Kimberlite pipes and mines of the Russian Federation - tornado and tornado-like type, craters, batholiths, uranium calderas, prevention of disturbances in deposits and hazardous industries. Dangerous Legacy

Continues at the famous Mir diamond mine in Yakutia rescue operation. On Friday morning, water from the quarry broke into the mine where 151 people were working. Almost all the miners were raised to safe levels. However, nine people are still in the mine, and the operation to rescue them continues. The prosecutor's office and the authorities of Yakutia, the Investigative Committee and Rostechnadzor will now find out why water appeared in the mine with people.

The largest technological accident at the Mir kimberlite pipe occurred at 10:35 local time. At the minus 210 horizon, flooding occurred at the main drainage pumping station No. 2. At the time of the accident, there were 151 people in the mine workings at this level. Several dozen more miners worked above. Initially, according to the Mash public, only 90 miners got in touch; the rest could not be contacted. The cage was also unable to be lowered into the shaft due to a power failure.

A rescue operation immediately began at the mine, led by employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Yakutia. A task force from the Ministry of Emergency Situations headed by Minister Vladimir Puchkov, who is now in neighboring Buryatia with the President of Russia, flew to the scene of the accident, as well as five teams of mine rescuers and groundwater Olazov - only about 30 people.

At the mine, a group of forces and means of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations has been created in the amount of 36 people and six units of equipment from the Yakutsky VGSO branch of the FSUE VGSCh and the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), measures have been planned to build it up, the Ministry of Emergency Situations told Life.

In addition, the head of Alrosa, Sergei Ivanov, flew to Yakutia as soon as it became known that there were people in the flooded mine.

At approximately 13:00, communication was established with 130 miners located in the mine workings, electricity was supplied and two lifting units were launched. After another half hour, the water left the flooded areas of the mine. By evening, 142 miners were raised. The search for nine more is underway.

Rostechnadzor, the Investigative Committee, the prosecutor's office, the authorities of Yakutia, as well as specialists from Alrosa itself will now deal with the causes of the accident. First of all, the auditors intend to find out why water got into the mine and what was done to prevent this.

According to preliminary data, the accident could have occurred due to violations of the technology for preserving waste wells, a source in the Ministry of Emergency Situations told Life. - In addition, all workings must have sensors that react to the movement of layers in order to make a decision: to evacuate people or continue work. The commission will find out whether there were such sensors at the Mir mine and how the responsible persons reacted to their readings.

The Alrosa company also named the preliminary cause of today's flooding of the mine. It is noted that this could be an uncontrolled increase in water inflow from the exhausted quarry bowl into the underground mine. In turn, this happened due to “a sharp deterioration in mining and geological conditions and erosion of the host rocks into the quarry.”

Although a preliminary version of the causes of the accident has already been announced, there are other assumptions regarding what happened. The roots of the emergency may be hidden in the history of technological development of the diamond field. Open-pit diamond mining at Mir began in 1957 and continued until 2001. Over 44 years of operation, the depth of the quarry reached 520 meters. The quarry dump trucks transporting the rock covered as much as eight kilometers from the bottom to the surface!!! Then the question arose about the need to build an underground mine.

In 2000, engineers from the Moscow Mining University calculated that the gap between the end of open-pit mining and the start of underground mining would be - depending on the options - from two to eight years. In their opinion, development could be carried out using technology with forced caving of ore or with artificial maintenance of the mined-out space (using backfill). Alrosa had to make a choice in favor of one of the technologies.

Cavity systems generally perform well in terms of production costs, labor productivity, and field development intensity. This is explained by the lack of processes for laying and securing the treatment space. In the conditions of the Mir mine, the use of caving mining systems, according to engineers, had practically no alternative, since backfill systems do not ensure the safety of underground mining and are economically ineffective. The cost of ore mining at the Mir mine using backfill systems was at least $35/t, and with caving systems - about $8/t, engineers from Moscow Mining University calculated in 2000. They even assessed the economic efficiency of using systems with collapse during development, which, according to their estimates, could amount to at least $2 billion... But at that time the management at Alrosa chose a more costly one and, as the accident showed, not very secure development system.

Experts were divided in their opinions regarding the predetermination of the incident due to the fact that at one time it was the mine development system with backfill that was chosen.

- They had equipment then just for such a system. Therefore, they acted by inertia, - suggested the reason for the decision in a conversation with LiFom source in the mining industry.

According to him, other development systems required different technology.

- And this one was already bought by the company, - he added.

