Both the Ekati and Diavik mines are located in the pristine arctic wilderness of Canada's Northwest Territories some 350 miles south of the Arctic Ocean. The Ekati diamond mine is Canada's first diamond mining operation. It is located on Lac de Gras, in the Northwest Territories, Canada. Prospector Chuck Fipke discovered the Lac de Gras kimberlite pipes in 1991.
Ekati means "Caribou Fat Lake" in the language native to the Dog-Rib Indians of the Northwest Territories (NWT). The Ekati mine began operations on October 14 1998. The Ekati Diamond Mine now produces an average of three million carats of rough diamonds every year.