Diamonds and Gold Mining Techniques The mineral extraction industry is among the critical economic pillars in most countries across the globe. This paper analyzes the mining techniques of diamond and gold by comparing their geological settings, methods of extraction, and approaches to refining after mining. This comparison will provide insights into how different minerals' unique properties affect the extraction processes, environmental impact, and economic implications within and across countries. Although both diamonds and gold hold intrinsic economic and aesthetic value, they exhibit distinct geological origins and properties, necessitating different mining, refining, and environmental considerations. Geological Origin and Chemical Characteristics Diamond and gold have geological origins that significantly differ. Diamonds are generally found within kimberlite pipes or alluvial deposits.

Kimberlite pipes are deep, narrow volcanic bodies that originate from deep-seated magma that ascends rapidly to the earth's surface, carrying diamonds and other mantle rock fragments into the crust. Alluvial deposits consist of diamonds eroded from kimberlite pipes and transported, usually by natural water bodies like rivers, settling in downstream sedimentary deposits. Because of their geological origin in deep mantle sources, kimberlite pipes often contain valuable gem-quality diamonds, while alluvial deposits are often associated with lower-quality stones (Diamonds.net, 2022). The most significant gold reserves have been found in hard rock veins. Over millions of years, the weathering of gold-bearing rocks has concentrated the gold in alluvial deposits prevalent in rivers and river banks derived from the erosion and weathering of previous gold-bearing rocks. Refining and Separating Techniques In the refining and separating stages, diamonds are usually separated based on their physical properties. Diamonds have a high density, and this is exploited to separate them by using dense media separation devices. This process can be positioned in a manner that the diamonds float or sink and the debris can be discarded (Roodt, 2018) . For alluvial deposits, diamonds are separated from the rest of the materials by subjecting the deposits to X-ray sorting machines, while grease tables are used to separate diamonds with lower densities from the heavy mineral concentrate.

After the sorting and separation, the diamond roughs are now ready for processing. Metals refinery in gold is an elaborate, resource-intensive process that involves various complex and highly specialized techniques. Nonetheless, for gold, it dissolves in aqua regia or cyanide. Extractions techniques must be used to reclaim gold from the pulp after the chemical has been added. The chemicals are then removed from the gold that is left (CeeC Zw, 2020). Environmental Impact and Sustainability From an environmental and sustainability perspective, diamonds and gold have different implications. Diamonds have been accused of posing risks on the environment with the production of waste rock and water pollution. With the advent of mechanized mining, companies have been able to take tons of kimberlite rock to extract a high carat/ton, leaving loads of rock waste. These rocks are made of heavy metals and other harmful elements, which pollute the environment in the long term (Oberthr, 2018). To ensure environmental sustainability, diamond mines have to comply with strict government regulations tailored for mining purposes.

In summary, diamond and gold mining techniques exhibit marked differences due to the varied geological origins and unique properties of these two precious minerals. The extraction of diamond and gold is characterized by the processes and methods of separating the minerals from their ores. Different Heterogeneous chemicals can be used to recover gold from its ores. On the other hand, diamond processing can entail sifting through rocks or dirt to separate loose diamonds in alluvial deposits, and for hard rocks, drillers are used to extract the diamonds. Diamond mining involves the removal of more waste rock from kimberlite pipes, which makes it more complex than gold mining. The diamond mining industry stands out for its commitment to robust certification and regulation practices, especially following a history of conflict diamonds. This is done to ensure ethics and governance are upheld in the industry. Due to its relatively straightforward refining process and lower environmental impact, the gold mining sector enjoys a richer investor interest compared to diamond mining.

I would say a main difference is that there is plenty of high-quality synthetic diamond from HPHT and CVD processes available at a reasonable price, so mining for diamond will be increasingly pointless while gold mining will stay a requirement.

@ Jurgen, you are right but synthetic diamond is different than the original diamond. Those who know the worth for diamond still go for the original diamond.

The crystal quality of synthetic diamond is the same as for the mined one, also you can reach purities that do not happen naturally or you can give it a tailored color by introducing dopants. As a guy who does research on synthetic diamond I may have a bias here, but at this point I don't see any good reason apart from odd marketing-induced nostalgia for "something old" why we would dig deep holes into the ground to extract that material.

Jürgen Weippert You are absolutely right, 90% of the diamonds out there all over the world are synthetic diamonds and they sell just as expensive as real diamonds, However, you may have some elements of bias because is your major research area, because of the long processing of original diamonds its economic effectiveness. Only those who have the ability to tell the difference would not go for the synthetic and the number of people who could do that are very minimal.

OK, what difference are people supposed to be able to tell? What is the factual advantage of mined diamond that is not just marketing nostalgia?