Big 50s at Buffels

摘要

Imagine an ideal alluvial diamond mining site where a 110 t excavator loads four 50 t trucks that are able to move more than 380 t/h of material on a haul of 600 m. This is not far-fetched, as it is the scenario at the Buffels Inland Complex in the Northern Cape. The Namaqualand Mines division of De Beers has been mining the West Coast of the Northern Cape for some years now. As mined-out areas are rehabilitated to their former pristine state, new mining areas are developed in this alluvial-rich diamond bearing part of South Africa.