The Gahcho Kué Diamond Mine is located on the Canadian

tundra In physical geography, tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. The term ''tundra'' comes through Russian (') from the Kildin Sámi word (') meaning "uplands", "treeless mo ...

in the

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...

. It is situated at Kennady Lake (), in the Akaitcho Treaty 8 TerritoryGahcho Kué Project Exploration Camp Project Description
claim block, which is southeast of the Snap Lake Diamond Mine and approximately east northeast of

Yellowknife Yellowknife (; Dogrib: ) is the capital, largest community, and only city in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, about south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the ...

. The site is served by

Gahcho Kue Aerodrome Gahcho Kue Aerodrome is an airport located east southeast of the Gahcho Kue Diamond Mine Project, Northwest Territories, Canada. The airport is owned and operated by De Beers Canada De Beers Group is an international corporation that special ...

, which has both an ice runway in winter and a year-round gravel runway, and a spur of the Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road from Lupin Mine. the main camp is at , north of the ice strip, with a smaller site at , south of the runway.

Background

The Gahcho Kué Diamond Mine is a joint venture between

Mountain Province Diamonds Mountain Province Diamonds Inc. is major (49%) partner with De Beers in the Gahcho Kue Diamond Mine Project in the Northwest Territories. Gahcho Kué is the world's largest and richest new diamond mine, with an estimated reserve of 80 million ca ...

(49%) and

De Beers Canada De Beers Group is an international corporation that specializes in diamond mining, diamond exploitation, diamond retail, diamond trading and industrial diamond manufacturing sectors. The company is active in open-pit, large-scale alluvial and c ...

(51%).Mountain Province Diamonds
/ref> The mine, which opened officially on 20 September 2016, consists of the

Gahcho Kué kimberlite pipes The Gahcho Kué kimberlite pipes is a cluster of Cambrian kimberlite diatremes located northeast of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. It consists of five pipes: 5034, Hearne, Wilson, Tuzo and Tesla. See also *Volcanism of Canada *Volcani ...

, which lie underneath Kennady Lake. There are also several unexplored

kimberlite Kimberlite is an igneous rock and a rare variant of peridotite. It is most commonly known to be the main host matrix for diamonds. It is named after the town of Kimberley in South Africa, where the discovery of an diamond called the Star of S ...

occurrences scattered over several kilometres.

Project History

In 1993, Canamera Geological began sampling and surveying the area for Mountain Province Mining Joint Venture (now

). Exploration began in the area with a camp being set up in 1995. In 1997, Monopros, now

, took over the camp when they joined the Mountain Province Mining Joint Venture. In 1998 De Beers began sampling the

to evaluate the four Gahcho Kué pipes. More drilling followed and the positive results led to the decision to proceed. A project study was started in 2004. An evaluation program in 2006 was followed by a drilling and sampling program in 2007. In September 2009 a feasibility study on a proposed mine was started, which was completed in September 2010. De Beers and its partners approved it in June 2011 and are preparing a plan and budget for a final decision on whether to go ahead with the mine project.Gahcho Kué factsheet
If it proceeds to an operating mine, is expected to annually mine of kimberlite, and to produce per year over an 11-year life. In 2005, the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board (MVEIRB), after an initial environmental assessment, ruled that De Beers applications for a land use permit and water license would require a full Environment Impact Review. De Beers appealed this decision to the NWT Supreme Court, but was denied in April 2007, and the review process began in 2007. Due to economic factors, De Beers delayed filing the required Environment Impact Statement (EIS) to the review board and the review process was suspended in May 2010. De Beers gave notice in November and filed the EIS on 23 December 2010, and after some subsequent revisions to address a few deficiencies, the MVEIRB accepted it on 26 July 2011. Construction began in 2013 with Hatch as the EPCM engineering firm. The Mine began production in 2016. The site consists of

open pits Open-pit mining, also known as open-cast or open-cut mining and in larger contexts mega-mining, is a surface mining technique of extracting rock or minerals from the earth from an open-air pit, sometimes known as a borrow. This form of mining ...

, a concentration and recovery plant that converts kimberlite ore to rough diamonds, and support facilities including a camp, airport, and other infrastructure. As of 2020, the 5034 and Hearne pits are in full production and initial sampling of the Tuzo pit has begun. In 2020, De Beers Group announced plans for the mine to become carbon neutral by 2030.

Traditional use

''Gahcho Kué'' is the traditional

Chipewyan The Chipewyan ( , also called ''Denésoliné'' or ''Dënesųłı̨né'' or ''Dënë Sųłınë́'', meaning "the original/real people") are a Dene Indigenous Canadian people of the Athabaskan language family, whose ancestors are identified ...

, a

Dene The Dene people () are an indigenous group of First Nations who inhabit the northern boreal and Arctic regions of Canada. The Dene speak Northern Athabaskan languages. ''Dene'' is the common Athabaskan word for "people". The term "Dene" h ...

people, name for the Kennady Lake area and in

Dene Suline Chipewyan or Denesuline (ethnonym: ), often simply called Dene, is the language spoken by the Chipewyan people of northwestern Canada. It is categorized as part of the Northern Athabaskan language family. Dënësųłinë́ has nearly 12,000 ...

means "Place of the Big Rabbit". The area, also known for

Barren-ground caribou The barren-ground caribou (''Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus''; but subject to a recent taxonomic revision. See Reindeer: Taxomony.) is a subspecies of the reindeer (or the caribou in North America) that is found in the Canadian territories of ...

, has been traditionally used by Dene from

Łutselk'e Łutselkʼe (, Dëne Sųłıné Yatıé: ; "place of the ", the cisco, a type of small fish), also spelt ''Łutsel Kʼe'', is a "designated authority" in the North Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. The community is located on t ...

and the

Métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which deri ...

Fort Resolution Fort Resolution (''Denı́nu Kų́ę́'' (pronounced "deh-nih-noo-kwenh") "moose island place") is a hamlet in the South Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. The community is situated at the mouth of the Slave River, on the shores ...

. In earlier times

Tłı̨chǫ The Tłı̨chǫ (, ) people, sometimes spelled Tlicho and also known as the Dogrib, are a Dene First Nations people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethnolinguistic group living in the Northwest Territories of Canada. Name The name ''Dogrib'' i ...

(Dogrib), also Dene, people used the area as well.De Beers EA – Final Submission to Public Registry
/ref>

References

{{Reflist Diamond mines in Canada Mines in the Northwest Territories De Beers 2016 establishments in the Northwest Territories