These days (I think) for most people – gold and diamonds come to mind when thinking about Yellowknife (or maybe bugs). I couldn’t exactly go out to a diamond mine so I did the next best thing – visit the NWT Diamond Centre to learn how diamonds are mined. I even got to polish and cut a diamond. My attempts to score a free diamond were unsuccessful but I made the owners laugh.
Here’s some fun facts: Three mines have opened in the Northwest Territories – Ekati, Diavik and Snap Lake since 1998. Canada is the world’s third largest diamond producer in terms of value after Botswana and Russia.
Giant Mine
Because I love geology and learning about it, I found my way to the Giant Mine. The skies were threatening rain so I didn’t linger too long. Besides there were warning signs everywhere about the hazardous materials (arsenic). Better save than sorry. Click on Yellowknife Historical Society to learn about its efforts to exhibit the mining history in Yellowknife.
In case you missed it:
Take a walk with me in Yellowknife