2690955 diamond presentation 1

7/30/2019 2690955 Diamond Presentation 1

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Prospecting for Diamonds

Presented by:

Mina Shahpasandzadeh


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Diamond Geology They are transparent gems and the toughest

object known that are made up of naturally

occurring carbon.

Diamond creation requires high temperature

which explains the occurrence of diamonds in

volcanic regions.

Formation of the diamonds take millions of years

to happen under the earth.


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Daryaye Noor (Sea of Light)Diamond

One of the Biggest Diamond in the world which is

almost 36 gr


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Diamonds have been discovered in many countries of the world

although the majority are in Africa (about 65%) (Linholm 34-67).


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Diamond Mining Process

Diamond mining refers to the process of extraction of

diamond ores from different locations. Some of the easiest

naturally occurring ores are found on riverbeds which is the

easiest form of Diamond occurrence to mine. (Dieter, 121).

The mining process is made up of tow major processes;

alluvial and pipe.


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Pipe Mining The process involves extracting diamond ores from volcanic pipes

which Kimbelite is the main bank of diamonds in the earths surface.

It is a solidified magma that is blue in color.

The occurrence of kimberlites is mainly in the mouths of dead volcanic

craters.

Most craters are filled with water to from crater lakes.

The igneous rocks are mainly found under these lakes.

This explains why most pipe mining processes occur under water.


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Prospecting For Diamonds

Diatremes or kimberlite pipes are carrot like bodies. Some of these

pipes have rich diamond content compared to others. The kimberlites

releases diamonds as these rocks erode and after releasing the

diamonds, the kimberlites weathers to form a yellow ground.

It is easy to extract diamond from the yellow ground, but a fresh

kimberlite rock has to be crushed to release the diamond.

On the yellow ground, some diamonds are carried into streams to form

alluvial deposits while others are washed away into seas and oceans

(World diamond council 1-2).


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Kimberlite Pipes


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The KimberlyBig Hole


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primitive ways of mining

Alluvial Mining of Diamonds


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Alluvial Mining This is an easier approach to diamond mining. The process target that top soil layer that has been exposed to erosion

over a long period of time.

This happens mostly in volcanic sites.

To extract the diamonds an artificial dam that is generally referred to

as a sand breaker is developed to control the water mas.(Bockstael,170).

This is also referred to as the open mining method.

The transfer of land masses from the target area is by excavators andtrucks that ferry the soil to dumpsites.

The rocks are then piled on trucks that carry them to the smelting sites

The smelting process separates the ore from the unpolished diamond(Hartman, 213)


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Diamond Cutting and Politioning

The stones are first carefully examined by thecutter.

The round brilliant cut is the most popular

due to its ability to give the best brilliancewith minimum weight loss.

The rough diamond is Brocken into twoparts.

In cleaving, the stones are cut along thegrain.


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Conclusion

Diamonds ultimately bring joy to people whomay not have an idea of how it is obtained and

the hard labor involved in the extraction of

diamond.

Diamonds hold a deep emotional meaning as

they are considered as the world s most

precious things.


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References Dieter, M, Materials science and process technology series, Washington: William

Andrew, 2008

Hartman , J, SME Mining Engineering Handbook, Volume

World diamond council, the diamond industry fact sheet retrieved from:

http:www.worlddiamondcouncil.orgdownload/resources/dcuments/Fact%20Shee

t%20(The%20Diamond%20Industry)

Linholm, A A. L. Occurance, Mining & Recovery of Diamonds. London:

Industrial Diamond Information Bureau, 1969. Print.

Erlich, Edward I, and W D. Hausel. Diamond Deposits: Origin, Exploration, andHistory of Discovery. Littleton, CO: Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and

Exploration, 2002. Print.

Bockstael , B, Artisanal Diamond Mining: Perspectives and Challenges,

Washington: Academia Press,2008

2690955 diamond presentation 1

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