Toe in the Water: De Beers Begins Search for Marine Diamonds off Greenland
October 06, 21
(IDEX Online) - De Beers is reportedly searching for marine diamonds off the coast of Greenland.
The mining giant commissioned an eight-day survey of around 800 kilometers of seabed, according to a Reuters' news report.
A preliminary survey of the topography, at a depth of 50 to 200 meters, was conducted by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), and it will take months to analyze the results.
Anglo American, parent company of De Beers, told Reuters the survey was "early stage".
The prospect of a diamond mining project could provide an economic boost for the vast and sparsely populated island - bigger than Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom combined, but home to just 56,000 people.
Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, is already exploiting some of its mineral wealth. It opened a ruby and pink sapphire mining operation in 2017.
Operators Greenland Ruby announced a $18m cash injection for its Project Aurora in April of this year.
Pic shows coast of Greelands