Discovery in the Sertão of Bahia changed the history of Brazil, placing the country as one of the main producers and exporters of diamonds in the world!
Let's talk about a fascinating subject: the largest diamond mine in Brazil, found on April 19 in the small municipality of Nordestina. Located in the Sertão of Bahia, in an arid and little-known region, the Braúna mine is a recent discovery that has extremely high potential.
In this article, we will explore all the details about this mine, from its location to the quantity and value of the diamonds found. Prepare to be amazed by this incredible story!
Largest diamond mine in Brazil
The Discovery of Mina Braúna: the largest diamond mine in Brazil and Latin America
Located about 10 km from the small city of Nordestina, the Braúna mine is located in a practically flat region, close to the Itapicuru River. Few people know about the existence of this super mine, but that is about to change.
The city of Nordestina, with just over 12 thousand inhabitants, will become known as the home of the largest diamond mine in Brazil and Latin America. The Braúna mine is operated by Lipari Mineração Limited, a Canadian company that invested more than 100 million dollars in this project in search of diamonds.
Since 2016, the company has been exploring the open pit mine, without the need to build tunnels. The amount of diamonds found is gigantic and production from this mine has the potential to increase Brazil's current diamond production by 495%.
Kimberlite phenomenon: the primary source rock of diamond
Have you ever wondered why there are diamonds in certain places? The answer lies in kimberlite pipes. The Braúna mine is located on one of these pipes, which are geological formations responsible for the concentration of diamonds. But what exactly is a kimberlite? Kimberlite is a rock of volcanic origin that forms deep within the Earth, below the common lava layer.
In this environment, there is enough heat and pressure to turn carbon into diamonds. At some point in the remote past, this volcanic lava found a breach in the rocks of the Earth's crust and managed to reach the surface. This volcanic eruption caused the dispersion of diamonds over a radius of more than 50 km. The Braúna mine is a perfect example of this phenomenon.
It is located in an arid region of the Sertão da Bahia, where no one would expect to find diamonds. However, geologists hit the nail on the head when they discovered this kimberlite tube, which houses an impressive amount of diamonds.
Exploration of the Braúna Mine: annual production capacity of 340 thousand carats of diamond
Before the Braúna mine, diamond exploration in Brazil only occurred from secondary sources, such as rivers and gravel. These secondary springs are formed when diamonds separate from kimberlite rocks and are carried away by the action of water. However, the Braúna mine is the first mine in Latin America exploited for a primary source of diamonds.
This means that the diamonds are directly linked to the kimberlite pipe, which makes exploration more efficient and productive on a large scale. The Braúna mine stands out not only for its size, but also for the quality of the diamonds found. During the research phase, between 2014 and 2016, around 2.500 high-quality diamonds were extracted.
The projection is that the mine will be able to extract approximately 340 thousand carats of diamonds per year, over a useful life of at least seven years. This represents almost half a ton of diamonds during the mine's entire period of activity.
The Future of the Braúna Mine
The Mine is an open-pit mining operation that uses its own fleet and equipment to power a processing plant of 2.000 tons of kimberlite ore per day, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The Lipari mining company plans to further deepen research to verify the feasibility of extracting diamonds from the bottom of the mine, around 260 meters deep. If possible, the Braúna mine will transform from an open pit mine to an underground mine, expanding its production potential.
Currently, the Braúna mine employs more than 300 employees, and diamond extraction and processing operations. This is a large-scale operation, with investments of more than 100 million dollars and projected profits of approximately 750 million dollars at the end of the process.
Discovery of the Braúna mine in the Sertão of Bahia represents a milestone for Brazil
The discovery of the Braúna mine in the Sertão da Bahia represents a milestone for Brazil. This mine, which became the largest in the country and in Latin America, reaffirms Brazil as a global leader in diamond production. Furthermore, this discovery opens up new possibilities for diamond exploration in other regions of the country.
While we wait for the advancement of Brazilian science and technology to discover more kimberlite pipes, we can continue to admire and value this natural wealth.
Did you know? The largest mineral province in the world is in Brazil, with resources estimated at around 18 billion tons of high-grade iron ore and other valuable minerals!
You've probably heard of the Indiana Jones movies, in which he goes in search of hidden treasures in the most remote corners of the planet. But the story you will read today is equally fascinating, yet true. This is the discovery of the largest mineral province in the world, the Carajás province, located in the state of Pará, which changed the history of Vale and iron ore in Brazil!
After the discovery of iron, within a short time, he discovered the presence of other ores, such as copper, nickel and gold. Carajás became a region of unparalleled mineral wealth. The expedition was led by geologist Breno Augusto dos Santos, and the result was a discovery that changed the history of mining in Brazil. Check out this incredible story by clicking here.
