The mining process can take weeks. First miners excavate the soil. Once the layer of gravel is reached which can be as deep as 50 meters, they extract the rocks with the help of small pumps powered by old truck engines and begin the manual separation process to filter the small rocks, and if lucky, the diamonds.
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In this Nov 17, 2015 photo, an artisanal miner searches for diamonds at an abandoned mine in Areinha, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. (AP Photo / Felipe Dana) |
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In this Nov 15, 2015 photo, an artisanal miner weighs diamonds in Areinha, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. (AP Photo / Felipe Dana) |
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In this Nov 19, 2015 photo, an artisanal miner shows the diamonds he and his group found in an abandoned mine in Areinha, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. (AP Photo / Felipe Dana) |
