11 Most Massive Mines in the World

From the worlds largest gold mine found on the top of a mountain to the largest diamond mine in the world here are the most massive mines in the world!

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5.. Asbestos Mine, Canada
Also known as the Jeffrey Mine, it’s located in Asbestos, Quebec and it was in operation until 2012. It’s a whopping 2 kilometers wide and 370 meters deep! Check out this thing on google maps and you can tell how completely massive this thing is! It’s the by far the largest asbestos mine in the world. For a long period of time, people would use this mineral to put into their walls and keep their homes from catching on fire! But recently there’s been a link with asbestos and a disease called mesothelioma, which is a lung condition. This is a toxic substance that people should avoid, so obviously this large mine went out of business. The lake at the bottom might look like an inviting blue, but you can bet your bottom dollar, it’s highly toxic! The small town that grew with the thriving asbestos industry feels like they’ve kind of lost their identity once the mine was forced to close, but people do still live there.

4. Mcarthur River Uranium Mine
In case you were wondering which mine produces the most uranium in the world, that would be of course the Mcarthur River uranium mine in Saskatchewan Canada. This huge deposit was found in 1988 and finally a mining operation took place in 1997, when it began producing what’s known as Yellowcake. It’s not the kind of yellow cake you’d eat with your grandparents. This stuff has a horrific odor and basically what it is, is concentrated uranium powder which can then be used for powering nuclear reactors. We imagine this powdery substance is quite difficult to get ahold of. There aren’t a ton of photos of this place but, it does produce about 13 percent of the global uranium production across the globe.

3. Diavik Diamond Mine
In case you thought it was Africa who had all the massive diamond mines, think again! The Diavik Diamond mine, found in the the northwest territories of Canada is one of the largest producers of diamonds in the Northern hemisphere and this place is pretty crazy! They annually produce 7 million carats of diamonds each year and you better believe it’s not easy to get here. The Diavik mine is found north of the arctic circle and it’s definitely cold! This photo here shows the subarctic landscapes that surround the diamond mine. You thought getting to work in the morning was tough for you? Imagine trying to get to work here! Just recently in 2015, this diamond produced what was known as the Diavik Foxfire 187.7 which is one of the largest rough gem quality diamonds ever produced.
2. Siberian Diamond Mine
Also known as the Mirny Mine, The USSR began searching for ways to make to make themselves a more economical stable and independent union. In 1955 the Soviets discovered large diamond deposits at this site in the far away lands of Siberia and many people got to work very quickly in order to help bring wealth to the union. After about 20 years of operations, they finally decided that At one point this mine produced 10 million carats of diamonds a year and reaches a max depth of 524 meters or around 1700 feet making it the 2nd largest excavated hole in the world. The mine is so deep, airspace is closed over the hole due to helicopter crashes caused from the downward flow of air. The construction of this in the frigid conditions of Siberia must have been grueling and downright cruel. Sources state that the machinery used at this mine had to be covered at night or it would freeze Are the diamonds worth freezing to death?! It’s unoperational today but Some claim that there’s still a bunch of diamonds in this mine and the whole thing could be worth about 12 Billion dollars. It’s possible that controlling this diamond is mine is crucial to controlling the price of diamonds across the world.
Bingham Copper Mine
The bingham copper mine located near Salt Lake City Utah is home to the biggest pit in the world and it’s been in operation since 1903. It’s about 2.5 miles wide and if it were a stadium, it would be able to fit an estimated 9.5 million people. It keeps getting bigger and bigger too! Diligent workers can move about 250,000 tons of rock each day and it’s even become a tourist attraction in recent years before a massive landslide took place. Some claim that this was the biggest non volcanic landslide to take place in North American modern history. This photo we see here shows you the aftermath of this massive landslide and Bingham Copper mine and it makes you wonder how safe some of the conditions at these mines truly are. The landslides were so massive, that they actually triggered a few small earthquakes! Experts estimated that 165 tons of earth slide down from the top of the mine all the way to the bottom.

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