According to him, the backfill options involve preserving the quarry and the water in it. Water must be passed through the channel and pumped to the surface. The insulating materials turned out to be not very reliable, so water began to flow into the underground mine.

- Maybe this happened because this year was like this. There was a lot of rain and, as a result, a lot of groundwater. Water inflows have risen.

The water pumping system probably does not provide for such volumes. As for the subsequent projects of Alrosa, “Udachny” is more thoughtful and provides for a development system with collapse and with forced collapse. And, of course, there will not be such an unexpected effect. If there is such an increase in water inflow, then it will affect the intercepting wells, the intercepting rings of the horizon, but it will not be a surprise. There everything is filtered on the lower horizons and you can immediately see what is happening. It’s not like it accumulated, then bang-bang-bang - and it burst,” a source told Life.

However, not everyone agrees with this version.

- At the time when the decision was made on the underground development method, a water curtain had already been formed in the middle part of the quarry - a capital hydraulic structure that retains the pressure of the water column created by the Metegero-Ichersky aquifer. It must be maintained for the entire period of operation of the field. No collapse system could guarantee the stability of this curtain. It’s just that if there had been a collapse, then the water breakthrough could have happened much earlier. It's not that the choice of development system is wrong. The stability of the curtain could only be ensured by correct filling of the mined-out space with strict adherence to the mining regime, - commented Life of the MountainsEngineer, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, Head of the Department of Subsoil Development Design Theory, Chief Researcher at the Institute for Problems of Integrated Subsoil Development (IPKON) Marina Rylnikova.

The quarry is 520 meters deep, with a large underground aquifer running through the middle part. underground river. It was intercepted around the perimeter by injecting cement concrete mortar. And this curtain holds the pressure of mineralized waters to a height of about 100 meters. The curtain must not be subjected to critical deformation. Retaining the water column is the main task of the formed capital hydraulic structure.

“Only systems with a hardening backfill can prevent such deformations,” notes Marina Rylnikova.

Another thing is to ensure the regime and parameters for performing work on filling mined-out space.

- Here it is impossible to violate the regime of backfilling work, the timeliness of filling voids, there must be a special backfill that does not allow the dissolution of salt rocks at the contact with diamond-bearing kimberlites. The dissolution of salt and the formation of uncontrolled voids must not be allowed,” Marina Rylnikova told Life.

ALROSA will resume production at the Mir mine no earlier than 2022 ... Diamond mining company ALROSA may resume production at mine « World", whose work was stopped in the summer of 2017 due to an accident, ... projects to restore production at mine. "We lit a pipe peace": how they live in the diamond capital of Russia Accident in Yakut mine « World"occurred on August 4. Rescue work was stopped on August 26 due to the threat of flooding. Mine was stopped.​ The Rostechnadzor commission assessed the economic damage from the accident at... Those responsible for the accident at the Mir mine were fired from AK ALROSA ...including managers mine « World", Mirny Mining and Processing Plant, Yakutniproalmaz Institute and ALROSA company. On November 10, Rostekhnadzor completed an investigation into the causes of the accident at mine « World" According to... the decision." Rostechnadzor named the causes of the accident at the diamond mine mine « World» On November 11, the head of the designer left the company mine Yakutniproalmaz, Vice President of AK ALROSA for Innovation... ALROSA Vice President resigned after the causes of the Mir accident were announced ... mine, and the company promised to make “personnel decisions” After the announcement of the results of the investigation into the accident at mine « World» the head of the designer left the diamond mining company ALROSA mine... flooding search and rescue operations were stopped, mine was stopped.​ On November 10, an investigation into the causes of the accident ​on mine « World» ALROSA was completed by Rostekhnadzor. As... Rostechnadzor named the causes of the accident at the Mir diamond mine ...years on mine « World» diamond mining company ALROSA. Director of the designer mine"Yakutniproalmaz" Alexander Chaadaev resigned Rostekhnadzor completed an investigation into the causes of the accident mine « World"company... Andrey Zelberg, who headed the technical department of ALROSA. “The first is production on mine « World"was carried out in abnormally difficult mining and geological conditions, design experience and...

