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Events/Discovery · 1991

Diamonds found at Lac de Gras

Discovery, 1991-11, Canada.

What happened

In November 1991 geologists Chuck Fipke and Stewart Blusson found 81 small diamonds at Lac de Gras in the Northwest Territories. The government says it set off the greatest diamond staking rush in North American history. By 2004 claims covered more than 28 million hectares in the NWT and Nunavut.1,2

Why it matters

The find led to Ekati, Canada's first diamond mine.1,2

Story cards

Around the same time

  1. De Beers finds the Orapa kimberlite

    Orapa was the first mine opened by the company, ahead of Letlhakane (1977) and Jwaneng (1982).3,4

  2. De Beers Botswana Mining Company formed

    Debswana is the joint venture behind Botswana's diamond mines.3,5

  3. Kimberlite pipes found at Jwaneng

    Jwaneng went on to become a core Debswana mine.3,6

  4. Orapa diamond mine: Wikidata inception date

    The Botswana diamond mine is dated to 1971 in Wikidata.7

  5. Argyle diamond pipe AK1 found

    It became the world's largest diamond producer by volume.8,9,10

  6. Jwaneng diamond mine: Wikidata inception date

    The Botswana diamond mine is dated to 1982 in Wikidata.11

  7. Diamonds found at Lac de Gras

    The find led to Ekati, Canada's first diamond mine.1,2

  8. Kimberley Process Certification Scheme comes into force

    It sets rules to keep conflict diamonds out of the legal supply chain.12,13

Open the full timeline

Where next

Mines

Led toEkatiThe 1991 find led to Ekati, Canada's first diamond mine.1Led toDiavikExploration around Lac de Gras began in 1991. Diavik is now facing closure.14

Events

ExamplesKimberley Process Certification Scheme comes into forceCanada's diamond rush began in 1991. The Kimberley Process followed in 2003.1

Sources

  1. History of Diamonds in the NWT Government of the Northwest Territories
  2. Lac de Gras (item Q1799623), coordinate location P625 Wikidata
  3. Report to Stakeholders 2014 (key milestones 1967 to 2014) Debswana Diamond Company
  4. Orapa diamond mine (item Q859817), coordinate location P625 Wikidata
  5. Gaborone (item Q3919), coordinate location P625 Wikidata
  6. Jwaneng diamond mine (item Q4160014), coordinate location P625 Wikidata
  7. Wikidata item Q859817 (Orapa diamond mine)
  8. The iconic Argyle diamond mine delivers its final production (3 Nov 2020) Rio Tinto
  9. Diamonds (Mining and Energy Western Australia exhibition) State Library of Western Australia
  10. Argyle diamond mine (item Q652475), coordinate location P625 Wikidata
  11. Wikidata item Q4160014 (Jwaneng diamond mine)
  12. What is the Kimberley Process?
  13. Interlaken (item Q68103), coordinate location P625 Wikidata
  14. Form 20-F for the year ended 31 December 2025 Rio Tinto (SEC)

From the Prospector Trails mining history dataset: each fact links to the source it was checked against. Figures are as the source gives them, in the money of their day. Not investment advice.

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Cover photos from Wikimedia Commons: Super Pit, Kalgoorlie by Kgbo, CC BY-SA 4.0; Haul trucks by Lechhabmed, CC BY-SA 4.0.