The Udachnaya pipe (Russian: тру́бка Уда́чная, literally lucky pipe) is a diamond deposit in the Daldyn-Alakit kimberlite field in Sakha Republic, Russia. It is an open-pit mine, and is located just outside the Arctic circle at 66°26′N 112°19′E.
Udachnaya was discovered on 15 June 1955, just two days after the discovery of the diamond pipe Mir by Soviet geologist Vladimir Shchukin and his team.[1] It is about 640 metres (2,100 ft) deep, making it the third deepest open-pit mine in the world (after Bingham Canyon Mine and Chuquicamata).[1]
The nearby settlement of Udachny is named for the deposit.
As of 2010[update], Udachnaya pipe is controlled by Russian diamond company Alrosa, which planned to halt open-pit mining in favor of underground mining in 2010.[2]
The mine has estimated reserves of 225.8 million carats (45.16 t) of diamonds and an annual production capacity of 10.4 million carats (2.08 t).[3]
Add new comment