4. The Big Hole (Kimberley Mine), South Africa. An open-pit and underground mine in Kimberley, South Africa, and claimed to be the largest hole excavated by hand. It was open in 1871 and closed in 1914. its 43-year lifetime, the 50,000 workers who used picks and shovels shifted 22.5 million tonnes of earth, yielding almost 3 tonnes of diamonds.