Open Pit Mining

The history of the mine began with a period of exploration from 1976. Several small diamonds found in 1979 led to the discovery of the diamond-bearing "pipe" that is the source of the mine's open pit. A lease for the land was secured and alluvial mining in the area commenced in 1983 while the mine was under construction. It was commissioned in December 1985.

Argyle's open pit was mistakenly named Argyle Kimberlite 1 (referred to as AK1) by the geologists who initially thought the diamond bearing rock was kimberlite. Although it was soon discovered to be lamproite, the diamond-bearing pipes of ore in the area had already been identified and numbered sequentially. The AK1 pipe, being the most viable, became the source of the mine's open pit.

Argyle currently operates an open pit mine and a processing plant 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The AK1 open pit is 2 kilometres long, 1 kilometre wide and covers an area of almost 300 hectares. More >