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Jwaneng Diamond Mine, Botswana
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Published October 26, 2008
otswana ranks first among the world’s gem-quality diamond producers, and diamond mining makes up 70 percent of the nation’s export revenue. The Jwaneng Diamond Mine, in south-central Botswana, sits atop the convergence of three kimberlite pipes—diamond-rich geologic formations. Because the pipes meet just below the surface and cover some 520,000 square meters (128.5 acres) at ground level, the diamonds are mined from an open pit rather than a mine tunneled below the surface.
Related images:
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Ningaloo National Marine Park, Western Australia
Published September 7, 2008
Ningaloo Reef, along the shore of Western Australia, is Australia’s largest fringing coral reef. It is also the world’s only large reef located so close to a landmass.
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Mt. Gambier, South Australia
Published August 30, 2008
Sitting near Australia’s rugged southern coast, the South Australian town of Mount Gambier is built on the side of an extinct volcano. The caldera of the volcano has filled with rainwater, forming a very deep lake that provides the town with water. The large caldera lake is called Blue Lake due to a rather peculiar characteristic: the water turns a brilliant cobalt blue during the summer and early fall.
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Lagoons and Reefs of New Caledonia
Published July 27, 2008
This French-governed archipelago contains the world’s third-largest coral reef structure.
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Irrawaddy Delta, Burma
Published May 22, 2008
The clearing of the natural mangrove forests has left low-lying cropland and villages exposed to the sea.
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