Most minerals are underground. To get them, you have to open the upper layers of the lithosphere - the earth's crust and part of the mantle. Open-pit mining is the oldest, but retained its relevance, technology.
A quarry is an excavation artificially formed on the surface of the earth, which makes it possible to extract a deep-lying layer of natural resources. The funnel has a conical shape, which tapers to the bottom, and spiral roads for equipment are created on its slopes. Consider the top 10 deepest quarries in the world, which collected the main wealth of our planet.
No. 1 - mine in South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a developed industrial-agrarian country, the bowels of which are very rich in minerals. And it is no coincidence that one of the deepest quarries on our planet is located here, in the city of Kimberley (geographical coordinates: 28 ° 44′19 ″ S 24 ° 45′31 ″ E / 28.738611∞ S 24.758611 in . d.). The mine, which was the vent of the volcano 100 million years ago, goes into the bowels of the earth, to a depth of more than 1000 meters.
For 50 years, 50 thousand miners manually dug the Big Hole mine , the area of which is 17 hectares. The Kimberley diamond mine is not only the deepest, but also the largest quarry on earth, developed without the use of special equipment.
At the beginning of the last century, all work was stopped, and the gaping vent of Big Hole continues to attract tourists. However, it was here that there was a danger of collapse of the edges of the mine and roads laid alongside, so travelers should be very careful.
No. 2 - Mir Yakut diamond deposit
The deepest diamond quarry is located on the territory of Yakutia, in the village of Mirny (geographical coordinates: 62 ° 31'36.7 "N 113 ° 59'31.8" E). Even with one glance at the open type mine, 515 meters deep and more than a kilometer wide, it becomes scary. The hollow, in which geologists discovered kimberlites (diamond-bearing rocks) in 1955, was called the “kimberlite pipe”.
Unfortunately, the industrial mining of precious stones in the diamond capital of Russia was stopped 17 years ago, since open pit mining became unprofitable, and the Mir quarry was too dangerous for the lives of workers. Now underground mines are being built, and some have already been commissioned, and the mothballed quarry is a local attraction.
No. 3 - The Bingham Canyon Mine
When it comes to the deepest quarries in the world, one can not help but mention Bingham Canyon in the United States, located in Utah (geographical coordinates: 40 ° 31′12 ″ N 112 ° 09′00 ″ W / 40.52, 112.15). This is the largest anthropogenic formation in which copper was mined. Minerals were first discovered in the 1950s, and since then there has been industrial development of a quarry with a depth of more than a kilometer and a width of 4 kilometers.
The giant long-lived mining industry, recognized as a national historical monument, was seriously damaged in 2013. A large landslide covered the construction equipment and destroyed the buildings built nearby, after which the Bingham Canyon was mothballed.
No. 4 - Uralskoye field
The Korkinsky coal mine, located in the Urals, in the Chelyabinsk region, is one of Eurasia’s deepest quarries. The field, where coal is mined by open pit mining, was considered the largest in the Soviet Union. Its depth exceeds 500 meters, and its diameter is more than 3 kilometers.
The quarry (geographic coordinates: N 54 ° 53'55 "E 61 ° 25'1") was discovered in 1931, and after 5 years the construction of the second section began to increase the pace of production. The inhabitants of Korkino were evacuated, and in the summer the most powerful explosion in the history of the Urals thundered, after which a funnel 900 meters long and 20 meters deep formed. 6 years ago, the authorities decided to close the open pit, the sides of which began to move, and apartment buildings that stood nearby began to collapse.
No. 5 - The Richest Marble Deposit
In Russia, there is an amazing deposit of snow-white marble, the development of which began to be dealt with in the 20s of the last century. In the village of Koelga, Chelyabinsk Region (geographical coordinates: 54 ° 38'53 "N 60 ° 54'52" E), there is a giant foundation pit about 75 meters deep and more than 1.5 kilometers in diameter. Now a huge enterprise has been set up here, and 90 years ago the stone was mined by the artisanal method.
Koelginsky marble is easily cut and polished, and its transparency creates a unique play of light and shadow on the surface. This is not a radioactive material, so it is used in construction without restrictions. It is with this marble that all Moscow metro stations are decorated, as well as hundreds of buildings and temples throughout the country.
No. 6 - Chuquicamata, a source of copper ore
In 1882, the development of the deepest quarry in the world began in Chile. Photos of Chuquicamata make one admire the skill and ability of workers who mine up to 30 million tons of copper. In one of the largest sources of copper ore, work began only at the beginning of the last century and continues to this day.
The Chukikamat open pit length (geographical coordinates: 22 ° 17 ′ S 68 ° 54 ′ W, 22.283333 ° S 68.9 ° W) is 4 kilometers and the depth is already over 850 meters.
No. 7 - Quarry of Escondida
In Chile, there is a large-scale complex consisting of two quarries. Almost 30 years ago, a large deposit was discovered in the north of the country, and at an altitude of more than 3 thousand above sea level, the development of a copper mine began, which acquired a gigantic scale. Its depth is approximately 645 meters.
The Escondida quarry located in the Atacama Desert (geographic coordinates: 24 ° 16'9.00 "S lat. 69 ° 4'14.03" W) has long been recognized as a world leader in the production of precious metals.
No. 8 - Australia's Goldmine
Australia's deepest quarry is Kalgoorlie Super Pit (geographic coordinates: 22 ° 17 ′ S 68 ° 54 ′ W, 22.283333 ° S 68.9 ° W). It is a gold mine vein with a depth of about 570 meters and a length of almost 4 kilometers. This is a city-forming enterprise in the territory of which more than 550 employees work.
At the mine, opened at the end of the 19th century, gold was mined in small mines, and then they were combined into the whole Kalgoorlie Super Pit industrial complex, which brings its owners a good income.
No. 9 - Indonesian Quarry
Not far from the Punchak Jaya massif in the province of Papua, Indonesia (geographic coordinates: 4 ° 03′10 ″ S. 137 ° 06′57 ″ E / 4.052778 ° S. 137.115833 ° E) Grasberg quarry is located at an altitude of 4,285 meters above sea level. The mine used for the extraction of gold, silver and copper is also the highest mine, which complicates the process of its development. And only recently, thanks to the use of special equipment, it was possible to establish production in full.
The gigantic man-made quarry Grasberg operated at a depth of 480 meters until the end of 2017, and now all development is carried out only underground.
No. 10 - Copper Quarry in the Andes
Tokepala quarry (geographic coordinates: 17 ° 14′42 ″ S 70 ° 36′50 ″ W / 17.245 ° S 70.613889 ° W) is located in Tanka, Peru. One of the most impressive man-made mines began its work in 1960. Its depth has long exceeded 80 meters, and the diameter of the basin in the majestic Andes is more than 2 thousand meters. Initially, Toquepala was developed for the extraction of copper, but now it produces molybdenum and silver. Recovered rock is dumped near the country's deepest quarry, and artificial bulk mountains have formed in its north.
Nearby, large plants have been built to enrich the ore used for the domestic needs of the country.