In Russia, Mirny's unaffected diamond mine

Mirny's diamond mine in Russia is one of the most impressive open-air mines in the world!

Among the most extraordinary places (and Strange ) that our planet is full of, Mirny diamond mine (or Mir mine) Russia is surely one of the most impressive. At the time of its closure in 2001, the mine was 525 metres deep and 1200 metres in diameter, making it the second largest hole in the world after the Bingham Canyon mine. The hole is so large that the air space above the mine is closed to the helicopters because of the air circulation that could aspire to them. Let us discover this curiosity shaped by Man since 1955, which closed its doors in 2001 after rendering (almost) all its riches.

An open-air mine

During the 1960s, the diamond mine located in the city of Mirny, in the Republic of Sakha in Russia, was able to produce more than 10 million carats each year, about 2 tons of diamonds per year.

This mine has made the happiness of the greatest jewelers and the most powerful of this world for many years. The extraction of diamonds is often done in open-air mines. Indeed, the diamond is formed from very special conditions: the carbon crystallises in diamond from a pressure between 4 and 6 GPa (pascals) with a temperature of more than 1100 degrees Celsius. Not to mention that time must do its work.

But these conditions can only be found in the insides of our planet, about 150 km or 200 km deep and only volcanic eruptions can bring the diamonds back to the surface of the ground. It is thus nestled in the rocks called kimberlites.

A disturbing place

With its 525 meters deep and 1200 meters in diameter, it is still one of the largest open-air mines in the world today. It is ranked as the fourth deepest excavation in the world after those of Odocheya (also in Russia), Chuquicamata in Chile and Bingham Canyon in the United States.

It should be noted that in addition to its extraordinary dimensions, Mirny’s mine encloses the city with the same name, which reinforces the idea that the hole was drilled in the heart of the city, almost dependent on the dwellings. It is important to know that this is not the case since 80% of the 35,000 inhabitants of Mirny depend on this mining activity.

Closed? Not really.

Currently, the mine is still operated by Alrosa, which employs 3,600 people. The surface diamond recovery method was intended to be exhausted since the late 1960s. Thus, in 1970, a network of underground tunnels to recover the diamonds was built. Production by this method began in 1999 and is estimated to last about 25 years.

This estimate is based on extensive explorations up to 1220 metres. To stabilize the main hole, abandoned, its background was covered by a layer of rocky residue with a thickness of 45 metres.