Society, 23 Sep 2017, 10:25

ALROSA management will have their salaries reduced after the tragedy at the Mir mine ... Peaceful, a representative of a diamond mining holding told RBC. The final causes of flooding on mine « World"have not been established, added the head of the Russian Ministry of Finance, chairman of the supervisory board... analysis of the causes and actions to eliminate the consequences of the accident at mine. Accident on mine « World"will affect the overall volume of diamond production, noted the Chairman of the Supervisory Board... Rescuers have stopped searching for missing miners at the Mir mine ...Search and rescue work at emergency mine « World» in Yakutia were stopped due to the threat of further flooding. Rescuers admitted ... the eight missing miners are no longer alive. Continuation of the rescue operation at mine « World» was considered impossible due to the threat of mine flooding. This is stated...material support will be paid in full. Water breakthrough on mine « World"in Yakutia occurred on August 4. At the time of the accident underground... ALROSA will pay 14 million rubles. to the relatives of the missing miners at the Mir mine ...material assistance to the relatives of miners who went missing in the accident mine « World" This is stated in the company's message. By decision of the council, the company... provided financial assistance to the relatives of eight people injured in an underground mine accident. mine « World» Mirny Mining and Processing Plant AK ALROSA (PJSC) 08/04/2017 ... was adopted unanimously. Accident on mine « World"in Yakutia occurred on August 4. Water broke through to underground horizons mine where was he at that moment... ALROSA reported on the search and rescue operation at the Mir mine ... the use of aviation. "We lit a pipe peace": how they live in the diamond capital of Russia On August 15, a rescue operation mine « World"at minus 310 m... in words, thus at mine trying to hide numerous safety violations. The ALROSA company denied this information. Underground mine « World"was put into operation in 2009. From 1957 to 2001, diamonds from the kimberlite pipe " World» were mined open... ALROSA will evaluate safety at all of the company’s mines in August ... engineer at the Yakutniproalmaz Institute. “Final and complete analysis of the causes of the accident at mine « World"should be prepared by the Rostechnadzor commission. However, we are planning not to be held since May of this year. As a result of a water breakthrough on mine « World“In the city of Mirny in Yakutia, 142 were evacuated on August 4... a search for them is underway. Earlier, on August 15, rescuers stopped searching for mine « World» at minus 310 m due to flooding. There's supposedly... Rescuers stopped searching for four miners at the Mir mine ...on mine « World» was stopped due to flooding. There, according to ALROSA, four of the eight trapped miners remained. Rescuers stopped the search operation at mine « World... established a rescue base at a depth of 210 m. 4 August on mine « World"there was a water breakthrough, as a result of which two horizons were flooded... 143, another eight have since remained blocked. Accidents on mine « World» Pavel Kazarnovsky Maria Kokoreva Sergey Vitko The quarry at the Mir mine in Yakutia was cleared of water ... Chalice quarry at the diamond mine « World"We managed to free it from the water, the ALROSA press service told RBC. ... . “The fate of eight miners who have been in the mine workings since the flooding mine « World“August 4 remains unknown,” the company’s press service added... these accusations. "Lighted a pipe peace": how they live in the diamond capital of Russia Water breakthrough from a quarry into a mine mine « World", owned by ALROSA, occurred... The Ministry of Emergency Situations announced a deterioration in the situation due to rising water at the Mir mine ...On mine « World“The hydrological situation in Yakutia is becoming more complicated; water continues to flow into the mine. ... we continue to collect people,” said the deputy head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. August 4th in the mine mine « World“There was a water breakthrough from the quarry, 151 people were underground... a rescue operation, 143 miners were rescued, a search is underway for the remaining eight. Mine owned by ALROSA. The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case on August 7... ALROSA hired a helicopter for rescue work at the Mir mine ... mine « World"in Yakutia. The company showed a video of its use. The footage shows how a helicopter with a cargo attached to it flies up to the flooded mine... to the YakutiaMedia news agency. An accident involving water breaking into a mine occurred at mine « World» August 4th. 143 miners managed to get to the surface. The remaining eight... added that the inspection was planned and not related to the accident at mine « World" Vice President and Financial Director of ALROSA Igor Kulichik August 9... The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case regarding flooding at the Yakut Mir mine ... Yakutia Investigative Committee (IC) opened a criminal case about the flooding of a diamond mine mine « World» ALROSA company. The press service of the department reports this. A case has been opened... Three workers of the 310th Horizon are blocked. Rescuers in this part mine The rock mass is loaded using two loading machines. Head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations... where the mine is located " World" ALROSA President Sergei Ivanov said that by August 19 they will review the production plan for mine due to...

The head of ALROSA announced the search for nine miners at the flooded mine ... On a flooded diamond mine « World» ALROSA rescuers in Yakutia are looking for nine miners. About this... . Ivanov Jr. clarified that at the time of the flooding, he was on shift mine there were 151 people. Of these, nine remained at preparatory work... it continues, noted the head of the diamond mining holding. In the flooded mine"Alrosa" 9 people remain in the mine mine « World ALROSA water broke on August 4th. Initially...

