Baken diamond mine
Encyclopedia
The Baken diamond mine is a diamond
mine
located along the lower Orange River
in South Africa
. The mine is owned and operated by Trans Hex. The central processing plant has been operational at Baken since 2001.
In 2004 the Baken mine produced 88063 carats (17.6 kg); average stone size for the year was 1.29 carats (258 mg). Notable stones from production in 2004 included a 78.9 carats (15.8 g), D color
flawless
diamond that sold for over $1.8 million USD; and a 27.67 carats (5.5 g) pink
diamond sold for over $1.0 million USD.
Probable reserves are 21.2 million cubic meters of ore
at an ore grade of 1.69 carats (338 mg) per 100 cubic meters (3.38 mg/m³). There is a waste rock overburden
of about 33 million cubic meters.
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
mine
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
located along the lower Orange River
Orange River
The Orange River , Gariep River, Groote River or Senqu River is the longest river in South Africa. It rises in the Drakensberg mountains in Lesotho, flowing westwards through South Africa to the Atlantic Ocean...
in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. The mine is owned and operated by Trans Hex. The central processing plant has been operational at Baken since 2001.
In 2004 the Baken mine produced 88063 carats (17.6 kg); average stone size for the year was 1.29 carats (258 mg). Notable stones from production in 2004 included a 78.9 carats (15.8 g), D color
Diamond color
A chemically pure and structurally perfect diamond is perfectly transparent with no hue, or color. However, in reality almost no gem-sized natural diamonds are absolutely perfect. The color of a diamond may be affected by chemical impurities and/or structural defects in the crystal lattice...
flawless
Diamond clarity
Diamond clarity is a quality of diamonds relating to the existence and visual appearance of internal characteristics of a diamond called inclusions, and surface defects called blemishes. Clarity is one of the four Cs of diamond grading, the others being carat, color, and cut...
diamond that sold for over $1.8 million USD; and a 27.67 carats (5.5 g) pink
Diamond color
A chemically pure and structurally perfect diamond is perfectly transparent with no hue, or color. However, in reality almost no gem-sized natural diamonds are absolutely perfect. The color of a diamond may be affected by chemical impurities and/or structural defects in the crystal lattice...
diamond sold for over $1.0 million USD.
Probable reserves are 21.2 million cubic meters of ore
Ore
An ore is a type of rock that contains minerals with important elements including metals. The ores are extracted through mining; these are then refined to extract the valuable element....
at an ore grade of 1.69 carats (338 mg) per 100 cubic meters (3.38 mg/m³). There is a waste rock overburden
Overburden
Overburden is the material that lies above an area of economic or scientific interest in mining and archaeology; most commonly the rock, soil, and ecosystem that lies above a coal seam or ore body. It is also known as 'waste' or 'spoil'...
of about 33 million cubic meters.