Jwaneng Diamond Mine in Botswana

In June the Bannons and I had an up-close look at 'what goes on' at a diamond mine.

The Jwaneng Diamond Mine, located in Jwaneng, Botswana, produces the most value of any diamond mine in the world. Here's a link for more info. So excited to tour the mine!

This first pic is our group standing beside one of the massive trucks used to transport the 'ore' from the pit up to the top for processing. That's a mighty big 'Tonka' truck!





Standing at the top edge of the 'pit', looking across and down in to the pit. Absolutely amazing. Those 'cutouts' on the side of the pit are called 'benches'. That's the process used to ensure stability of the mine as they dig deeper and deeper. In another 10 years or so, the depth of this mine will increase greatly, as well as the width.



Group on the observation deck. Our first stop was to gaze upon the pit from the 'bird's eye' view.


We were all required to wear a hard hat, safety goggles (sunglasses), reflective vest and steel toed shoes. All were provided by Debswana (the joint partnership between De Beers and the Botswana government).


To the right of the observation deck and also at the top edge of the pit was this structure, called "The White House". This is the operation center for all those trucks going in and out of the pit. Read here about the mine and the mine's White House.

























The worker in this 'loader' had the job of scooping up the 'ore' and filling up each of the large trucks.



The tires on the loader are surrounded in chains. The chains help protect the life of the tire. Those are very expensive tires.

A single load weights 36 tons. Each huge truck hold about 250 tons. There is a digital readout on the side of the truck, showing how much weight it is carrying.

To get an idea of the size of those massive trucks - compare it to the bus we were riding in, and also the pickup truck. Wow.

My tour buddies, the Bannons!

Stylin' in our steel-toed shoes.
At least they weren't as ugly as bowling shoes!