Putin was informed of an accident at a diamond mine in Yakutia ...diamond mine « World"in Yakutia. TASS reports this with reference to the press secretary of the Russian leader Dmitry Peskov. Accident at the diamond mine mine « World» companies... . Rescuers established contact with 130 miners. The fate of the 18 stuck in mine not yet known. A TASS source reported that the mine was hit near... Vladimir Puchkov flew to Yakutia to coordinate rescue efforts at mine. ALROSA decided to evacuate 150 people from the mine due to a water breakthrough ... mine rescue units of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. No casualties reported in the diamond mine mine « World“In Yakutia, owned by the ALROSA company, there was a water breakthrough from a quarry... that about 200 thousand cubic meters of water got into the mine. On mine « World» Rostechnadzor employees have arrived to take part in the creation of an investigation commission... . The Yakut prosecutor's office also began an investigation. Accidents on mine « World» Amid reports of flooding in mine ALROSA shares began to fall in price: their quotes on...
Even at the beginning of the 19th century, rumors began to arise about the presence precious stones on the territory of Yakutia and the western lands bordering it. A number of scientists and geologists pointed out the existence of important similarities in the structure of the Siberian platform with the South African one, where active development of primary diamond deposits was already underway. Local historian and teacher Pyotr Starovatov, after the civil war, got into a conversation in Kempendyai (Suntar area) with an old man who told him about his discovery in one of the local rivers - it was a sparkling pebble the size of a pinhead. He sold the find to a merchant for two bottles of vodka, a bag of cereal and five bags of tea. Later another local resident He also said that he found precious stones on the banks of the Kempendyayk and Chona rivers.

But only in 1947-1948 (after the Government decree signed by Stalin on intensifying the search for diamonds in the USSR) targeted searches for diamonds began for the first time on the territory of the Siberian Platform. In the fall of 1948, a group of geologists led by G. Fanstein launched prospecting work on the Vilyui and Chona rivers, and on August 7, 1949, the group found the first diamond on the Sokolina sand spit, and subsequently a diamond placer was discovered here. Exploration work in 1950-1953 was also successful - several diamond placers were discovered, and On August 21, 1954, the first kimberlite pipe in the Soviet Union, called Zarnitsa, was discovered.

Kimberlite- igneous rock containing diamonds, often in industrial concentrations. The breed bears the same name as the city of Kimberley in South Africa, where a diamond weighing 85 carats (16.7 g) was found in 1871. The formation of a kimberlite pipe is simplified - a consequence of a volcanic eruption, when gases under enormous temperature and high pressure through the earth's crust burst out from the bowels of the earth. A volcanic explosion brings diamond-bearing rock to the surface. Geologically, the pipe is shaped like a glass or funnel of enormous proportions, giving rise to the characteristic shape of diamond quarries around the world.

Using the unique method of “pyrope survey”, proposed by Natalia Nikolaevna Sarsadskikh (deposit search using pyropes - diamond satellite minerals, excluding lengthy and expensive searches by digging pits “the old fashioned way”) in 1955, 15 primary deposits were discovered, among them the famous “Mir”. Upon the discovery of the deposit, the expedition sent the famous radiogram: “Light a pipe of peace zpt tobacco excellent dot Avdeenko zpt Elagina zpt Khabardin dot.”

The discovery of the deposit was a find of extreme importance for the USSR and one of the largest geological discoveries of the twentieth century. The diamond industry was designed to seriously increase the economic potential of the Soviet Union. Diamond mining on an industrial scale first began at Mir.

Personal impressions from the first meeting with the quarry - it is huge!
Today, the quarry has a depth of 525 meters and a diameter of 1.2 km - and yes, contrary to common misconception, it is not the largest. "Mir" is significantly smaller in size than the "Udachnaya" pipe, discovered in 1955 and located 400 km to the north (its surface size is 1600x2000 meters, depth 640 meters). Nevertheless, Mir’s production volumes are impressive: over the years of open-pit mining, according to unofficial data, diamonds worth 17 billion US dollars were extracted from the deposit, and about 350 million cubic meters of rock were removed.

Panorama.
Clicking on the image will open the original:

Ore mining in the Mir quarry ceased in 2001, and the bottom of the mine was mothballed in preparation for mining the upper underground horizons. Geological exploration has shown that the depth of diamonds exceeds 1 kilometer - open-pit mining at such a depth is dangerous and unprofitable, so ALROSA is now extracting diamond ore in underground mines.

In the future it should look like this:

The mining equipment memorial on board the quarry, which I climbed onto

In the last years of the Mir development, the BelAZ route along a spiral road from the surface to the bottom was almost 8 kilometers. Now the sides of the quarry are crumbling, the road is maintained in working order only in a small area, up to the pumping stations.

