Diamond Mining :: Mine Mining Techniques Diamonds

All over the world are different locations where you can find this precious jewel, Africa being the main location. How do we get diamonds out of the earth you ask? By MINING them!!! The definition of Mining is the act, process, or work of removing ores, coal, etc. from a mine, glacial deposit, etc. Physical Properties of a Diamond Hardness: Diamond is a perfect "10", defining the top of the hardness scale Clarity: Diamond is transparent over a larger range of wavelengths more than any other mineral Thermal Conductivity: Diamond conducts heat better than any other mineral Melting Point: 3820 degrees Kelvin (the highest) Lattice Density: Diamond atoms are packed closer together than are the atoms of any other substance. Where are diamonds from? Diamonds have been found in every single continent. Most of the diamonds today are mined in African countries. They were formed by molten lava millions of years ago. Before any diamonds are found you must look for its indicator minerals. Different indicator minerals are found as you go deeper into the soil. The indicator minerals of a diamond include garnet, chromite, ilmenite, clinopyroxene, olivine, and zircon. What is alluvial mining? Diamonds can be found in alluvial, or loose earthy material deposited by running water, formations. Alluvial mining is done by the open-pit method. The process involves removing the overlying barren ground, digging up the bearing ground, and then extracting the diamonds. In Sierra Leone the technology involves shovel and pan, with some hand sloshing to gravitate diamond to the bottom of the pan so that it can be sorted out. What is kimberlite mining? Diamonds can be found in volcanic pipes filled with a blue rock called kimberlite. when mining a kimberlite pipe the initially loose and eventually hard ore material is removed with large hydraulic shovels and ore trucks. Hard rock is drilled and blasted with explosives so the broken material can be removed. When deep the mining goes underground with vertical shafts descending to horizontal drifts, or passageways that enter the pipe. It requires 20 tons of kimberlite to yield a diamond on average. How can you take part in this career? Be a Mining Engineer! Mining engineers mostly work in the mining industry, planning, designing and operating surface and underground mining operations. These mines, which are located in all 50 states and every country of the world except Antarctica, produce the minerals needed to help clothe, feed, and house the world's population.