Everything about The Big Hole totally explained
The
Big Hole is a huge
open-pit mine in
Kimberley, South Africa and claimed to be the largest hole excavated by hand.
History
From
1866 to
1914 50,000 miners dug the hole with picks and shovels, yielding 2,722 kg of
diamonds. The Big Hole has a surface of 17
hectares (42
acres) and is 463
metres wide. It was excavated to a depth of 240 m but then partially infilled with debris reducing its depth to about 215 m; since then it has accumulated water to a depth of 40 m leaving 175 m visible. The underground Kimberly Mine was mined to a depth of 1097 metres.
There is currently an effort in progress to register the Big Hole as a
World Heritage Site.
Not the biggest?
In 2005, Steve Lunderstedt, reported after doing intensive research he discovered that it was actually not the biggest hand-made excavation. By studying historical records of several man-made mines, he discovered that the title belongs to the
Jagersfontein Mine. He claims a comparison between the Big Hole and other mines were never made and it was just assumed to be the biggest and used as selling point for tourist attraction.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Big Hole'.
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