About 8 billion US dollars of the world's revenue is earned through diamond production. The production is split into two parts: diamonds used for jewellers, gemstone diamonds (very beautiful and rare) and diamonds used for industry, industrial diamonds (known as the hardest substance on Earth, which is very useful for cutting). Gemstone diamonds are about US$100 per carat whilst industrial diamonds are about US$10 per carat. Although many industrial diamonds can now be manufactured with our new technology, all gemstone diamonds are mined (Clark, et.al., 2006).
Diamonds were moved from northern Canada to all throughout North America by glaciers. If scientists could trace the source of the diamonds, they would find a huge diamond deposit. The first steps to figuring this out is understanding that diamonds are found along Kimberlite pipes, which compose a craton. The Kimberlite pipes are made of a soft rock, which eroded to create a bowl, which was filled with water to create a lake. Therefore, we know that the diamonds are underneath one of the many lakes in northern Canada (Clark, et.al., 2006).
Geologists have traced the movement of indicator minerals (minerals that are found in the same area as diamonds) with the glaciers and with the help of GIS were led to the Lac de Gras in Northwest Territories. At this point they had to figure out which lake it was under. To do this, they took rock samples of the lake bottom whilst it was frozen over the winter. They discovered 81 diamonds in a 60 kg sample under Point Lake, which held over two dozen kimberlite pipes. This led to the discovery of the Ekati Mine; which will recover 5 million carats of diamonds per year for 20 years (which is worth US$500 million per year) (Clark, et.al., 2006).
The Ekati Mine's abundance of diamonds has really boosted Canada's economy. It is also the cause of more exploration and new mines in nearby areas, such as the Jericho mine in Nunavut (owned by Tahera Diamond Corporation). Other areas of Canada, such as Quebec, Labrador and Manitoba are being explored and in Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan, Kimberlite pipes have been found. The diamond industry is a huge asset for Canada's economy, with diamonds worth $1.722 billion. However, illegal mining and trading is still occurring in Africa, such as in Sierra Leone, Liberia and the DRC. In attempt to resolve this issue, Canada is participating in the UN's Kimberley Process, where all diamonds are tracked from their source by putting a serial number and a tiny Canadian logo engraved on each Canadian diamond. Moreover, there are still many environmental concerns that go along with the mines in the northern territories. For example, when opening the Ekati Mine, the operators must be familiar with things such as the migration of caribou and other animals, how to handle the lakes of which the Kimberlite pipes are under and the land treaties with the First Nations. Although there is no guarantee that environmental damage will not occur, the leaking of dangerous chemicals is limited because instead of needing to utilize them to separate the diamond from the Kimberlite pipe like other metallic minerals, they can just be broken apart (Clark, et.al., 2006).
Diamonds were moved from northern Canada to all throughout North America by glaciers. If scientists could trace the source of the diamonds, they would find a huge diamond deposit. The first steps to figuring this out is understanding that diamonds are found along Kimberlite pipes, which compose a craton. The Kimberlite pipes are made of a soft rock, which eroded to create a bowl, which was filled with water to create a lake. Therefore, we know that the diamonds are underneath one of the many lakes in northern Canada (Clark, et.al., 2006).
Geologists have traced the movement of indicator minerals (minerals that are found in the same area as diamonds) with the glaciers and with the help of GIS were led to the Lac de Gras in Northwest Territories. At this point they had to figure out which lake it was under. To do this, they took rock samples of the lake bottom whilst it was frozen over the winter. They discovered 81 diamonds in a 60 kg sample under Point Lake, which held over two dozen kimberlite pipes. This led to the discovery of the Ekati Mine; which will recover 5 million carats of diamonds per year for 20 years (which is worth US$500 million per year) (Clark, et.al., 2006).
The Ekati Mine's abundance of diamonds has really boosted Canada's economy. It is also the cause of more exploration and new mines in nearby areas, such as the Jericho mine in Nunavut (owned by Tahera Diamond Corporation). Other areas of Canada, such as Quebec, Labrador and Manitoba are being explored and in Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan, Kimberlite pipes have been found. The diamond industry is a huge asset for Canada's economy, with diamonds worth $1.722 billion. However, illegal mining and trading is still occurring in Africa, such as in Sierra Leone, Liberia and the DRC. In attempt to resolve this issue, Canada is participating in the UN's Kimberley Process, where all diamonds are tracked from their source by putting a serial number and a tiny Canadian logo engraved on each Canadian diamond. Moreover, there are still many environmental concerns that go along with the mines in the northern territories. For example, when opening the Ekati Mine, the operators must be familiar with things such as the migration of caribou and other animals, how to handle the lakes of which the Kimberlite pipes are under and the land treaties with the First Nations. Although there is no guarantee that environmental damage will not occur, the leaking of dangerous chemicals is limited because instead of needing to utilize them to separate the diamond from the Kimberlite pipe like other metallic minerals, they can just be broken apart (Clark, et.al., 2006).