The Big Hole, Kimberley
Dug almost entirely by hand by diamond miners in the 1870s.
Terra Explorer Mines, dams and mountain roads
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Make this model
The Standard resolution model is free as STL, 3MF, Colored 3MF, OBJ and a 16-bit heightmap. High resolution samples the place about ten times more finely.
- Region
- Kimberley
- Position
- -28.7380, 24.7640
- Area
- 2 × 2 km
- Real elevation
- 1,077 to 1,247 m (170 m of relief)
- Printed size
- 150 mm (5.9 in) wide, about 1:13,300
- Heights
- 3× exaggeration
- Elevation data
- Open satellite data (SRTM and others), about 30 m per point
- Suggested color
- Desert
- Group
- Mines, dams and mountain roads
About The Big Hole, Kimberley
The Kimberley Mine or Tim Kuilmine (Afrikaans: Groot Gat, lit. 'Big Hole') is an open-pit and underground mine in Kimberley, South Africa. It has been considered the deepest hole excavated by hand, contending the title with Jagersfontein Mine.
From Wikipedia: Big Hole, text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. The article’s history lists its authors.
Questions about The Big Hole, Kimberley
Where is The Big Hole?
The Big Hole is in Kimberley at -28.7380, 24.7640. The model covers a 2 by 2 kilometer square around that point.
How high is the terrain in the The Big Hole model?
The land in this model runs from 1,077 to 1,247 m (170 m of relief). These are the measured heights, printed 3 times taller so the shape is easy to see.
Can I 3D print The Big Hole?
Yes. Download the free Standard resolution STL and print it on any FDM or resin printer. It is 150 mm wide and about 43.3 mm tall, on a solid 5 mm base, at a scale of about 1:13,300. It also works for CNC carving. Use Customize to change the width, base thickness or height exaggeration, make it round or add a name plate.
How accurate is the The Big Hole model?
It is built from real elevation measurements, not an artist's guess: open satellite and survey data (NASA SRTM, Copernicus and national surveys), about 30 meters per point. The shaded picture on this page is made from the same data.
Is the The Big Hole model free?
The Standard resolution model is free as STL, 3MF, Colored 3MF, OBJ and a 16-bit heightmap. High resolution samples the place about ten times more finely and is a paid upgrade.
What is a The Big Hole terrain model good for?
People use it as a desk piece, an engineering classroom model or a gift for someone who works there.
About this terrain model
Embossify Terra builds The Big Hole, Kimberley from real measured elevation, not an artist's guess. Outside the United States the heights come from open satellite and survey data (NASA SRTM, Copernicus and national surveys), about 30 meters per point.
The model covers a 2 by 2 kilometer square centered on -28.7380, 24.7640. It prints 150 mm (5.9 in) wide on a solid base, a scale of about 1:13,300. The heights are exaggerated 3× so the shape is easy to see and feel; you can change that when you customize the model. The sea is flattened to zero, so land stands on a clean base.
New to terrain printing? Read how Terra works. The shaded picture on this page is made by Embossify from the same elevation data.