Martian landscape:

A little about water in "The World".
An aquifer passes through the area where the kimberlite pipe is located. The underground “river” created serious difficulties throughout the active development of the quarry, and the “fight” against it continues to this day - now the safety of work at the mine, located in the thickness of the earth, depends on it. Highly mineralized water, having found many outlets, flows in streams to the bottom of the quarry at a speed of over 1000 cubic meters every hour. Now there is a turquoise acid lake splashing here:

During development, Mir was reconstructed three times, a unique grouting curtain was created to prevent the entry of aggressive brines from the Metegero-Ichersky aquifer complex, as well as a drainage system that removes up to 1 million cubic meters of water from the quarry monthly.

To pump out water, several pumping stations are equipped; they are armed with high-performance submersible pumps (4 pumps at each station, the capacity of each pump is over 450 cubic meters per hour). The pumped water is supplied through a pipeline to a man-made lake located outside the city - a reservoir of mineralized water, where a pumping station located on the shore, in turn, pumps the water further - again underground, into a geological fault.

Even during the construction of the underground mine, the bottom of the quarry was covered with a protective layer of rock - this is the so-called “ore pillar”, designed to protect the mine from the onslaught of thousands of cubic meters of water from above. In connection with the active development of the mine, work is underway to make all water inflow manageable. In particular, structures should be launched that intercept water on the upper horizons. Thus, the mine will fully comply with all safety requirements.

Initially, I approached “Mir” through the courtyards on the eastern side. The "tourist" point, where the quarry is mainly filmed, is on the opposite side - in the airport area. In principle, it’s not difficult to get there if you know where to go, but in general, this is not the place for hikers. The road is dirt, there is a lot of dust and BelAZs, after the rain it will most likely become limp to a completely unpleasant state. Along the way, every now and then you come across signs prohibiting passage.

In the city of Mirny (Yakutia) there is one of the world's largest diamond quarries - the Mir kimberlite pipe. Even helicopters do not fly over this mine: a giant funnel 525 meters deep and more than 1 kilometer in diameter, initiating updrafts, sucks in aircraft of any size.

Until recently, no human had ever set foot on these lands, where permafrost reigns. And this is not surprising: in terms of the absolute value of the minimum temperature (frosts reach -70 °C), Yakutia has no equal regions in the entire Northern Hemisphere. The diamond deposit was a discovery of extreme importance.

The diamond industry was supposed to double the economic potential of the Soviet Union. In particular, Nikita Khrushchev made the following statement regarding the strategic importance of diamonds: “It’s time to show the aggressors-capitalists, soon our Motherland will take a leading position in the international currency market, having developed new diamond deposits in Yakutia for the speedy creation of the material and technical base of communism in USSR".

In 1957, the working village of Mirny grew up near the diamond-bearing vein, which received the status of a city in 1959. To get here, the first convoys of trucks covered 2,800 kilometers of off-road terrain. Already in the 1960s, the Soviet Union was producing more than $1 billion worth of diamonds annually. One can only imagine how much effort was put into developing the quarry: at many meters deep, aggressive waters saturated with methane, hydrogen sulfide and oil arrive at a speed of 3,500 cubic meters per day, and if a unique grout curtain had not been created, the mine would inevitably have been flooded.

Years passed, and thanks to the work of workers and builders, Mirny from a tiny village turned into the center of the Russian diamond industry, modern city with 9-story buildings and asphalt roads. Ore mining in the Mir quarry ceased in 2001, and the bottom of the mine was mothballed in preparation for mining the upper underground horizons. Geologists have discovered that the depth of diamonds exceeds 1 kilometer, and extracting them from the mine by open-pit mining is unprofitable.

Today, the headquarters of the ALROSA company, which owns 75% of the diamonds mined in Yakutia, is located in Mirny. The largest diamond ever mined in Russia was found in the Mir kimberlite pipe on the eve of 1981. It weighs 342.5 carats (68.5 grams) and bears the party name - “26th Congress of the CPSU”.

Recently, the idea arose of creating a completely autonomous eco-city in the pit for 10,000 residents. It is planned to cover the pit with a translucent dome on top, on which solar panels will be installed. The climate in Yakutia is harsh, but there are many clear days there, and the batteries will be able to generate about 200 MW of electricity, which should more than meet the needs of the future city. It is also planned to use the heat of the Earth for the benefit of the project. In winter, in Mirny the air cools to –60 C, but at a depth below 150 m (that is, below permafrost), the ground temperature is above zero, which adds energy efficiency to the project.

