# Jwaneng diamond mine

The Jwaneng diamond mine is the richest diamond mine in the world, and also the second largest in the world. It is nicknamed "the Prince of Mines", and is located in south-central Botswana about 170 kilometers (110 mi) southwest of the city of Gaborone.
Jwaneng means "a place of gems", and the Jwaneng mine means "where a small stone is found" in Setswana. The mine is owned by Debswana, a joint venture between De Beers and the government of Botswana. It commenced operations in 1982.
The mine owns and operates the local Jwaneng Mine Hospital, Acacia Primary School, and Jwaneng Airport. The mine maintains an ISO 14001 certificate for environmental compliance, being the first mine in Botswana to achieve this certification in 2000.

## History
### Discovery and early exploration

In the early 1970s, extensive geological surveys by De Beers Exploration led to the identification of the Jwaneng deposit in February 1973, and after 9 years of evaluation and construction it became fully operational in 1982. In 2021, around 107 million tonnes of rock were mined. In 2023, it produced 13.3 million carats of diamonds.

### Timeline of discovery

| Year | Activity | Geologist(s) | Discovery | Note |
| 1962 | Road reconnaissance | Jim Gibson/Jim Platt | Barren samples | n/a |
| 1963 | No activity | No activity | No activity | | n/a |
| 1964 | No activity | No activity | No activity | n/a |
| 1965 | No activity | No activity | No activity | n/a |
| 1966 | No activity | No activity | No activity | n/a |
| 1967 | No activity | No activity | No activity | n/a |
| 1968 | No activity | No activity | No activity | n/a |
| 1969 | Reconnaissance soil sampling | Mike Whateley/Keith Huxham and others | First kimberlite indicator material recoveries, confirmed by DRL | |
| 1970 | Detailed soil sampling | Mike Whateley/Bruce Lynn | Progressive kimberlite indicator material spatial distribution results | n/a |
| 1971 | Detailed grid loaming | Mike Whateley/Bruce Lynn | Progressive kimberlite indicator material spatial distribution results | n/a |
| 1972 | Ground magnetics and gravity/drilling | Peter Bickerstaff | 2424D/K1 | |
| 1972 | Detailed soil sampling/detailed grid loaming/ground magnetics/drilling | Stuart Vercoe/Norman Lock | 2424D/K2 | |
| 1973 | Detailed soil sampling/detailed grid loaming/ground magnetics/drilling | Stuart Vercoe/Norman Lock | 2424D/K2 | |
| 1974 | Detailed grid loaming/ground magnetics/drilling/airborne magnetics | Stuart Vercoe and others | 2424KD/K3 and 2424KD/K4 | |
| 1975 | Detailed grid loaming/ground magnetics/drilling | Stuart Vercoe and others | 2424D/K5 and 2424KD/K6 | |
| 1976 | Detailed grid loaming/ground magnetics/drilling | Stuart Vercoe and others | 2424D/K7 | |
| 1977 | Detailed grid loaming/ground magnetics/drilling | Stuart Vercoe and others | 2424D/K8 | |

## Geology

The Jwaneng Diamond Mine is situated within the Orapa Kimberlite Field. In the mine lies the "Jwaneng pipe," a volcanic crater formed during the Permian period. The mine consists of three kimberlite pipes. Diamond-bearing ores are extracted from the vast pit and transported to processing facilities and manufacturing facilities.

## Economic impact
### Employment

The mine employs more than 2,500 people as of 2024. A major project aims to extend production at Jwaneng by creating around 4,500 jobs or more a year, and is expected to contribute more than US$25 billion to Botswana’s economy. This project also plans on increasing the mine's depth from 400 meters to 650 meters.