Mwadui
 |
|
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Country | Tanzania |
| Coordinates | 03°31′S 033°36′E / 3.517°S 33.600°ECoordinates: 03°31′S 033°36′E / 3.517°S 33.600°E |
| Production | |
| Products | Diamonds (300,000 carats per annum) |
| History | |
| Opened | 1940 |
| Owner | |
| Company |
Petra Diamonds (75%) Government of Tanzania (25%) |
The Williamson Diamond Mine (also known as the Mwadui mine) is a diamond mine 23 kilometres (14 mi) northeast of Shinyanga in Tanzania; it became well known as the first significant diamond mine outside of South Africa. The mine was established in 1940 by Dr. John Williamson, a Canadian geologist, and has been continuous operation since then, making it one of the oldest continuously operating diamond mines in the world. Over its lifetime it has produced over 19 million carats (3,800 kg) of diamonds. The Williamson mine, once owned by its namesake Dr. Williamson and later nationalized by the government of Tanzania. Since February 2009 the mine is mostly owned by Petra Diamonds, with 75% ownership, the government of Tanzania owning the remaining 25%.
The Williamson diamond mine is a large open pit mine currently about 90 meters (300 ft) deep. Diamond mining operations at the Williamson diamond mine are composed of four distinct activities: mining of the pit, re-treatment of tailings to recover missed diamonds, and gravel mining both on the property and adjacent to the property where gravel has been alluvially deposited. The open pit mining and tailings re-treatment are the largest of the four operations. The mine employs about 1,100 staff, mostly Tanzanians.
The mine is located about 160 kilometers (99 mi) south of the town of Mwanza in Kishapu District of Shinyanga Region. Dr. Williamson, the discoverer of the site, first owner and namesake of the mine, named the site "Mwadui" after a local chief; "Williamson" and "Mwadui" are now virtually synonymous in the diamond mining world.
The most important geological feature of the Williamson diamond mine is the kimberlite pipe on which it is located. At 146 square kilometers in area at surface level, it ranks as the largest economically exploitable diamond-bearing volcanic pipe in the world. Recent exploratory drill cores conducted by De Beers have indicated that the pipe is a pyroclastic kimberlite, not a hypabyssal kimberlite as earlier suspected. This indicates that it may be possible to extend the current 90-meter deep open pit to as much as 350 meters deep, and continue down even further with underground mining operations. However, a review of mine operations and long term plans continues.
...
Wikipedia