The Murowa diamond mine is a diamond mine located in south central Zimbabwe, about 40 kilometers from Zvishavane. The mine is majority owned and operated by the Rio Tinto Group, which also owns the Argyle diamond mine in Australia and the Diavik Diamond Mine in Canada. There are a limited number of commercially viable diamond mines currently operating in the world. ... A scattering of round-brilliant cut diamonds shows off the many reflecting facets. ... The El Chino Mine located near Silver City, New Mexico is an open-pit copper mine Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, usually (but not always) from an ore body, vein, or (coal) seam. ... Zvishavane is a small mining town in Midlands Province, Zimbabwe. ... This article is about the Rio Tinto mining company. ... The Argyle diamond mine is a diamond mine located in Australia. ... The Diavik Diamond Mine is a very large diamond mine located in the Northwest Territories, about 300 km north of Yellowknife. ...

The Murowa site's possibilities were first realized in 1997, when three diamond-bearing kimberlite pipes were discovered; over a period of three years of study, the two larger pipes have been determined to be economically feasible as mines. Construction of mine facilities was completed in late 2004. Preparation for mining included the forced relocation of 926 people living on the mine site to six farms purchased by a government relocation program. Limited mining operations began in Murowa in 2004, with full capacity expected to be reached sometime in 2005, although permitting problems have slowed progress toward this milestone. Full scale production is expected to process 200,000 tonnes of ore annually, although it is possible to push production to as much as one million tonnes annually through further capital investment. 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Reef. ... Hewn kimberlite core sample from the James Bay Lowlands region of Northern Ontario, Canada. ... Volcanic pipes are subterranean geological structures formed by the violent, supersonic eruption of deep-origin volcanoes. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The mine is a combination of open pit and underground construction; current estimates put construction costs at $61 million USD. Current estimates of mine reserves are 19 million tonnes of ore, with an ore grade of 0.9 carats per tonne. Rio Tinto estimates that over the life of the mine, prices for the Murowa's production will fetch an average price of $65 USD per carat. The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States. ... A tonne (also called metric ton) is a non-SI unit of mass, accepted for use with SI, defined as: 1 tonne = 103 kg (= 106 g). ... An ore is a mineral deposit containing a metal or other valuable resource in economically viable concentrations. ... Ore grade is a measure that describes the concentration of a valuable natural material (such as metals or minerals) in its surrounding ore. ... The carat is a unit of mass used for gems, and equals 200 milligrams. ...

References

• Rio Tinto Diamonds: Murowa Rough Diamonds (http://www.riotintodiamonds.com/what-we-do/products/murowa.asp) (Retrieved April 15, 2005)
• "Murowa Diamond Set To Reach Full Production" (http://www.fingaz.co.zw/fingaz/2005/February/February10/7723.shtml). The Financial Gazette: February 2, 2005.