In Soviet times, a sufficient number of cities were erected on the territory of our country, many of which are truly unique in terms of their geographical location and used engineering solutions. Such is the city of Mirny (Yakutia). A quarry for the extraction of diamonds, which is located within its boundaries, is one of the wonders of the modern world, as it affects even the most experienced specialists with its size.
"Tube of the world"
By the way, scientifically, this quarry is a “kimberlite pipe” called “Mir”. The city itself appeared after its opening and the beginning of development, and therefore was named after her. The quarry has an unrealistic depth of 525 meters and a diameter of almost 1.3 km! The
kimberlite pipe itself was formed in time immemorial, when lava flows and hot volcanic gases burst from the bowels of our planet with great speed. On the cut, it resembles a glass or cone. Thanks to the huge force of the explosion, kimberlite was thrown from the bowels of the Earth - the so-called rock containing natural diamonds.
The name of this substance comes from the name of the South African city of Kimberley. There, in 1871, a diamond weighing almost 17 grams was discovered, as a result of which prospectors and adventurers from all over the world poured into that area with an uncontrollable stream. How did our city Mirny (Yakutia) come about? A career is the basis of his appearance.
How the field was discovered
In mid-June 1955, Soviet geologists in Yakutia searched for traces of kimberlite and came across a fallen larch whose roots were turned upside down by a powerful hurricane. The fox took advantage of this natural “preparation” by digging a hole there. She did us a good service: according to the color of the earth, the experts realized that under the fox hole there is an excellent kimberlite.
An encoded radiogram was immediately sent to Moscow: “They lit a pipe of the world, excellent tobacco!” In just a few days, huge columns of construction equipment stretched into the wild. This is how the city of Mirny (Yakutia) arose. The quarry had to be developed in extremely difficult conditions. One has only to look at the pit covered with snow in order to understand the grand scope of the work carried out here!
Delegation from South Africa
To break through several meters of permafrost, it was necessary to use tens of thousands of tons of powerful explosives. Already from the 60s of the last century, the deposit began to consistently produce two kilograms of diamonds, and at least 1/5 of them were of excellent quality and could be sent to jewelry stores after cutting. The remaining stones were intensively used in Soviet industry.
The field developed so rapidly that the South African company De Beers was simply forced to buy up Soviet diamonds in order to prevent a global drop in their prices. The leadership of this organization filed a request for a visit to the city of Mirny (Yakutia). The quarry hit them, but they just stayed there for long ...
Industrial Tricks
The government of the USSR agreed, but demanded a reciprocal service - that Soviet specialists were allowed to enter the fields in South Africa. The delegation from Africa arrived in Moscow ... and it was very late there, because the guests were constantly having banquets. When the specialists finally arrived in the city of Mirny, they had no more than 20 minutes to inspect the quarry itself.
But what they saw all the same struck to the core. For example, guests simply could not imagine the technology of diamond mining without the use of water. However, there is nothing surprising in the Yakut climatic conditions: there is minus temperature in those places for almost seven months a year, and it’s not worth joking with permafrost. In a dangerous place is the city of Mirny! The depth of the quarry is such that, if desired, even a miniature sea can be arranged here.
A brief history of mining
From 1957 to 2001, more than $ 17 billion worth of diamonds were mined here. The quarry near the city of Mirny in Siberia in the development process has expanded so much that from the bottom to the surface, the length of the road for trucks was eight kilometers. It should be understood that in 2001 the deposit was not depleted at all: it was just that open-cut diamond mining became too dangerous. Scientists were able to find out that the vein stretches to a depth of more than a kilometer, and in these conditions an underground mine is already needed. By the way, he reached the design capacity of one million tons of ore in 2012. Today, experts believe that it is possible to develop this unique field for another 35 years (approximately).
Some terrain problems
Helicopters are strictly forbidden to fly over a quarry, since such a flight is a certain death for a car and crew. The laws of physics just throw the helicopter to the bottom of the quarry. There are also drawbacks to the high walls of the tube: there is far from the illusory possibility that one day precipitation and erosion will lead to the formation of a monstrous landslide that will completely absorb the city of Mirny (Yakutia). The quarry, the photo of which is in the article, can be used for purposes that some may consider real fiction. It is about the possibility of creating a unique city of the future in a titanic pit.
