Diavik Mines is located in Canada’s Northwest territory. The mine is located in the wilderness, not too far from the Artic Circle. Animals such as grizzly bears frequent the area. Because of the harsh conditions, no traditional roads exist into the mining area. Each year, the mining corporations work together to build a passageway into the mining area. It is termed the “ice road.” The road opens in early February and closes in early April. Besides the mining companies, it is also used by tourism companies and people native to the area such as hunters.
Seventy percent of the road is made of ice and a large portion is built on frozen lakes. It takes around fifteen hours to travel from the closest populated area to the Diavik mine. Supplies have to be transported down the ice road to the mine. The most common supply needed is diesel fuel.
The area around the mine contains administrative buildings, the actual processing plants for the diamonds and dormitories for the mine workers to live in. The Diavik mine employs around 700 workers.
Diavik is a relatively new mine. Exploration began in 1992. By 1997, the first batch of diamonds had been pulled from the mine. Mine construction began in 2001. Diamond production began in 2003 and by May of the same year they had retrieved a million carats of diamonds. Annual diamond production is now around eight million carats. Diavik officials estimate that the mine can last another sixteen to twenty-two years.
It is estimated that Diavik mine contains over ninety-five million carats of rough diamonds.
No comments:
Post a Comment