When you think of diamond mines, you are likely to think of South Africa. But there has been a recent surge of diamond mines outside of Africa in places such as Canada and Australia.
Canada’s Ekati diamond mine is located not far from the Artic circle. You can only get to it by air. It is located in an area known for its extremely harsh climate.
Ekati has five open pit mines that are relatively small in size as well as three underground mines. Ekati has its own airstrip, processing facility, electrical system, waste treatment plant and housing which can host a thousand people. It also has recreational centers available for its employees and the living environment has been compared to that of a larger hotel. Most of the employees work full time and they fly in and out of the Ekati area in shifts. The mine also employs many aboriginal workers.
The Ekati mine has won many awards for its work to preserve the environment around the mine. It also is known for its outstanding safety record.
The mine officially opened in 1998 and since that time has produced over 26 million carats of diamonds. It currently produces over 4 million carats of diamonds a year and is expected to continue operations for the next twenty-five years.
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