See also:

→ (Chelyabinsk region)
Arkaim - mysterious ancient city, a fortified wooden settlement of the Middle Bronze Age at the turn of the 3rd-2nd millennium BC. e., considered the same age Egyptian pyramids and ancient Babylon.

→ (Irkutsk region)
Lake Baikal is one of the oldest lakes on the planet and the most deep lake in the world. It is among the top ten large lakes on the planet. Its average depth is about 730 meters.

→ (Astrakhan region)
Lake Baskunchak is a unique creation of nature, a kind of depression on the top of a huge salt mountain, whose base extends thousands of meters into the depths of the earth.

→ (Tatarstan)
The Syuyumbike Tower is a recognized architectural symbol of Kazan and is widely known far beyond the borders of Tatarstan. The Syuyumbike Tower belongs to the “leaning” towers.

→ (Tula region)
The Bogoroditsky Palace (museum) is located in former estate Counts Bobrinsky. The estate was created by Catherine II for her illegitimate son A.G. Bobrinsky.

→ (Siberia)
In the center of the Siberian Federal District (SFD), between the Ob and Irtysh rivers, there are the Vasyugan swamps. This is the largest swamp place in Russia and the world.

→ (Trans-Baikal Territory)
Many people in Russia call it the eighth wonder of the world unique place in the Trans-Baikal Territory, where the Great Source is located fresh water. From this place, water flows are divided into the channels of 3 rivers.

→ (Vladivostok)
The Vladivostok Fortress is a unique complex of military defensive structures that was built at the end of the 19th century in Vladivostok and its environs.

→ (Ingushetia)
The historical building of Vovnushki received its name from an Ingush village in the Dzheirakhsky region of modern Ingushetia. The defensive castle was built by an ancient Ingush family.

→ (Bashkiria)
Shikhany Mountains - unique and inimitable natural monument in Bashkiria. In ancient times, there was a sea in this place, and the Shikhans were reefs. To this day, they retain imprints of mollusks on themselves.

→ (Kamchatka)
The Valley of Geysers in Kamchatka is one of the largest clusters of geysers in our world, and the only one in Eurasia. The Valley of Geysers is located on the territory of the Kronotsky Nature Reserve.

→ (Caucasus)
Dolmens have colossal mysterious power, the explanation of which is still unknown. It is believed that being close to them, a person discovers unusual abilities in himself.

→ (Krasnoyarsk)
The Stolby Nature Reserve is one of the oldest nature reserves in Russia. The main attraction of the reserve are the rocks, which have a common name - pillars.

→ (Buryatia)
The Ivolginsky datsan is a significant place of pilgrimage for Buddhists not only in Russia, but throughout the whole world. This is a complex Buddhist monasteries traditional Sangha.

→ (St. Petersburg)
St. Isaac's Cathedral is one of the most large temples not only in St. Petersburg, but throughout Russia. Located on St. Isaac's Square. Since 1991 it has the status of a museum.

→ (Karelia)
Kizhi - museum-reserve under open air, one of the largest in Russia. This unique natural and historical complex is of particular value in cultural heritage Russia.

→ (Vologda region)
Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery - monastery in the Vologda region, located on the shore of Lake Siverskoye within the city of Kirillov, which grew out of a settlement at the monastery.

→ (Chukotka)
Whale Alley - ancient sanctuary Eskimos on Itigran Island (Chukotka). It is an archaeological complex where huge bones of bowhead whales are dug into the ground in 2 rows.

→ (Kamchatka)
Klyuchevskaya Sopka is a volcano, which is the most high mountain in Kamchatka and the highest active volcano throughout Eurasia.

→ (Perm region)
The Kungur Ice Cave is one of the most famous and popular tourist attractions in the Urals. One of the main calling cards of the Perm region.

→
Moscow State University is the largest educational organization, which includes more than 600 facilities with total area about 1 million square meters.

→ (Volgograd)
Mamayev Kurgan and the sculpture "Motherland" - the central height of Russia, holy place for all the people of a huge country that defeated fascism.

→ (Murmansk)
The Memorial to the Defenders of the Soviet Arctic (Alyosha) is a large memorial complex located in Murmansk. Represents an impressive figure of a Russian soldier.

→ (Tatarstan)
The main cathedral mosque of Tatarstan is located on the territory of the Kazan Kremlin. It recreates the appearance of the main mosque of the Kazan Khanate, destroyed during the capture of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible.

