Well, if you ever wondered where the biggest and best diamonds come from, let me tell ya, it’s Russia. Yep, they got a whole bunch of ’em, and some of the biggest mines in the world too! Most of these diamonds are sittin’ up north in a place called Sakha, or some folks call it Yakutia. Now, let me tell ya, this place is cold as a winter night in December, but that’s where all the good stuff is buried deep in the ground.
You see, Russia is sittin’ on a real treasure chest when it comes to diamonds. They got more than 3.6 billion carats of diamonds underground. Now, that’s a whole lotta sparkle! But not all of them are ready for the pickin’. Most of them are in what they call the P1 category, which means they’re still buried deep and need a lotta work to get to. But don’t you worry, they got the tools and people to dig ’em out!
The Mir Mine, now that’s the big one. It’s up in Siberia, in a place called Mirny. Now, don’t let the name fool ya, it ain’t peaceful around here. The mine is as big as a small town, and it’s the second largest manmade pit in the whole world. It’s got a deep hole, deeper than the well we got back home. The pit’s about 525 meters deep, and it’s so wide, it could fit a whole lotta people standin’ side by side. We’re talkin’ about 1.25 kilometers across—now that’s a real big hole, ain’t it?
Folks in the area, they don’t got much to do except work in the mine, so the town of Mirny ain’t all that fancy. There’s about 40,000 people livin’ there, and they spend their days workin’ for Alrosa, which is the biggest diamond company in Russia. They’re the ones who run the mine, and trust me, they been makin’ some serious money. Over its lifetime, this mine’s pumped out billions of dollars in diamonds! Some folks even say it’s made as much as $13 billion worth of shiny stones.
Now, you might be thinkin’, “Well, what happened to this big ol’ mine?” Well, back in 2017, the place got flooded. That’s right, the whole thing! And since then, they ain’t been diggin’ up any more diamonds there. It’s a sad story, really, but that’s how it goes sometimes. Still, the mine stands as one of the biggest and most famous in the world, even if it ain’t operatin’ anymore.
But don’t you think for a minute that Russia’s outta diamonds now! They got other mines too, and the country’s still one of the top players in the diamond game. You can bet there’s more treasure hidden under the ground, just waitin’ to be dug up. And when it does, I reckon it’ll be just as shiny as ever.
If you ever get a chance to visit Mirny, don’t forget your warm clothes! It’s cold up there, and that’s just the start of it. But if you like big holes in the ground and some real sparkly stones, this place is a must-see. Just be sure to bring a good coat, ’cause you ain’t gonna wanna stay outside too long in those Siberian winters!
Tags:[diamond mine, Mir Mine, Russia diamonds, Siberian diamond, Alrosa, diamond resources, Mirny, Yakutia, largest diamond mine]