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


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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


Latest comments - All (17)
 Ulrich John
Ulrich John club
That’s a great view, Pete ! HWW and Good Evening to you !
4 months ago.
 Dinesh
Dinesh club
Beautiful, but rather scary....

HFF & Best wishes
4 months ago.
 trester88
trester88 club
Kleine Diamanten, großes Loch. HWW, Pete!
4 months ago.
 Loose_Grip/Pete
Loose_Grip/Pete club has replied
Probably not Graham but it's the the biggest hand-mined pit before it closed in 1914.
4 months ago.
 GrahamH
GrahamH club has replied
For hand digging, at a pace where the miner doesn't want to miss all the diamonds, it is huge.
4 months ago.

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