6 Key Concepts Flashcards
Describe most modern diamond-mining operations.
Most modern diamond-mining operations are large in scale and extremely expensive.
What caused the shift in emphasis from alluvial to primary diamond mining?
Improved technology caused a shift in emphasis from alluvial to primary diamond mining.
Where are the largest marine diamond deposits in the world?
Namibia holds perhaps the largest marine diamond deposits in the world.
How prolific are profitable diamond sources?
Potentially profitable diamond sources are rare.
Until the eighteenth century, who was the world’s only major diamond source?
India was the world’s only major diamond source until the eighteenth century.
Most of Brazil’s diamond production comes from what type of deposit?
The majority of Brazil’s diamond deposits are alluvial, some are from Kimberlite pipes.
What continent has the world’s most diverse diamond sources?
Africa has the world’s most diverse diamond sources.
What is the Cullinan mine known for?
The Cullinan mine is known for producing blue diamonds as well as very large diamonds.
What is the most technologically advanced underground mine in the world called?
The Finsch is the most technologically advanced underground mine in the world.
Russia’s diamond sources are from what type of deposit?
Russia’s diamond sources are almost all primary.
What was the first commercially important primary source of diamonds in lamproite?
Australia’s Argyle mine was the first commercially important primary source of diamonds in lamproite.
What is the Argyle mine famous for?
The Argyle mine is famous for producing rare and valuable pink diamonds.
What makes Canada (the Ekati mine) an important twenty-first-century diamond producer?
New discoveries in Canada make it an important twenty-first-century diamond producer.