Aykhal Mine in Russia halts operation for 3 months a year due to harsh winters 

The Aykhal mine is operated by the Alrosa Group, a state-owned mining firm which is responsible for mining around 90 per cent of Russia’s diamonds. Alrosa is also the world’s largest diamond mining company. Aykhal, where the mine is located, is known for its large deposits of  kimberlite, the rock that often contains diamonds.

The Aykhal mine, which began operations in the early 1960s, is considered one of the world’s most productive diamond mines, despite the harsh climate in Siberia, which brings operations to a grinding halt for two to three months each year, hampering production, according to reports. 

As the mine is focused on open-pit mining, the brutal Siberian weather halts operations for nearly three months in a year, because of permafrost, which freezes the ground solid in harsh winters, making open-pit mining an impossible task.

The ground thaws during the summer, but mining here remains a dangerous task, as the steep slopes of the mine’s pit become unstable, which can cause rockfalls, making parts of the mine too risky to operate. However, underground operations are still carried out through an entrance way protected by state-of-the-art wire mesh, which stabilises the rockface above.