Orapa diamond mine
| Location | |
|---|---|
  Orapa diamond mine Botswana | |
| Location | Orapa |
| Country | Botswana |
| Coordinates | 21°18′30″S 25°22′10″E / 21.30833°S 25.36944°E |
| Production | |
| Products | Diamonds (16.3 million carats in 2003) |
| History | |
| Opened | 1971 |
| Owner | |
| Company | Debswana |
| Website | www.debswana.com |
The Orapa diamond mine is the world's largest diamond mine by area. The mine is located in Orapa, a town in the Central District of Botswana about 240 km (150 mi) west of the city of Francistown. Orapa ("resting place for lions") is owned by Debswana, a partnership between the De Beers company and the government of Botswana. It is the oldest of four mines operated by the company, having begun operations in July 1971.
Orapa is an open pit style of mine and is the largest diamond mine in the world by area. The mine is located on two kimberlite pipes that converge near the surface, covering 1.18 km2 (0.46 sq mi). Orapa operates seven days per week, and produces 20 million tonnes (20,000,000 long tons; 22,000,000 short tons) of ore and an additional 40 million tonnes (39,000,000 long tons; 44,000,000 short tons) of waste rock per year. Currently, the Orapa mine annually produces approximately 11 million carats (2,200 kg) of diamonds.[1] The recoverable ore grade at the mine is about 0.87 carats (0.174 g) per tonne. The mine was expanded in 1999, doubling its previous capacity. The processing plant at Orapa processes the ore produced at Orapa as well as two of Debswana's three other mines, the Letlhakane and Damtshaa diamond mines.
Orapa and its sister mine Letlhakane employ over 3,100. Debswana also maintains a 100-bed hospital, pre-primary and primary schools for employees' children, and the Orapa game park. The mine maintains an ISO 14001 certificate for environmental compliance, and places some importance on water conservation and waste management.
The preserved Cretaceous (Turonian) lake sediments overlying the pipe are an important locality for fossil insects.[2]
References
- ^ Zimnisky, Paul (January 22, 2013). "The state of 2013 global rough diamond supply". Resource Investor. Archived from the original on January 28, 2013. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
- ^ Brothers, D. J.; Rasnitsyn, A. P. (2003-09-01). "Diversity of Hymenoptera and other insects in the Late Cretaceous (Turonian) deposits at Orapa, Botswana : a preliminary review". African Entomology. 11 (2): 221–226. ISSN 1021-3589.
External Links
- Notes
- Debswana diamond mines (Retrieved April 13, 2005)
- Orapa (Retrieved April 29, 2008)
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