Kimberley Mine

E63982

Kimberley Mine is a famous South African open-pit diamond mine renowned as one of the earliest and largest diamond discoveries in the world.


Statements (49)
Predicate Object
instanceOf open-pit diamond mine
tourist attraction
alsoKnownAs Big Hole
Kimberley Big Hole
area approximately 17 hectares
associatedWith Barney Barnato
Cecil Rhodes
formation of De Beers Consolidated Mines in 1888
cityNamedAfter John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley
continent Africa
country South Africa
depth approximately 240 metres
discoveredIn 1866
estimatedOutput about 14.5 million carats of diamonds
about 2,722 kilograms of diamonds
feature historical mining village reconstruction
underground mine experience exhibit
viewing platform
formedPartOf Kimberley diamond fields
hasFacility Kimberley Mine Museum
heritageStatus important industrial heritage site in South Africa
historicalEra late 19th century diamond rush
impact attraction of international fortune seekers
development of railway links to Kimberley
rapid urbanization of Kimberley in the 1870s and 1880s
knownFor being one of the earliest major diamond discoveries
being one of the largest hand-dug excavations in the world
diamond mining
laborHistory use of compound system for African mineworkers
locatedIn Cape Colony
Kimberley
Northern Cape NERFINISHED
majorRushBegan 1871
materialExtracted diamond
miningMethod open-pit mining
underground mining
near central Kimberley
openPitClosedIn 1914
operatedBy De Beers Consolidated Mines
perimeter approximately 1.6 kilometres
region semi-arid interior plateau of South Africa
safetyIssue high incidence of mining accidents in early years
significantFor development of De Beers diamond monopoly
early industrialization in South Africa
economic development of Kimberley
surfaceDiameter approximately 463 metres
tourismStatus heritage tourism site
undergroundMiningContinuedUntil mid-20th century
yearsOfOperation approximately 1871–1914

Referenced by (4)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Kimberley Mine ("Kimberley Mine Museum")
hasFacility
Kimberley ("Kimberley Mine Museum")
hasMuseum
Kimberley ("South African diamond rush")
historicalEvent
Northern Cape
historicalSite

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