Ekati Diamond Mine and Stewart Blusson who had been prospecting in the region for almost ten years, having found kimberlite indicator minerals as early as 1985. The Point Lake kimberlite was determined to be uneconomic, but its discovery precipitated one of largest staking rushes in mining history, covering most of the area between Yellowknife and the Arctic coast. There are 156 known kimberlite pipes within the Ekati block of claims, including the Point Lake pipe. Ekati officially began operations on October 14, 1998, and was operated by BHP Billiton Canada Inc., a part of the BHP Billiton Group, the world's largest diversified resources
Argyle diamond mine over a period of 18 months at a cost of A$450 million. The mine was commissioned in December 1985. "Several of this article's references contain excellent maps and photographs of the mine and examples of diamonds produced there, which cannot be placed in this article due to copyright limitations. The reader is especially directed to Shigley, Chapman, and Ellison's article, "Discovery and Mining of the Argyle Diamond Deposit, Australia" (Gems & Gemology, Spring 2001)." Argyle diamond mine The Argyle Diamond Mine is a diamond mine located in the East Kimberley region in the remote north of Western Australia. Argyle is