The first Canadian diamond mine came into production in 1998 and in less than ten years
Canada is already one of the top producers of gem-quality diamonds. The first Canadian mine, the Ekati Mine, located near Lac de Gras in Northwest Territories, is owned by BHP Billiton, LTD and produces a few million carats of diamonds each year.
Canadian diamond production was 11.2 million carats in 2003, placing it as the fourth most productive nation, after
Botswana (22.8 million),
Australia (14.9 million) and
Russia (12 million). This top producer ranking has been supported by only two mines - the Ekati Mine which produces about 5 million carats per year and the Diavik Mine (owned by Diavik Diamond Mines and Aber Diamond Mines), also located in Northwest Territories and designed to produce at a rate of about 7.5 million carats per year.
Production of Canadian Diamonds - 1998 to 2005 (estimated) - USGS data. Canada's diamond production should continue to rise because three new diamond projects are moving toward production: 1) The Snap Lake Project, owned by De Beers, located in Northwest Territories and designed to produce about 1.5 million carats per year starting in 2007; 2) the Jericho Project, owned by Nunavut Tahera Diamond Corporation, located in Nunavut and designed to produce about 350,000 carats per year starting in 2006; and, 3) the Victor Project, owned by DeBeers, located in northern Ontario and designed to produce about 600,000 carats per year starting in 2008.
Map of Canadian Diamond MinesIt is very likely that additional discoveries will result in even greater Canadian diamond production. Today an estimated $200 million to $300 million dollars (US) per year is being spent on diamond prospecting in Canada. This is thought to be about one half of the worldwide diamond exploration expenditure. Over 100 companies are involved in this exploration effort which occurs in
Northwest Territories,
Nunavut,
Saskatchewan,
Quebec and
Ontario.
A couple more great discoveries could advance Canada to the top worldwide producer of gem-quality diamonds.
Sources: USGS Minerals Yearbook, Canadian Minerals Yearbook
Labels: Diamonds, Minerals
The tenth largest white diamond ever found was discovered in the tiny nation of Lesotho in southern Africa. Weighing in at 603 carats and called the "Lesotho Promise" diamond, the gem is slightly larger than a golf ball. Uncut it is worth about $12 million.
Read more about the discovery, the buyer and planned cutting of the
Lesotho Promise Diamond at MSN.com.
Labels: Diamonds
A diamond the size of a "hen's egg" has been found in
alluvial deposits of
South Africa by Nare Diamonds Limited. The 235 carat diamond is an octahedron of very good quality. Diamonds of this size are very rare, although much larger have been found in the past. The world record diamond was found by De Beers in 1905 with a weight of 3106 carats.
Read more and see a photo of the stone at
Yahoo! News.
Labels: Diamonds
The Natural History Museum has a streaming video in which museum mineralogist Andy Fleet gives a 15 minute talk on the history of diamonds. In it he traces the first uses of these stones during Roman times and traces that use up to present date. Information about the origin and geography of diamond deposits is also included. The video portion of this program is not excellent quality, however, Dr. Fleet's lecture is very well done and interesting. Definitely worth hearing if you are interested in the geology of diamonds or the history of diamonds.
Listen to the
History of Diamonds Lecture. (Windows Media Player or Quicktime needed - but available at the NHM website.)
Labels: Diamonds, Fossils
Most geologists believe that diamonds form in Earth's mantle from inorganic carbon. This is contrary to the widespread idea that diamonds are formed from the metamorphism of coal. Two reasons that most geologists shun the "diamonds from coal" origin are: 1) the temperatures and pressures required to form a diamond are only found at depths of over 100 miles - far deeper than any coal seam has been buried; and 2) the source rock for diamonds is
kimberlite - an igneous rock.
An article on the Discovery.com website reports that recent work done by Ralf Tappert and colleagues suggests that diamonds from the Jagersfontein mine in
South Africa are enriched in carbon-12, the
isotope of carbon that is characteristic of living things. Tappert's theory is that the diamonds from Jagersfontein might have formed when a slab of oceanic crust, containing the carbon-bearing remains of marine organisms, was subducted to a depth sufficient for the formation of diamonds. Read more about this new idea about
How Diamonds Form at the Discovery.com website.
Labels: Diamonds
