Kimberley city, located in southern Africa, is known to many travellers due to the diamond mine located within its territory. This mine was called Kimberley Hole or The Big Hole. The quarry is recognized as the largest hole excavated by hand. Miners dug the hole with picks and shovels without using any mechanisms. The development of the diamond mine began in 1866 and lasted until 1914. Miners arrived in their thousands, around 50000 of them were involved in the development process.
The workers managed to mine more than 2700 kilograms of diamonds using hand tools only. It was in the Big Hole that the world famous diamonds ‘Tiffany’, ‘De Beers’ and ‘Porter Rhodes’ had been found. The Kimberley Hole is 1,6 km in diameter. It was excavated to a depth of 240 metres. At the bottom of the quarry is now a lake, 40 meters in depth which gives the quarry even a more breathtaking view. Although mining operations were completed in 1914, diamond output in Kimberley continued up to 2005. Nearby the quarry some large mines 1000 metres in depth have been opened. The De Beers company that has owned the quarry decided to convert it into a tourist attraction. Nowadays, the most interesting Kimberley Mine Museum with a viewing platform and lots of walking areas is open to public.
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