and in 2012 it is planned to allocate over 5.36 billion rubles for these purposes.
At its fields, Alrosa produces about 35 million carats of diamonds per year, being the world's largest producer of this raw material in physical terms: it accounts for about 97% of Russian production and 25% of global production. At the same time, the diamond content in the ore of kimberlite pipes is traditionally low - usually several carats per ton. The Yakut deposits are advantageous in this regard, and are considered one of the richest in content.
In 2010, Alrosa's sales volume of diamonds and rough diamonds amounted to $3.48 billion, and in 2011, according to preliminary data, the company sold $5 billion worth of products - a record figure in its entire history. The company's revenue in the first half of 2011 according to IFRS amounted to 66.15 billion rubles. (+3% compared to the previous year), and net profit increased five times to 26.27 billion.
Kimberlite pipes have the shape of a cone, expanding upward, so their development usually begins with open-pit mining. The design depth of the Udachny quarry, shown in these photographs, is 600 m. To rise from the bottom of the quarry to the surface, the dump truck travels along a serpentine road about 10 km long.
And this is how mining is carried out in quarries. The drilling rig makes a hole into which the explosive is placed (the photo shows the laying process). By the way, although diamond is the hardest mineral, it is quite fragile. Therefore, during blasting operations, gentle technologies are used to preserve the integrity of the crystals as much as possible. After the explosion, the rock fragments are loaded into dump trucks and transported to the processing plant.
The company's main enterprises are located in Western Yakutia, on the territory of four regions of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) - Mirninsky, Lensky, Anabarsky, Nyurba - in one of the most severe regions of the planet, with a sharply continental climate, a large temperature difference, in the permafrost zone. In Udachny, winter lasts up to 8 months, the temperature in winter sometimes drops to -60 C. Therefore, most of the equipment is made to order - these are machines adapted to work in low temperature conditions. As a result, work at the fields is carried out all year round in all weather conditions. Quarry work simultaneously involves a large number of equipment - wheel loaders, dump trucks, excavators. There are only about 300 heavy-duty dump trucks in the Alrosa fleet, with a carrying capacity from 40 to 136 tons - mostly BelAZ, there are also Cat and Komatsu.
After reaching a certain depth, reserves within the quarry are exhausted, and open-pit mining becomes unprofitable. On average, quarries are developed to a depth of about 600 m. However, kimberlite pipes lie underground to a depth of 1.5 km. A mine is being built for further development. Underground mining is more expensive than open-pit mining, but it is the only cost-effective way to reach deep-seated reserves. In the future, Alrosa plans to significantly increase the share of underground diamond mining. The company is now completing open-pit mining of the Udachny quarry and, in parallel, is constructing an underground mine. It is expected to launch in 2014.
The cost of switching to underground diamond mining is estimated at $3–4 billion, but in the future this should lead to cost reductions. Largely due to the construction of underground mines, Alrosa’s debt by the acute phase of the crisis in 2008 increased by 64% to 134.4 billion rubles. But the state did not leave the company in trouble: it was included in the list of systemically important enterprises, non-core gas assets were bought by VTB for $620 million, and when the demand for diamonds fell, Gokhran began to buy Alrosa’s products.
When you hear the word “diamond mines,” you involuntarily imagine a beautiful picture: a cave, within the walls of which precious stones shimmer with all the colors of the rainbow. In fact, a diamond mine is not the most romantic place on earth. The walls do not sparkle with a diamond shine, and looking at the ore, it is generally difficult to imagine that the future “best friends of girls” are hidden in it. The photo shows workers in one of the ventilation horizontal openings of the future underground mine, depth - 380 meters.
The construction of mines takes place in unique mining and geological conditions. In addition to permafrost, it is complicated by aggressive groundwater, which, due to high mineralization, can not only erode the walls of mine workings, but also corrode (!) tires of dump trucks. In addition, at Alrosa’s fields there are bitumen and oil shows, which also complicate diamond mining.
In parallel, construction of ground-based facilities of the future mine is underway - for example, ventilation and heating units. The Udachny underground mine will become one of the largest in the world - its productivity is expected to be 4 million tons of ore per year. This is not the company’s first underground mine: since 1999, Alrosa has been working at the Internatsionalny mine. In addition, in August 2009, the company commissioned the Mir underground mine. When all mines reach full capacity, the share of underground mining in Alrosa's total operations is expected to rise to 40%. In total, in Russia the company mines diamonds at 9 primary and 10 alluvial deposits located in Yakutia and the Arkhangelsk region. In addition, the company owns the Catoca diamond mining enterprise in Angola, together with the local state-owned company Endiama.