"City of the future": dreams or reality?
Nikolay Lutomsky was appointed the project manager. The most difficult part in the future work is to create a cyclopean concrete structure that will not only strengthen the walls of the quarry, but will also burst it, providing additional strength. It will be an incredible tourist attraction, which only the city of Mirny can boast of!
The quarry, the photo of which can be seen in the review, is supposed to be closed from above with a transparent dome, on the sides of which solar panels will be mounted. Of course, the climate in Yakutia is extremely harsh, but there are enough sunny days. Power engineers suggest that over the course of a year, batteries alone will be able to generate at least 200 MW of energy. Finally, it will be possible to take advantage of the warmth of the planet itself.
The fact is that in winter this area is cooled to -60 degrees Celsius. Yes, it is difficult to envy those for whom the city of Mirny (Yakutia) is their homeland. The quarry, whose photo is striking, is frozen in the same way, but only to a depth of 150 meters. Below is a constantly positive temperature. The futuristic city is supposed to be divided immediately into three main tiers. At the very bottom they want to grow agricultural products, on average it is supposed to mark a full-fledged forest park zone.
The upper part is a zone for permanent residence of people, in addition to residential premises there will be offices, entertainment complexes and more. If the construction plan is fully implemented, the area of the city will be three million "squares". At the same time up to 10 thousand people will be able to live here. About 36 thousand citizens have a peaceful city (Yakutia). The quarry, the depth of which is half a kilometer, will allow them to rest comfortably without flying to distant lands.
Other information on the Ecogorod project
Initially, this project was given the name "Eco-city 2020", but today it is clear that by the target date it will obviously fail to be implemented. By the way, what are they going to build it for? It's about residents: only five months a year do their living conditions more or less correspond to a comfortable norm, and the rest of the time they live at temperatures that are more characteristic of the Arctic and Antarctica. The city will allow them to relax at any time of the year, basking in the sun, and one should not forget about the production capacity of giant farms: all residents and tourists will be more than provided with vitamin fruits and vegetables.
In order for the lower levels to get enough light, it is supposed to leave a lighting shaft of gigantic diameter in the center. In addition to solar panels, whose effectiveness is still quite dubious (plus difficulties with installation), some engineers offer the option of building a nuclear power plant. To date, all this is in the stage of very vague plans. I really want to hope that the city of Mirny, whose diamond quarry is known all over the world, will become more comfortable for people to live in.
Interesting diamond mining facts
As we said, in the 60s up to two kilograms of diamonds were mined here during the year, and one fifth of them had high jewelry quality. A ton of rock accounted for up to a gram of pure raw materials, and among the stones there were many such that were suitable for jewelry processing. Today, about 0.4 grams of diamonds are produced per tonne of ore.
Largest diamond
At the end of December 1980, the largest diamond in the history of the deposit was found here. This giant, weighing 68 grams, received the solemn name "XXVI Congress of the CPSU."
When was open mining stopped?
When did Mirny "finish"? It became dangerous to develop a diamond quarry in the 1990s, when the depth of production reached 525 meters. At the same time, the bottom of the pit was flooded. It was Mir that became the largest diamond career in our country. Extraction lasted more than 44 years. Until that time, production was managed by the Sakha company, whose annual profit exceeded $ 600 million. Today the mine is led by Alrosa. This corporation is one of the largest diamond producers in the world.
When did the idea of a closed mine come about?
Already in the 1970s, the construction of the first tunnels was started, since everyone understood the impossibility of constant opencast mining. But on a permanent basis, this method was transferred only in 1999. Today it is known for certain that the vein is still available at a depth of 1200 meters. Perhaps diamonds can be mined even deeper.
This is how the Republic of Yakutia is rich in raw materials: the city of Mirny, in which a career that shakes everyone’s imagination, is one of the sources of national wealth. The diamonds that are mined there go not only to the needs of jewelry companies, but also to the production of many sophisticated devices and mechanisms.