Diamond Exploration

Diamond exploration activities by De Beers in Canada started in the early 1960s. However, it was not until the 1980s that a permanent presence was incorporated with the establishment of De Beers Canada Exploration Inc. (previously known as Monopros Limited), a wholly owned subsidiary of De Beers. De Beers Canada Inc. is now a fully integrated exploration and mining company.

De Beers Canada carries out exploration activities throughout Canada and has made more than 230 kimberlite discoveries, over half of which carry diamonds. On average only one in every 200 kimberlites discovered contains a sufficient number and value of diamonds to become a mine.

De Beers has injected a substantial investment into Canada in recent years. Exploration programs are currently focused in northern Ontario in the vicinity of the Victor Mine, which has 15 other diamond-bearing kimberlites previously identified by De Beers in 1987-88.

Extensive use is made of the De Beers dedicated laboratories in South Africa where microdiamond recoveries, age dating of kimberlites and trace element mineral chemistry studies are undertaken and can be compared by in-house consultants against comparable data from De Beers' own producing mines.