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Updated February 27th, 2020 at 12:43 IST

Kimberly Diamond mines' history and some facts about the 'Big Hole'

Kimberly diamond mines is also known as the ‘Big Hole’ which is dug by humans because it is visible from space. Read on to know more details.

Reported by: Vaishnavi Navalka
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Kimberley in South Africa is one of the world’s largest diamond mines in the world. It is also known as the ‘Big Hole’ which was dug by humans because it was visible from space.  The pit is famous to yield some of the world’s largest diamonds and made the De Beers a famous name worldwide.

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All about the Kimberley diamond mines

The Kimberely octahedral is the largest naturally formed octahedral diamond crystal that was discovered here. It was found in the Dutoitspan Mine in the Kimberley region of South Africa. The name of the diamond found here reflects the place of origin. The Kimberley diamond mine is a combination of an open pit and an underground diamond mine in Kimberely. The pit hole is almost half a kilometre wide diameter and is 215 meters deep. 

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Before the diamonds were discovered here at the site, two Dutch pioneers Johannes Nicholas and Didrik Arnoldus De Beers established a farm right here. In 1866, when the diamonds were found the discovery created a chaotic situation and diamond prospectors from across the world flew in to flock the area. The De Beers then sold their property. 

It was reported that between the year 1871 and 1914, around 50,000 miners had excavated 22.5 tons of rock, and also producing 2, 722 kgs of rough diamonds. Today, the Dee Beers Consolidated Mines Ltd remains the dominant company in the diamond market. Years later, the pit became dangerous and unprofitable and the mine stopped operating in 2005. 

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A few years later, the Kimberely or the 'Big Hole' was reported to be the largest hole ever dug by human hands. But it was soon declared that the Jagersfontein Mine was larger than the Big Hole. It was then soon turned into a museum after the mining had stopped. 

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Published February 27th, 2020 at 12:43 IST

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