Field Trip 01
Northwest Territories Diamond Mines
Coordinators: Barrett Elliott (Northwest Territories Geological Survey) and Gary Vivian (Aurora Geosciences Ltd.)
Location: Based in Yellowknife
Transport: Charter planes to and from each of the mines (flight time: approximately 1.5 hours) and road transport within Yellowknife
Description: This four-day field trip is based in Yellowknife. The first three days comprise one-day visits to each of the Northwest Territories’ three operating diamond mines: Ekati, Canada’s first diamond mine courtesy of Arctic Canadian Diamond Company; Diavik, courtesy of Diavik Diamond Mines, and Gahcho Kuè Mine, courtesy of De Beers Canada Inc. and Mountain Province Diamonds Inc.. The fourth day will be spent in Yellowknife where drillcore from the advanced Kennady North Kimberlite Project, adjacent to the Gahcho Kuè Mine, will be viewed courtesy of Mountain Province Diamonds Inc.. Breakfasts, lunches and one group dinner will be provided and we will be returning to the hotels in Yellowknife in the evenings. The group will meet up for breakfast each morning at the Chateau Nova Hotel where field trip and overview information will be provided. After breakfast on the first three days, ground transport will be provided to the airport to board a charter flight to that day’s mine site. The mine visits will include project overviews, examination of kimberlite drill core as well as open pit, process plant and diamond recovery tours. Photographs will be allowed for some portions of the tours. On the fourth day ground transport will be provided to the Kennady North Project core logging facility in Yellowknife. The sampling of kimberlite on each of the sites will not be permitted, but prepared kimberlite samples will be provided to participants on the final day when there will be an opportunity to pack and courier samples.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) will be required especially for each mine visit. Hard hats will be provided. Participants will be required to provide their own steel toed safety boots. Field trips participants will have to use other Personal Protective Equipment such as long sleeved shirts, full length trousers, reflective safety vests, jackets or overalls, safety goggles, safety ear plugs and gloves.
