Opencast Mine Collection

Hard Labor Convicts at Rest in the Pit, 1891. Creator: Aleksei Kuznetsov
Hard Labor Convicts at Rest in the Pit, 1891. One of 74 views taken in July 1891 and contained in the albumTipy i vidy Nerchinskoi katorgi (Views and inhabitants of Nerchinsk hard labor camps)

At Work in an Open-Pit Gold Mine, 1891. Creator: Aleksei Kuznetsov
At Work in an Open-Pit Gold Mine, 1891. One of 74 views taken in July 1891 and contained in the albumTipy i vidy Nerchinskoi katorgi (Views and inhabitants of Nerchinsk hard labor camps)

Wharf and Perspective of the Compania Mines of Rio-Tinto, Huelva, Spain (colour litho)
XJL211262 Wharf and Perspective of the Compania Mines of Rio-Tinto, Huelva, Spain (colour litho) by Spanish School, (19th century); Private Collection; Spanish, out of copyright

Opencast mine, Korea, 1900

Carglaze tin mine, near St Austell, Cornwall, England, c1825, (1837). Tin mining was practised in Cornwall since the Bronze Age, but reached its peak in the 19th century

Zulu boys working at De Beers diamond mines, Kimberley, South Africa, c1885. In 1887 and 1888 Cecil Rhodes amalgamated the diamond mines around Kimberley, which included De Beers

Diamond mine, Kimberley, South Africa, 1896. In 1887 and 1888 Cecil Rhodes amalgamated the diamond mines around Kimberley, which included De Beers, into Consolidated Mines. From The World of Wonders

Gold and silver mines in Hungary, Jan Luyken, 1682

Rosia Montana gold mine in Romania
Rosia Montana, in the Metaliferi Mountains. An old gold workings, now proposed site of Europes largest opencast gold mine. Photographed in autumn in Romania

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A panoramic journey through mining history: From the Wharf and Perspective of the Compania Mines of Rio-Tinto, Huelva, Spain (1865), to the Opencast mine in Korea (1900), we witness the evolution of mining techniques. The Carglaze tin mine in Cornwall, England (c1825), marked a shift from shallow underground mining to open-pit extraction. Meanwhile, Zulu boys toiled at De Beers diamond mines in Kimberley, South Africa (c1885), as the world's thirst for diamonds intensified. By 1896, the diamond mine in Kimberley had expanded significantly. In Europe, gold and silver mines in Hungary (1682) were depicted in Jan Luyken's engravings. Fast forward to the Rosia Montana gold mine in Romania, where modern open-cast mining continues to shape the landscape and fuel global demand.