Argyle Diamond Mine, Australia
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Argyle Diamond MIne, Australia (342,050 bytes) ( 1313 x 802 ) |
The Argyle open-pit diamond mine, located in the Kimberley region in the far north east of Western Australia, is the world's largest single producer of diamonds. The region is remote, rugged and hot, with temperatures of over 40??C during the wet season from October to March. The discovery of the Argyle orebody marked the first time that a commercial diamond occurrence had been identified that is not hosted in kimberlite. The deposit was discovered in 1979 following some 12 years of exploration by various companies in the area. The discovery of alluvial diamonds led directly to their source, the AK1 pipe. Since coming into operation, Argyle has produced over 600 million carats of diamonds. 2002 output was 33.5 million carats, of which 95% is industrial diamonds. Argyle also produces between 90% and 95% of the world's pink diamonds. This 3-D perspective view was created by draping an ASTER 4-3-2 RGB image over an ASTER-derived DEM; the vertical exaggeration is 2x. The scene was acquired August 20, 2000, and is located near 16.6 degrees South, 128.3 East.
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Argyle Diamond MIne, Australia
Type: (JPG)
Size: (342,050 bytes)
Resolution ( 1313 x 802 ) |
Please give credit for these images to:
NASA/METI/AIST/Japan Space Systems,
and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team
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