Travel for diamonds in the bowels of the earth
• for diamond journey into the bowels of the earth
For many years, this and other similar careers are abandoned, and now the development of kimberlite pipe (that it contains diamonds in your body), there is a closed manner. The man in pursuit of diamond cutting into the bowels of the deeper and deeper.
Business Card Peace - Career World, yet it is affectionately called Big Hole. The figures are not so impressive as the show itself, but nevertheless, the diameter of the hole is about 1200 meters and the depth - a little more than 500 meters. At the bottom of this hole is still splashing acid lake, and it is said that even in the most terrible cold, it does not freeze! It is hard to imagine what was on acid.
Near the quarry there is a special observation deck, it offers a unique and fascinating landscape on the hole (sounds, it is!). Looking closer, I noticed that the walls of the funnel gradually gutter, in many places, where once there was a way, now just the slope - the nature of trying to tighten a huge wound on the body of the Earth, but it will need more than one century, that this hole a little diminished in size.
One Flew Over the Peace, I saw from the window is just part of a huge funnel. I can not even imagine how it looks cool if you look at it a little to the side!
A satellite image. By clicking opens larger size:
In the city of peace can only be reached by plane. Of course, if you want you can try to overcome the Yakut taiga and tundra, but it is practically impossible, it will leave more than one year of life, before this expedition is over.
In early September, in Yakutia began "Diamond Week in Yakutia", and I am part of a large group of journalists will fly to the city of peace. Below us floats already yellowed tundra, sometimes sparkling water surface of lakes and rivers. Hour and a half, probably not more - and we in the Peace. The airport meets the strong winds and several buses. Someone goes on a trip around the city, someone is taken to the Diamond Fund, me and five more lucky gets the dirtiest work - a tour into the mine.
To be honest, I do, "do not touch" diamonds, but to go down into the pit of 500-700 meters and see how it all happens in life - is expensive! Not fully understand how we allowed to do, excursions to such places do not exist, too many risks and dangers, but if someone comes to mind is to arrange the show, I'm hanging up in wishing will not. They told us that a couple of aliens descend into the mine, those seeing the kimberlite pipe, lost fully with composure and threw in the dirt to look for diamonds)))
As usually happens in such industries, it all starts with safety. And these are not empty words. A day later, after we went down into the mine, I'm in the city of Yakutsk local told a miner died in the mine next.
We show the diagram of the mine. A small clarification: we were going down into the mines International mine. All other mines are being developed on the same principle, if an open development already is minimized.
After the briefing, go change clothes. We give a special thermal underwear and neat hebeshku on foot - thick socks and rubber boots. Headdress classic - helmet. Each was given a flashlight and a special tube, which is a device for breathing. This is in case the mine happen blockage and there will have to "sunbathe".
As long as we go down the hall, we read the inscription. Maybe someone will help them to concentrate on work and go home. Work in the mine is dangerous, primarily because of the gas, and if miss his appearance will be in great trouble. With us are some accompanying.
In the mine, you can get across the street or at special halls, this is due to low temperatures in winter. Corridor and even the mine, where people work are heated.
In the mine can only be reached by elevator. Recently repaired the elevator, you can say it now just finished the run in. So guys joke. Everything around is so unusual that it is not even scary. But if someone is suffering from claustrophobia, the mine is off limits.
By the way, the elevator two floors and I for some reason it is associated with red double-decker buses in London ...
Lift is designed to replace, and we are obviously smaller, and we freely settling down along the walls. Closed doors, elevator jerks and starts to sink down ... Horror!
It looks like the inner wall of the shaft, on which we went down:
Suddenly the wall vanishes, and we see the lighted space. This is another "floor", but we still continue ... Horror!
And that's our mark. I understand that we are less than 500 meters, but not at the bottom. There, apparently, are only the preparatory work before the machine will get to the kimberlite pipe. Generally, the information falls incredibly much, it happens in a very short time, but still an incredible experience, from what you see ... It's hard not to lose your head. By the way, the pressure at the bottom has changed, I personally felt it, and at the end of our trip I was not very good.
to stop. We do not release until all the procedures are not followed. Ahead plaque hangs on it specified depth - 550 meters. We had covered half a kilometer down! This is my deepest dive in my life!
First impressions - warm, light and dry, and they are very different from the invented image, but we'll see what will happen next. Hope to see at least a glimpse of the diamond does not leave me.
On the way to see a new shift. We look at them with some curiosity and surprise, as they have both the green men - rarely journalists descend here. Our movement mode of mine very much looked like a military operation. Everything is clear and very fast!
Behind this door begins MINE. Of course, we are already in the mine, and then the path to the kimberlite pipe. By the way, we find not a single door on our way, and they just do not open, sometimes you have to call the dispatcher to have missed. Needless to say, that there is no cellular and wireline phones work only.
Meanwhile, the party of the boys loaded in the same double-decker bus and dived down ...
We start the journey. Comes to mind, what better place to shoot all sorts of fantastic films and horror is hard to find ...
We pass a huge room, there is something like a repair shop. Here are the pieces on the floor - "drill heads," they "eat" the body of a kimberlite pipe.
But this dump truck shovel diamondiferous ore volumes ... a what! And the bus ... Nothing like this had ever seen! By the way, all the equipment used in the mine, designed to work in such conditions, a normal car can not be used here, as there is no special protection. The probability that the gas will always have, and the slightest spark could cause an explosion ...
After the repair shop to our eyes the ordinary Russian road. Go to the tube foot away and not very comfortable, especially for a thinner, though, and rubber boots.
And we are invited to a special taxi. Very rigid cab, without any leather armchairs and soft suspension.
And this, ladies and gentlemen, the same ore, which have to be diamonds. He had only to say so, all rushed to the placer - and let's dig into it. And so we would have paid no attention and walked past. I remembered the story about aliens, apparently guys are not joking, telling how they were looking for diamonds in the mud
And here we get to the rig for it is a tube with a diamond.
to squeeze into the narrow gap. In front of me there is a slightly damp wall - is the goal of our journey. I touched the wall, it is cold and clammy mud (clay). There is no feeling that there is a diamond. Well, no!
With this tool penetrate into the tube, crumbling stone into small fragments. Then rubble removal and the other company will have to extract diamonds.
A short excursion to the tube ends. There are five minutes to walk to different tunnels. It's time to taxi.
On the way to meet one of the vehicles that transport the ore.
tube top - a ventilation. But despite this, there is the smell of the mine. Or let's say: the air some "not so fresh".
After the taxi had a little walk to the landing doors. On the floor lay a new track. They are imported all down the same elevator and then manually build the railway. In the mine in general much that has to be done manually.
And as a postscript ... In 1980, there is the largest (in the USSR) was found diamond, weighing in at 342, 5 carats (68 grams). If we talk about the statistics, for all time the existence of the mine, she gave diamonds to $ 17 billion.