Diamonds in the rough

摘要

They call these the Barren Lands, and it's easy to see why. From a helicopter it looks as though the glaciers departed yesterday, leaving a wasteland of jumbled boulders and naked granite outcrops. There is no trace of human presence, but water is everywhere-puddles, ponds and lakes cover half the surface. In the midst of all this emptiness 300 kilometres north-east of Yellowknife -the capital of Canada's Northwest Territories -lies Lac de Gras, half-covered by ice even in midsummer. On one of its small islands is a gravelled airstrip large enough for a Boeing 737. Nearby sits an open mine pit and a small cluster of blue and white buildings. This is Diavik diamond mine.