Safest methods more complex

At Diavik, we want to make sure we mine our kimberlite ore the safest way we can.

Our engineers have studied the ore bodies and surrounding rock and have chosen the safest and best methods for the conditions and challenges we face.

Two different underground mining methods known as underhand cut and fill, and blasthole stoping will be used.

For the cut and fill method we will use mining machines that remove the ore in long panels. In blasthole stoping, drills and explosives will be used to break down the ore in taller panels.

In both methods, the ore will then be transported to a vertical tunnel, or ore pass, from where it will be loaded into haul trucks which transport it to surface. Mined out areas, the cuts or tunnels, and the voids known as stopes, will be backfilled with cemented paste or crushed waste rock.