What will underground mining at Udachny look like in 2-3 years? For example, here is a photograph of the already operating Mir mine. The extraction of diamond ore underground is carried out mainly by combine mining (pictured). The company's specialists are also studying the possibility of using blasthole blasting, traditional for mining - when the rock is destroyed with explosives placed in drilled holes. Then the scheme is the same: loading machines pick up the ore and transport it to the surface, from where it goes to the processing plant. Now we will go there too.
The initial stage of beneficiation of diamond ore looks the same as for any other mineral. Initially, the factory receives large pieces of rock up to several meters in size. After coarse crushing in jaw or cone crushers, the ore is fed to wet autogenous grinding mills (pictured), where rock fragments up to 1.5 m in size are crushed to a size of 0.5 m or less using water.
The controlling stake in Alrosa (51%) is federally owned (from 2006 to 2008, 10% of this stake belonged to VTB), 32% of the shares belong to the government of Yakutia, 8% are controlled by the uluses of this federal subject. In April 2011, the company was transformed from a closed joint stock company to an open joint stock company in order to be able to raise funds on the market. Since the middle of last year, Alrosa shares have been traded on Russian exchanges, but the volume of transactions on them is small due to low liquidity (only shares of minority shareholders were listed on the exchange). In the fall of 2011, Nafta-Moscow of Suleiman Kerimov became a shareholder of Alrosa and bought about 1% of the company’s shares on the market.
At the next stage, spiral classifiers separate the raw materials depending on their density and size. The operating principle is very simple. Water picks up small particles and carries them down the drain. Large particles (up to several centimeters in size) cannot be carried away by water - they settle in the lower part of the tank, after which the spiral lifts them to the top.
Now we need to somehow isolate diamonds from small pieces of ore obtained after crushing. Medium-sized pieces of ore are sent to jigging machines and to heavy-medium concentration: under the influence of water pulsation, diamond crystals are isolated and settle as a heavy fraction. The fine “powder” passes through pneumatic flotation, during which, interacting with reagents, small diamond crystals adhere to the foam bubbles.
At the next stage, all raw materials will go through the main procedure - X-ray luminescent separation (RLS).
It’s just not possible to show what happens inside the separator during its operation: the radar principle is based on constant x-ray radiation. Looking inside while the separator is operating is, to put it mildly, unsafe. If described in words, the method is based on the unique property of diamond - it is the only mineral that luminesces in X-rays. Crushed ore, irradiated with X-rays, constantly moves along the conveyor belt inside the separator. As soon as a diamond enters the irradiation zone, photocells detect the luminescent flash and the air flow “knocks out” the sparkling fragment into a separate tank.
Of course, the air flow inside the separator cannot separate just one small crystal - a certain amount of waste rock is also sifted out along with it. In fact, the entire process of ore beneficiation is aimed only at minimizing the amount of this “empty” material and then facilitating manual processing. Moreover, “manual” in the literal sense of the word: specialists select crystals, clean them and carry out the so-called “final finishing”. No matter how popular the desire to automate all production processes is now, it is absolutely impossible to do without the human factor in diamond mining. The number of employees of the company (as of December 2010) is more than 31,000 people.
But whose hands were these?
One way or another, it was under Fedor Andreev that Alrosa began to prepare for an IPO, and the company was included in the privatization program for 2012–2013. She is currently awaiting a government decision on the parameters and timing of privatization. Representatives of Yakutia stated that the republic sees no obstacles to the privatization of part of the package, but insists that control should remain with the state. Recently, the shareholders agreed that only 14% of shares will be sold on the market (7% each from the Federal Property Management Agency and the Ministry of Property of Yakutia), for which it is planned to earn about $1 billion. Presumably, the placement will take place in the fall of 2012 or spring of 2013 on the MICEX-RTS.
From the final finishing shop, all rough diamonds are sent to the Sorting Center in Mirny. Here, raw materials are divided into main groups and given an initial assessment, after which they can be sent for sale through the Alrosa Unified Sales Organization.
By the way, about half of Alrosa’s products are sold outside of Russia. Until recently, the company sold its diamonds to the world market using the services of the monopolist De Beers. However, at the beginning of 2009, they stopped cooperation and Alrosa began reorganizing its sales system, providing for sales under direct contracts and an equal approach to foreign and Russian buyers, developed its customer base and introduced the practice of “long” contracts.
In general, raw materials from each of the deposits have their own distinctive characteristics. Experienced experts, when looking at a diamond, can determine which mine it came from. But this only applies to general signs. No two diamonds are alike. Therefore, there are no organized exchange trades in diamonds, for example, like gold or copper - this is not a standardized product, each stone has unique characteristics.
This uniqueness significantly complicates both sorting and evaluation. When assessing, experts take three characteristics as a basis: size, color and purity (absence of inclusions inside, transparency). The most expensive stones are “pure water”, absolutely transparent and have no pronounced color. Each of the characteristics has different gradations. As a result, depending on size, color and other parameters, there are about 8,000 possible positions of rough diamonds.
