Zarnitsa mine

Zarnitsa mine
Zarnitsa Mine
Location in Russia
Zarnitsa Mine
Zarnitsa Mine (Russia)
Location
LocationMirninsky District
Federal subjectSakha Republic
CountryRussia
Coordinates66°25′34″N 112°40′26″E / 66.42611°N 112.67389°E / 66.42611; 112.67389
Production
Productsdiamonds
Typeopen-pit
History
Discovered1954
Opened1998 (1998)
Owner
CompanyALROSA

The Zarnitsa mine (Russian: Зарни́ца, IPA: [zɐrˈnʲit͡sə]; lit.'Lightning') was the first kimberlite diamond pipe discovered in Russia.[1][2] It is located in the Daldyn-Alakit kimberlite field, in the watershed of two small streams that flow into the Daldyn River,[3] in the north-eastern part of the country in the Sakha Republic.[4]

It was discovered on August 21, 1954 by geologists Natalya Sarsadskikh (Наталья Сарсадских) and Larisa Popugayeva, although their priority was recognized only in 1970 for Popugayeva and in 1990 for Sarsadskikh.[1] Initially the Zarnitsa mine was underestimated and the Mir mine discovered on 13 June 1955 was developed first, until Zarnitsa was re-evaluated in the early 1980s and recognized as developable. It has been working at full capacity since the early 2000s[2] and is now one of the largest diamond mines in Russia and in the world.[4] The mine has estimated reserves of 52 million carats of diamonds and an annual production capacity of 0.2 million carats.[4]

In 2006, a large 207.29 carat diamond was mined in the quarry of the Zarnitsa pipe, and named after the Russian theatrical and artistic figure Sergei Diaghilev.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "История открытия якутских месторождений" (retrieved December 13, 2014)
  2. ^ a b Mark Nuttall, Encyclopedia of the Arctic, Section "Diamond Mining", pp. 488-489
  3. ^ Alakit and Daldyn kimberlite fields, Siberia, Russia: Two types of mantle sub-terranes beneath central Yakutia?
  4. ^ a b c "Diamond deposits in the Sakha Republic". rough-polished.com. 2013. Retrieved 2013-07-07.