Jwaneng diamond mine
Diamond mine in the Kalahari Desert, Botswana From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Jwaneng diamond mine is the richest diamond mine in the world,[2] and also the second largest in the world.[3] It is nicknamed "the Prince of Mines",[2] and is located in south-central Botswana about 170 kilometers (110 mi) southwest of the city of Gaborone.[4]
 Jwaneng diamond mine | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
  Jwaneng diamond mine Location in Botswana | |
| Location | Naledi River Valley, Kalahari Desert[1] |
| Country |  Botswana |
| Coordinates | 24°31′23″S 24°42′07″E |
| Production | |
| Products | Diamonds |
| History | |
| Opened | 1982 |
| Owner | |
| Company | Debswana |
Jwaneng means "a place of small stones",[5] and the Jwaneng mine means "where a small stone is found" in Setswana.[6] The mine is owned by Debswana, a joint venture between De Beers and the government of Botswana.[4] It commenced operations in 1982.[2]
The mine owns and operates the local Jwaneng Mine Hospital, Acacia Primary School, and Jwaneng Airport.[7][8][9] The mine maintains an ISO 14001 certificate for environmental compliance, being the first mine in Botswana to achieve this certification in 2000.[10]
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,[11] and after 9 years of evaluation and construction it became fully operational in 1982.[2][11] In 2021, around 107 million tonnes of rock were mined.[6] In 2023, it produced 13.3 million carats of diamonds.[12]
Development and construction
Major expansions
Timeline of discovery
| Year | Activity | Geologist(s) | Discovery | Note | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Road reconnaissance | Jim Gibson/Jim Platt | Barren samples | n/a | [13] |
| 1963 | No activity | ||||
| 1964 | |||||
| 1965 | |||||
| 1966 | |||||
| 1967 | |||||
| 1968 | |||||
| 1969 | Reconnaissance soil sampling | Mike Whateley/Keith Huxham and others | First kimberlite indicator material recoveries, confirmed by DRL | [lower-alpha 1] | |
| 1970 | Detailed soil sampling | Mike Whateley/Bruce Lynn | Progressive kimberlite indicator material spatial distribution results | n/a | |
| 1971 | Detailed grid loaming | ||||
| 1972 | Ground magnetics and gravity/drilling | Peter Bickerstaff | 2424D/K1 | [lower-alpha 2] | |
| Detailed soil sampling/detailed grid loaming/ground magnetics/drilling | Stuart Vercoe/Norman Lock | 2424D/K2 | |||
| 1973 | |||||
| 1974 | Detailed grid loaming/ground magnetics/drilling/airborne magnetics | Stuart Vercoe and others | 2424KD/K3 and 2424KD/K4 | ||
| 1975 | Detailed grid loaming/ground magnetics/drilling | 2424D/K5 and 2424KD/K6 | |||
| 1976 | 2424D/K7 | ||||
| 1977 | 2424D/K8 | ||||
The Jwaneng Diamond Mine is situated within the Orapa Kimberlite Field.[14] In the mine lies the "Jwaneng pipe,"[15] a volcanic crater formed during the Permian period.[16] The mine consists of three kimberlite pipes.[17] Diamond-bearing ores are extracted from the vast pit and transported to processing facilities and manufacturing facilities.[18][19]
Employment
The mine employs more than 2,500 people as of 2024.[12] 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.[12]
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