→ (Sverdlovsk region)
Nevyansk leaning tower - unique monument architecture XVIII century. The name of the architect is still unknown. The tower was built in 1721-1725 from brick by order of Akinfiy Demidov.

→ (Nizhny Novgorod)
Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin - a fortress in the very center Nizhny Novgorod and its historical oldest part, the main socio-political and historical-art complex.

→ (Novosibirsk)
Novosibirsk Zoo is one of the largest zoos in Russia. There are about 11 thousand individuals here. More than 120 species are listed in the International Red Book.

→ (Chelyabinsk region)
Lake Zyuratkul - most beautiful place in Russia and the only lake in the Urals located at such a height - 724 meters above sea level. Behind this lake, Old Believers lived in secluded hermitages.

→ (Ekaterinburg)
The giant laviatura was created in 2005 in Yekaterinburg, as an example of a special project for the city festival "Long Stories of Yekaterinburg".

→ (St. Petersburg)
Peterhof has been the front door for 200 years summer residence emperors. The park was built as a grandiose triumphal monument, glorifying the greatness of Russia.

→ (Yakutia)
The Pole of Cold is the place on planet Earth where the lowest air temperature is recorded. There are two recognized regions that contain the coldest spots on the planet.

→ (Tatarstan)
Raifa Bogoroditsky Monastery is one of the most famous in the Volga region. Hundreds of people come here to listen to the spiritual chants of the brethren.

Peaceful is a stunning example of human greed. At some point, people decided that diamonds were beautiful, status-bearing, expensive and rich. There is no logical explanation why a diamond is better than other stones, or why one should hang stones on oneself at all. The natives hung bones and feathers, modern people hang stones. OK. And for the sake of these stones, a man took and devastated the earth. He destroyed nature and polluted rivers.

The city of Mirny in Yakutia is considered the diamond capital of Russia. Actually, he stands on the very edge of a giant hole in the ground. When you fly up, it takes your breath away. It is amazing, of course, what a person is capable of.

01. Alrosa is in charge here. Half the population works for a company in one way or another. "Alrosa" is not only mines, but also its own airline, which transports people from Moscow to Mirny. At the airport there are IL-76s disassembled for spare parts. By the way, Alrosa also carries passengers on the legendary Tu-134 and Tu-154! So, a unique chance to ride a legend for the price of a regular ticket.

02. Baggage is issued in a separate hangar.

04. The Mir kimberlite pipe was discovered in 1955. Until 2001, diamond ore was mined in the open pit, and then went underground. In 2009, the Mir underground mine was opened.

05. Gorud is literally on the edge of the abyss!

06. On August 4, 2017, an accident occurred there: water broke into the mine from the bowl of the exhausted quarry. At that moment there were 151 people in the mine. 142 miners were evacuated immediately, one was rescued the next day. Eight people were never found and died.

07. Since then, the mine has been mothballed; diamond mining here will resume no earlier than 2022.

08. Since the tube is not working now, I wonder what will happen to it next. Before us is one of the most incredible holes on the planet (depth 535 meters, diameter 1.2 km), it can be seen from space, but how to use it now? Maybe we should make a park here? A giant bungee jump? Ski resort?

09. It seems to me that if you come up with something incredible, Mirny could become an important tourist spot on the planet. People go to look at the Grand Canyon, so why don't they go to look at a hole in the ground?

In 2009, Moscow architect Nikolai Lyutomsky proposed the concept of an “eco-city” under a dome.


Photo: AB ELIS

That is, to actually turn the quarry into such a closed system.


Photo: AB ELIS

But I’m not sure that this is a project that can be realized, and not just an artist’s fantasy.


Photo: AB ELIS

Photo: AB ELIS

10. In addition, Alrosa did not seem to be planning to finally stop diamond mining in Mirny. In any case, the quarry itself is not currently in use and will not be used again.

11. Previously observation deck was made from the base of an excavator, but is now closed due to the threat of collapse.

12. Small Belazs are coming from a neighboring quarry.

13. Cheerful Putin in the Alrosa office

14. This is what rough diamonds look like! There is a sorting center in Mirny.

15. There are 14 million dollars on the table in front of me - there are 21,000 carats of diamonds.

16. Men don't work well!

17. Mirny itself is small, only a few dozen panel houses. Actually, thanks to the diamond quarry, it appeared. A settlement emerged in 1955, and a few years later it was given the status of a city. During the first 10-12 years of its existence, the population of Mirny grew 4 times. By the way, the city was not built according to a general plan, but grew chaotically. Most of the population lives in 4-, 5-, and 9-story buildings built in the 1970s and 1980s.

