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Author: Admin | 2025-04-28
"Ekati" redirects here. For the airport, see Ekati Airport.Ekati Diamond MineEkati mine aerial view, August 2010. Four open pits on four kimberlite pipes may be seen, along with the Ekati airport.LocationEkati Diamond MineLocation in Canada,Ekati Diamond MineEkati Diamond Mine (Canada)LocationLac de GrasTerritoryNorthwest TerritoriesCountryCanadaCoordinates64°42′49″N 110°37′10″W / 64.71361°N 110.61944°WProductionProductsDiamondsHistoryDiscovered1991Opened1998OwnerCompanyBurgundy Diamond MinesWebsiteburgundydiamonds.comThe Ekati Diamond Mine, often simply called Ekati, is Canada's first surface and underground diamond mine[1] and is owned by Burgundy Diamond Mines. It is located 310 km (190 mi) north-east of Yellowknife,[2] Northwest Territories, and about 200 km (120 mi) south of the Arctic Circle, near Lac de Gras. Until 2014, Ekati was a joint venture between Dominion Diamond Mines (80%), Chuck Fipke, and Stewart Blusson, the two geologists who discovered kimberlite pipes north of Lac de Gras.[3] Fipke and Blusson each held 10% stake in the mine, until Fipke sold his share to Dominion.[4][1] In 2021, Arctic Canadian Diamond Company Ltd. acquired the Ekati Diamond Mine with associated assets and liabilities from Dominion Diamond Mines. In July 2023, Burgundy Diamond Mines purchased full control of Arctic Canadian Diamond Company.[5]The first volcanic pipe found in the Lac de Gras region was the Point Lake kimberlite,[6] discovered by Chuck Fipke and Stewart Blusson who had been prospecting in the region for almost ten years, having found kimberlite indicator minerals as early as 1985.[1] The Point Lake kimberlite was determined to be uneconomic, but its discovery precipitated one of largest staking rushes in mining history, covering most of the area between Yellowknife and the Arctic coast.[7] There are 156 known kimberlite pipes within the Ekati block of claims, including the Point Lake pipe. Ekati officially began operations on October 14, 1998, and was operated by BHP. Since the opening until 2017, the mine produced around 67,800,000 carats (13,560 kg; 29,890 lb) of diamonds and is still in production.As of July 2023, the mine has been owned by Burgundy Diamond Mines.[5] There are currently three underground kimberlites (Koala, Koala North, and Panda) and the rest are mined by surface mining.[8] As of 2024, the active operations include Sable and Misery underground with Point Lake ready to go into production as an open pits later in the year.Diamonds at the Ekati site are found in 45- to 62-million-year-old kimberlite pipes (Creaser et al., 2004) of the Lac de Gras kimberlite field, most of which lie underneath shallow lakes.Mining and marketing[edit]Between 1998 and 2009, the mine
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