Digging for Billions: Inside the World's Mega Diamond Mines

7. Mirny Diamond Mine (Russia)

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Rising in the isolated Sakha Republic of eastern Siberia, Russia, the Mirny Diamond Mine is evidence of human creativity and the unrelenting search for valuable jewels. Found in 1955, the Mirny mine rapidly grew to be among the biggest and most productive diamond mines worldwide, significantly helping to establish the Soviet Union, then Russia, as a prominent actor in the global diamond market. As intriguing as the geology of the mine is its past. An intensive geological search headed by Yuri Khabardin, Ekaterina Elagina, and Viktor Avdeenko produced its discovery. The extreme Siberian weather, which ranged from -60°C in winter to 40°C in summer, caused great difficulties for the development of the mining. Notwithstanding these challenges, the Soviet government quickly developed the mine and the town of Mirny surrounding them realising the great possibilities of the finding. Mirny's open-pit operation, which stopped in 2001, was a marvel. The second-largest excavated hole in the world, the pit measured 1,200 metres in circumference and 525 metres in depth. The mine's annual output of 10 million carats of diamonds at its height made a major contribution to Soviet trade. The sheer size of the open pit meant that airspace above the mine had to be blocked since downward air currents may draw in helicopters and small planes. Mirny's history underwent a fresh chapter when open-pit to underground mining switched in 2009. This change demonstrated Russia's ongoing dedication to its diamond sector by requiring major technological creativity and financial support. Using cutting-edge mining methods to remove diamonds from kimberlite pipelines created millions of years ago, the subterranean operation reaches depths of up to 1,300 metres. Mirny has had a significant influence on the Yakutia local population as well as on the wider area. Rising around the mine, the town of Mirny has developed from a little village into a modern city with around 35,000 residents. In one of the most far-off areas of Russia, the mine has been the economic lifeblood of the area, creating jobs and pushing infrastructure building. In Mirny's business, environmental issues now take front stage. The hostile Siberian surroundings provide special difficulties for environmental rehabilitation and control. Programmes to monitor and safeguard animals as well as efforts to rehabilitate affected areas help to lessen the effect of the mine on nearby ecosystems. Mirny's future still depends much on the state of the worldwide diamond market as well as mining technology developments. The knowledge gained at Mirny in diamond extraction from deep underground could be quite helpful when easily available diamond resources become rare worldwide. Alrosa, Russia's biggest diamond corporation, still runs the mine, and it is still a major benefit to Russia's diamond business.