When our exploration team needed core samples from the ground under the Whale Lake, building a made to measure ice pad (1000 x 1000 ft.) was the best way to do it!

The build required great teamwork between the community of Baker Lake, Peter Tapatai from Peter’s Expediting Ltd., and the exploration and geology departments at our Meadowbank mine. The project ran from mid-November through to the end of December with a goal of creating an ice surface thick enough to support heavy machinery.

To make the ice pad, the team created layers upon layers of ice by drilling different holes and using pumps to push water onto the top of the pad. When the temperature was cold enough the newest water would then freeze with each repetition adding a new layer of ice.

A truly innovative feat of engineering, this special ice pad could not have been created without the help of our neighbours in the Baker Lake community who brought us their expertise and knowledge which proved crucial to the planning, creation and now successful use of the massive ice pad.

Our thanks and congratulations to everyone who was part of this project!