The Zarnitsa mine (russian: Кимберлитовая алмазная трубка «Зарница» ''Kimberlitovaya Almaznaya Trubka "Зарница"''; English:

kimberlite Kimberlite is an igneous rock and a rare variant of peridotite. It is most commonly known to be the main host matrix for diamonds. It is named after the town of Kimberley in South Africa, where the discovery of an diamond called the Star of S ...

diamond Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, ...

pipe "Lightning" (more exact translation: "

heat lightning Heat lightning, also known as silent lightning, summer lightning, or dry lightning (not to be confused with dry thunderstorms, which are also often called dry lightning), is a misnomer used for the faint flashes of lightning on the horizon or o ...

")) was the first kimberlite diamond pipe discovered in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

."История открытия якутских месторождений"
(retrieved December 13, 2014)Mark Nuttall, ''Encyclopedia of the Arctic'', Section "Diamond Mining"
pp. 488-489
/ref> It is located in the Daldyn- Alakit kimberlite field, in the watershed of two small streams that flow into the Daldyn River.Alakit and Daldyn kimberlite fields, Siberia, Russia: Two types of mantle sub-terranes beneath central Yakutia?
/ref> In was discovered on August 21, 1954 by geologists Natalya Sarsadskikh (Наталья Сарсадских) and Larisa Popugayeva, however their priority was recognized only in 1970 for Popugayeva and in 1990 for Sarsadskikh. Initially the mine was underestimated, and the

Mir mine The Mir mine (russian: кимберлитовая алмазная трубка «Мир» ''kimberlitovaya almaznaya trubka "Mir"''; English: kimberlite diamond pipe "Peace"), also called the Mirny mine, is an open pit diamond mine located in ...

was developed first. Zarnitsa was reevaluated in the early 1980s and recognized as developable. It has been working at full capacity since the early 2000s. The Zarnitsa mine is one of the largest

mines in

and in the world. The mine is located in the north-eastern part of the country in the Sakha Republic. The mine has estimated reserves of 52 million carats of

diamonds Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, bu ...

and an annual production capacity of 0.2 million carats.

References

{{reflist Diamond mines in Russia Diamond mines in the Soviet Union Economy of Siberia Science and technology in the Soviet Union Surface mines in Russia Diatremes of Russia