2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16
Most fans of mineral stones are wondering where emeralds are mined. Such a procedure was carried out in the desert of Arabia back in the period of Ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece. Persians and Indians greatly honored this mineral.
In the 16th century, invaders from Spain transported to European lands beautiful emeralds obtained by the Incas in the Eastern Cordillera. In addition, conquerors from Spain found an emerald mine in the Colombian lands, today popular as the source of Chivor. The extraordinary resources of the emerald from Colombia have not lost their greatness even today.
A bit of history
As mentioned above, emerald mining has been carried out since historical times. In some media, the desert of Arabia is described as the place where emeralds were mined for the first time, in others - Namibia. There they found the "mines of Cleopatra", which, for unknown reasons, closed for a long period of time and started up again at the beginning of the 19th century.
The next popular sources were mines near Aswan, in the vicinity of the Red Sea. Information about him refers researchers to the period of the reign of SesostrisIII, which is more than 3,000 years ago. The inhabitants of Egypt made mines, the depth of which is estimated at 200 m. It is worth noting that 400 manual diggers could hardly fit there at one time.
In historical times, it was believed that the emerald was afraid of light, which is why mining was carried out in the absolute absence of it. After being pulled to the surface, the mineral in the rock was beaten to pieces, and then smeared with olive oil. This approach made it easier to find shining emeralds.
How is an emerald mined?
It happens that attackers put on decorative emeralds the inscription: "Ural". But in reality they sell hydrothermal stones. This is a 100% deception. There are places where emeralds are mined in Russia in the Urals. It is worth noting that the mineral is being mined in this region, and not grown in a research center.
There are three sources of the mineral:
- Pneumatolytic-hydrothermal.
- Pegmatite.
- Placers of emeralds.
On the territory of the Russian Federation there are pneumatolithic-hydrothermal stone deposits. Crystals are located on mica rocks in the depths of hyperbasite stones. They are impregnated with pegmatite compounds with granite. Under these conditions of origin, ideal crystals of the highest quality come out. In the process of emerald formation, liquid rocks get inside, creating gases due to the enrichment of beryllium and chromium. Creating crystals in this form takes tens of thousands of years.
Wheremined emeralds in the world?
30 states on the planet are engaged in the extraction of the mineral. Below are detailed descriptions of those places that are considered to be leaders in terms of reserves of raw materials. These include Colombia, Brazil, Russia, Africa, India, etc.
Colombia
When asked where emeralds are mined, the answer is usually "Colombia". It is clear why - the stones that are mined in this state have the highest quality and incredible beauty.
In the 16th century, invaders from Spain found sources of high quality crystals on the territory of this country. From that period of time, the "emerald disease" began. Jewels extracted from the depths of the earth were imported to European countries.
But there is the following point: the conquerors from Spain took possession of this territory by force, which is why they did not stand out with politeness. Because of this, the procedure for mining and cutting stones was carried out in extremely difficult conditions: during mining, it was necessary to repel the attacks of the Indians, who regularly tried to recapture the sources.
Brazil
The state has a large amount of material, but the quality is average. The crystals are lighter than Colombian emeralds and also have a yellowish color. The key advantage of the places where turquoise and emeralds are mined in Brazil is the incredible purity. In simple words, there are no deposits. The springs are located in the eastern part of the state - the states of Minas, Gerais, and Bahia. The launch of new sources (1980) enabled the country to become an elite among crystal importers in the world.
Russia
Russia also ranks first among those where emeralds are mined. The Ural crystals were found thanks to Ya. V. Kokovin, head of the diamond-cutting factory in Yekaterinburg. They began to be extracted in the 19th century. The sources of the Urals are located slightly north of the city of Asbest. It is worth noting that at the beginning of the 20th century they were carefully studied by the popular geologist of the Russian Federation A. E. Fersman. Since mining began, more than 15 tons of stone have been found in the deposits.
Today, the sources of the Urals are located in the Yekaterinburg environs. They are popular for emeralds of unique beauty and size. The largest emerald in decades was found there: its weight was 637 g, in connection with which it received the name "jubilee". Until this moment, a similar find was noticed in 1993, when they found the famous mineral "president", whose weight was more than 1 kg.
Africa
Reserves where you can get turquoise, emeralds, found in the XX century in the south of the mainland. In terms of reserves, it ranks second after Brazil. Increased production from sources located in the east of the country - Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania. The hue of the minerals is bright, similar to the blue-green standard of Colombia, but even better in quality.
It is important to know that only Zambia mines a fifth of the planet's crystal reserve. The largest deposit in Africa is Kagem, which produces 6.5 million carats of stone every year. Lots of emeralds from Zimbabwe are small but high quality. Mine "Cobra" andSomerset, located in South Africa, are well equipped, but only 5% of the volume of crystals are of good quality. Lots of light colored emeralds, lots of deposits.
India
The sources of India, where it is quite possible to get an emerald, were launched later than the African mines. Today, several small springs are popular there - Gum-Gura, Kaniguman, and Teki.
Where else is emerald mined?
Although emerald crystals are considered to be minerals that are rarely found in nature, they are mined in a large number of countries: Ethiopia, Madagascar, Norway, Cambodia, Canada and many other countries. It makes no sense to be surprised by this list, since the sources in these states are not so large.
Interesting facts
- Guahiros from Colombia are mineral miners who extract crystals. All sources are given to foreign investors. Therefore, when an uncut emerald is thrown out of the mines, people try to take away its parts, even fights happen.
- People who work for Colombian sources have week-long training and use simple, inexpensive tools, putting their lives in constant danger. The working day lasts 12 hours, and wages are most often limited to a bowl of soup. At the same time, employees are given a lot of local alcohol, which is called guarapo.
Results
The extraction of this mineral is important for humanity, because it is not only beautiful, but also has a huge number of useful properties. This crystalin demand in the world, so it would be reasonable to hope that natural stone will be used more often than artificial stone for a long time to come.
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