There are many man-made structures in the world that seem incredibly surprising in their own way. The name of "Big Hole" is also one of them, which is actually an open pit and underground mine in Kimberley, South Africa. What makes it more interesting is that it is an entirely man-made structure and claimed to be the deepest hole excavated by hand. As we know, Kimberley has considerable historical significance due to its diamond mining past. If you Mention Kimberley to anyone, their sudden reaction will be as: have you seen the Big Hole? Now you can imagine the importance of Big Hole in Kimberley. It is one of the major tourist attractions of Kimberley.
Image credit - Wikipedia
The surface of the Big Hole is 17 hectares. It is 463 meters wide and excavated to a depth of 240 meters. This depth was later filled with debris, so now it has a depth of about 215 meters. Since then it has accumulated about 40 metres of water, leaving 175 metres of the hole visible. Kimberley’s Big Hole is the site of the world’s biggest diamond rush. It is believed that from mid-July 1871 to 1914, up to 50,000 miners dug the hole with picks and shovels, and found 2,720 kilograms of diamonds.
Image credit - Pixabay
Image credit - Wikipedia
The surface of the Big Hole is 17 hectares. It is 463 meters wide and excavated to a depth of 240 meters. This depth was later filled with debris, so now it has a depth of about 215 meters. Since then it has accumulated about 40 metres of water, leaving 175 metres of the hole visible. Kimberley’s Big Hole is the site of the world’s biggest diamond rush. It is believed that from mid-July 1871 to 1914, up to 50,000 miners dug the hole with picks and shovels, and found 2,720 kilograms of diamonds.
Image credit - Pixabay
It is said that some years ago the site of the Big Hole was just a featureless and ordinary flat-topped hill. But when word spread that the diamonds had been discovered, thousands of prospectors, armed with nothing more than picks, shovels, and hope, landed on Kimberley and turned this ordinary place into the largest hand-dug excavation in the world. The Eureka Diamond was the first diamond discovered in South Africa by a 15-year-old boy named Erasmus Stephanus Jacobs. The diamond originally weighed 21.25 carats, which is currently on display at the Mine Museum in Kimberley. The Big Hole has now become a famous tourist attraction. If you ever travel to Kimberley, never forget to visit the Big Hole.
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