The Orapa diamond mine is the world's largest diamond mine by area. The mine is located in Orapa, a town in the Central District of Botswana about 240 km (150 mi) west of the city of Francistown. Orapa ("resting place for lions") is owned by Debswana, a partnership between the De Beers company and the government of Botswana.[1] The mine was discovered on 1 March 1967, a year after Botswana's independence, by a team of De Beers geologists, including Manfred Marx, Jim Gibson and led by Dr. Gavin Lamont.[2] It is the oldest of four mines operated by the company, and began operations in July 1971 and its first production was 1,438,168 carats (287,633.6 g).[3][1] The revenue the mine generated is credited for transforming the Botswana economy, as it allowed the government to invest in critical social services and national infrastructure.[4]
Orapa is an open pit style of mine and is the largest diamond mine in the world by area. The mine is located on two kimberlite pipes that converge near the surface, covering 1.18 km2 (0.46 sq mi). Orapa operates seven days per week, and produces 20 million tonnes (20,000,000 long tons; 22,000,000 short tons) of ore and an additional 40 million tonnes (39,000,000 long tons; 44,000,000 short tons) of waste rock per year. Currently, the Orapa mine annually produces approximately 10.8 million carats (2,160 kg) of diamonds.[5] The recoverable ore grade at the mine is about 0.87 carats (0.174 g) per tonne. The mine was expanded in 1999, doubling its previous capacity. The processing plant at Orapa processes the ore produced at Orapa and Damtshaa diamond mines.
Orapa and its sister mine Letlhakane employ over 3,100. Debswana also maintains a 100-bed hospital, pre-primary and primary schools for employees' children, and the Orapa game park. The mine maintains an ISO 14001 certificate for environmental compliance, and places some importance on water conservation and waste management.
The preserved Cretaceous (Turonian ~94-90 million years old) lake sediments overlying the pipe are an important locality for fossil insects.[6]
^ ab"Debswana History". www.debswana.com. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
^"Orapa diamond mine discovery story retold | Sunday Standard". 10 November 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
^Brook, Michael C. (2016). Botswana's Diamonds. Gaborone, Botswana: Michael C. Brook, Kwena Pools, Notwane. p. 96. ISBN 9789991294186.
^Lock, N. (February 2019). "Jwaneng - the untold story of the discovery of the world's richest diamond mine". Journal of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. 119 (2): 155–164. doi:10.17159/2411-9717/2019/v119n2a8. ISSN 2225-6253.
^"Q4 2019 Production Report" (PDF). Anglo American. Anglo American. 23 January 2020.
^Brothers, D. J.; Rasnitsyn, A. P. (1 September 2003). "Diversity of Hymenoptera and other insects in the Late Cretaceous (Turonian) deposits at Orapa, Botswana : a preliminary review". African Entomology. 11 (2): 221–226. ISSN 1021-3589.
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