The evolution of a diamond mine, seen from space
In 1994, diamond deposits were discovered on a small island in the remote wilderness of Canada’s Northwest Territories. It took mine owners Rio Tinto and Dominion Diamond Corp. eight years to extract their first rough diamond from the mine.
Known as Diavik, it is the largest diamond mine in Canada and one of the world’s most valuable.
Read next: How one company is trying to forego this massive physical undertaking by creating diamonds in a lab.