12 favorites     17 comments    174 visits

See also...

ZPHOTO ZPHOTO


Everyone's Photo Pool Everyone's Photo Pool


Mining Heritage Mining Heritage


Flickr Refugees Flickr Refugees


Silence Silence


Geology Geology


See more...

Keywords

pipe
HWW
South
Cape
Kimberley
June
Africa
Northern
geology
1982
diamond
mine
mining
rocks
kimberlite


Authorizations, license

Visible by: Everyone
All rights reserved

174 visits


HWW Kimberley Northern Cape South Africa 2nd June 1982

HWW Kimberley Northern Cape South Africa 2nd June 1982
It's difficult to capture the depth of the "Big Hole" in Kimberley but the height of the buildings give an idea of the scale. It's a real vertical wall of rock.

Kimberlite, an ultramafic igneous rock and a rare variant of peridotite, is most commonly known to be the main host matrix for diamonds. It is named after Kimberley where diamonds were mined from this hole.

Kimberlite occurs in the Earth's crust in vertical structures known as kimberlite pipes, as well as igneous dykes and can also occur as horizontal sills. The consensus on kimberlites is that they are formed deep within the mantle, hence at high temperatures and pressures.

HWW to everyone. Have a great day!

Nouchetdu38, Eva Lewitus, Ulrich John, Don Sutherland and 8 other people have particularly liked this photo


17 comments - The latest ones
 Annemarie
Annemarie club
Impressive!!!!!!!
7 months ago.
 Annemarie
Annemarie club
Wish you a peaceful Wednesday.
7 months ago.
 Herb Riddle
Herb Riddle club
An incredible hole here and a job to capture it without the deep shadows I guess. Wouldn't like to trip and roll down there. Thanks for sharing.

HWW, enjoy the day. Herb
7 months ago.
 Roger (Grisly)
Roger (Grisly) club
A fearsome drop but a nice capture Pete, HWW!
7 months ago.
 Franck Chabal
Franck Chabal club
Impressionnant contraste entre la ville à l'arrière plan et ce gouffre naturel, qui semble prêt à avaler les bâtiments! HWW.
7 months ago.
 LotharW
LotharW club
Schon im Vorschaubild dachte ich an eine Diamantmine. HWW, Pete. Komm gut durch die zweite Wochenhälfte.
7 months ago.
 Ecobird
Ecobird club
That looks quite a frightening depth. I cannot imagine working down there.
Thank you for the interesting information Pete. Peridotite is the primary source of the peridot gemstone also I understand. It must have been a fascinating visit.
HWW
7 months ago.
 tiabunna
tiabunna club
A very impressive hole indeed, Pete. I recall learning about these vast craters in geography classes (many years ago). HWW and best wishes.
7 months ago.
 GrahamH
GrahamH club
Bigger than the Super Pit in Kalgoolie, Australia?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Hole
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Pit_gold_mine
Or this smaller one south of Cobar, Australia. www.ipernity.com/doc/grahamh/24301253
7 months ago. Edited 7 months ago.
Loose_Grip/Pete club has replied to GrahamH club
Probably not Graham but it's the the biggest hand-mined pit before it closed in 1914.
7 months ago.
GrahamH club has replied to Loose_Grip/Pete club
For hand digging, at a pace where the miner doesn't want to miss all the diamonds, it is huge.
7 months ago.
 Mikus
Mikus club
Gelungene Perspektive, kleine Häuser, grosses Loch ;-)) HWW, Pete.
7 months ago.
 Xata
Xata club
Great photo and info, I look at this cliff and imagine myself climbing it...does some people do?
HWW Pete
7 months ago.
 Don Sutherland
Don Sutherland club
Extraordinary photo.
7 months ago.
 Ulrich John
Ulrich John club
That’s a great view, Pete ! HWW and Good Evening to you !
7 months ago.
 Dinesh
Dinesh club
Beautiful, but rather scary....

HFF & Best wishes
7 months ago.
 trester88
trester88 club
Kleine Diamanten, großes Loch. HWW, Pete!
7 months ago.

Sign-in to write a comment.