18. Leningradsky Prospekt, the main street of the city.

19. Alrosa is building new houses for employees. In addition, they subsidize various social facilities.

20. Motto!

A couple of years ago, a city park was landscaped in Mirny...

“As the press service of the administration of the Municipal Municipality “Mirny City” reported, in the summer, on the initiative of the head of the city Alexander Basyrov, active improvement of the city park of culture and recreation began. During the short northern summer, the park began to sparkle with new colors. It was illuminated, decorative street lamps were installed, and it was paved with asphalt. alleys and sidewalks, concreted paths. For little townspeople, bright children's play complexes with additional installation of carousels, balance beams and swings appeared.”

In winter, again, little is clear here, but you can already appreciate the level of “bright gaming complexes”.

22. Road to the stop. Although the snow is not removed in Mirny, the city is very clean. However, this often happens in cities where there is a constant “minus” in winter. I even envy those who live in the north. Imagine, you can walk around in perfectly clean shoes all winter!

23. The stop is not really equipped.

24. But there is a hookah bar here! This is the first time I've seen a hookah bar at a bus stop. Well, some make warm pens, like in Astana, and others make hookah bars.

25. Recently, Alrosa has been purchasing gas buses. As I understand it, this is a corporate bus for staff, not a city one.

26. In Mirny itself there are three bus routes; in winter and summer they operate on different schedules.

27. Mirny Housing Enterprise LLC (MPZHH) is pursuing debtors)

28. What do we have in terms of import substitution?

29. The Soviet coat of arms still hangs on the city administration building.

30. The best hotel in the city. Regular Soviet 3 stars cost 12,000 per day.

31. The library building, built in 1984, was ruined by European-quality renovation.

32. What would a Russian city be without microloans! It seems that Putin ordered to deal with all these microfinance organizations, but while everyone is working... They do not obey the tsar!

33. What makes me happy about such evacuation schemes is their simplicity and accessibility.

34. In winter the city is very clean! Even the benches are being cleaned.

35.

36. Few people know that Mirny can boast of the smallest Ikea store in the world. In fact, these are just points for issuing orders, and they have nothing to do with Ikea itself.

37. In 2015, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Mirny, Alrosa opened the Lukomorye kindergarten for 240 places. The kindergarten, by the way, is municipal, and not just for the children of employees. Although in Mirny it’s about the same thing)

38. Playgrounds are poor. It’s good that they were not paid for from the city budget.

39. There is a constant Yakut carpet on the stairs.

40.

41. Many people wear high boots. A pair of good high boots costs 30-40 thousand rubles! But they are very warm. It’s hard in the north without high boots.

42. Security

43.

44. Shkonki

45. Orientations

46. ​​The staircase to every public institution, be it a clinic or a temple, will be covered with carpet.

47. Why? Because all stairs are faced with slippery tiles, which are usually used in interiors. We have to throw a carpet on top so that people don’t get hurt. For some reason, it’s impossible to do it wisely and immediately apply a non-slip coating.

48. Yard-parking.

49. Megaramp. By the way, in Yakutia, most buildings are raised on stilts due to permafrost, so it is impossible to make entrances to the ground level here. For what? So that the heat of the house does not melt the earth and the foundation does not float.

50. Everyone does as they please with balconies. There is no single insulation.

51.

52.

53. The pedestrian crossing is not equipped in any way.

54. Old housing stock

55. These are just the first houses of the village.

56. Unlike the barracks of the 30s, these look relatively intact.

57.

58. Children's playground. Yes, even the barracks have new playgrounds here.

59. One of the houses was renovated.

60. The sculpture “Three Swords” on the Square of the 30th Anniversary of the Victory By the way, the “Eternal Flame” here is not connected to gas, so it is lit only on holidays.

61. In Russia there are not many monuments to the ghoul and bloodsucker Stalin, but one of them, unfortunately, stands in Mirny. It says “From veterans of the Great Patriotic War and grateful descendants.”

62. By the way, Alrosa is led by Sergei Ivanov, the son of that same Sergei Ivanov.

63. The building of the Mirny airport looks like the entrance to some factory.

64. Airport, top view.

65.

66. The mines begin immediately near the airport. In general, everything is very close here.

67. Cool Soviet mosaic. Unfortunately, today barbarians throughout the country are destroying them.

68. The interior of the airport terminal is decorated with a metal bas-relief.

69. Waiting room. The greenery in the tubs reminds us of the Scoop.

70. Buffet too. Actually, very nice. There are almost no such airports left; everything has been reconstructed. Those nostalgic for the USSR will be pleased to fly to Mirny and see all this.