Canadian diamonds The Ekati Diamond Mine is Canada's first underground diamond operation, and is owned by Dominion Diamond Mines. To date, Ekati has produced nearly 40 million carats of uncut diamond stones out of 6 open pit mines. The Renard diamond mine is Quebec's first diamond mine. The mine is expected to produce an average of 1.6 million carats per year over an initial 14-year mine life. The Snap Lake Diamond Mine is located northeast of Yellowknife as well, not far from Diavik. Snap lake is owned by De Beers and was their first mine outside of Africa. Snap Lake is also
Permafrost evident from temperature measurements in boreholes in North America and Europe. Typically, the below-ground temperature varies less from season to season than the air temperature, with mean annual temperatures tending to increase with depth as a result of the geothermal crustal gradient. Thus, if the mean annual air temperature is only slightly below , permafrost will form only in spots that are sheltered—usually with a northerly aspect—creating "discontinuous permafrost". Usually, permafrost will remain discontinuous in a climate where the mean annual soil surface temperature is between . In the moist-wintered areas mentioned before, there may not be even discontinuous permafrost