Video Description
Caterpillar 789C mining trucks transporting waste on the Orapa diamond mine, Botswana.
Source:
YouTube.com
Orapa diamond mine
The Orapa diamond mine is the world's largest diamond mine. The mine is located in Orapa, a town in the Boteti Sub-District of Botswana about 240 kilometers (150 miles) west of the city of Francistown. Orapa ("resting place for lions") is owned by Debswana, a partnership between the De Beers company and the government of Botswana. It is the oldest of four mines operated by the company, having begun operations in July 1971.
Orapa is of open pit construction and is the largest diamond mine in the world by area. The mine is located on two kimberlite pipes that converge near the surface, covering 1.18 square kilometres at ground level. Orapa operates seven days per week, and produces 20 million tons per year of ore and an additional 40 million tons per year of waste rock. In 2003, the Orapa
mine produced 16.3 million carats (3260
kg) of diamond.
The mine maintains an ISO 14001 certificate for environmental compliance, and places some importance on water conservation and waste management. Source:
Wikipedia,
Orapa Diamond Mine
Caterpillar 789
The Caterpillar 789 dump truck is a model of large dump trucks, typically used in open pit mining, manufactured by Caterpillar Inc. The 789 has a capacity of 195 tons, and its engine can produce 1705 horsepower.
Open Pit Mining
Open-pit mining, also known as open-cast mining, open-cut mining, and strip mining, refers to a method of extracting rock or minerals from the earth by their removal from an open pit or borrow.
Source: Wikipedia:
Open pit mining.
Interactive Satellite Map
Explore The Orapa diamond mine, Boteti
Sub-District of Botswana. Click the placemark. To Pan: click and drag or take advantage of the pan and zoom bars.
|
|
|
