Vertigo?

The Ekati Mine in freezing winter temperatures is North America’s first commercial diamond mine – having opened in 1998 – 

It’s actually only a stone’s throw from the Diavic Mine just 20 km closer to the Arctic Circle

The Ekati Mine is accessed by hair-raising ice roads and got its 15 minutes of fame on The History Channel’s Ice Road Truckers programme. Darned crazy canucks?

Driven mad perhaps by the 40 million plus carats (8,000 kg) of diamonds the steady scouring has so far produced.

Diavik Diamond Mine is located in Canada’s North Slave Region. This is an open cast mine like no other. Gouged into a 20 square km island, 220 km from the Arctic Circle, there are particularly jaw-dropping views of this cold spot when the surrounding waters freeze over.

Connected by a treacherous ice road, this remote mine takes some getting to and so even has its own airport big enough to accommodate Boeing 747s.

With a lifespan of 16 to 22 years, the owners will be happy as long as this yawning hole continues to throw up 8 million carats (1600 kg) of diamonds a year.

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