Charles E. Fipke | |
---|---|
Born | 1946 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
Citizenship | Canada |
Education | University of British Columbia (BSc.) |
Occupation | Scientist and entrepreneur |
Known for | Discovered Ekati Diamond Mine |
Charles Edgar "Chuck" Fipke CM (born 1946) is a Canadian geologist and prospector who discovered the existence of diamonds around Lac de Gras in Canada's Northwest Territories. He is now a multimillionaire involved in geological explorations around the world. Fipke is also a prominent owner and breeder in North American thoroughbred horse racing.
Fipke was born in Edmonton, Alberta. Growing up, he was sometimes assumed to be stupid because of his "frantic stop-start mind". His nicknames include Captain Chaos and Stumpy. [1] He occasionally stammers and is known for his use of the word "hey" at the end of sentences. [2]
In 1970, he graduated from University of British Columbia (UBC) with a bachelor of science degree in geology. Fipke received an honorary doctorate from Okanagan University College in 1998. [3]
In 2006, Fipke donated Can$ 6,000,000 to UBC to support the creation of the Charles Fipke Centre for Innovative Research. [3] In 2012, the Fipke Laboratory for Trace Element Research (FiLTER) opened, with Fipke funding the purchase of imaging equipment including a scanning electron microscope. "To graduate excellent scientists, a university needs to have the best technology available," said Fipke. "My goal is to help UBC's Okanagan campus reach the leading edges of science, in order to recruit the top students and faculty from around the world." [4] Fipke has also donated substantially to Alzheimer's research at UBC. [2]
Fipke was divorced by his wife Marlene (née Pyett) in 2000, who had been with him since he began searching for the diamonds. At the time, the divorce settlement was the largest in Canadian history, with her portion of the assets estimated to be approximately Can$ 123,100,000. [5]
Upon graduation, Fipke worked for companies such as Kennecott Copper and Cominco, performing mineral explorations in locations such as Papua New Guinea, South Africa and Brazil. [6] He became an expert in the study of indicator minerals to identify potential strikes, the key to his later success. "Everyone now knows that G-10 garnets with low calcium might lead you to diamonds, hey," he said in 2011. "But how do you distinguish between a group 1 eclogitic garnet that grew with a diamond and a group 2 eclogitic garnet that didn't? They look the same." Fipke uses custom software to help determine the difference. "No one else out there can distinguish between these similar tiny particles of minerals that grow with a diamond and ones that don't." [1]
In 1977, Fipke founded CF Mineral Research, a heavy mineral and diamond exploration research laboratory. [3] In 1983, he founded Dia Met Minerals, which became listed on the Vancouver Stock Exchange in 1984. Dia Met was sold to BHP Billiton in 2001. [7]
In 1988, Fipke and partner Stu Blusson began a systematic search for diamonds in the Northwest Territories, leading to the discovery of the first diamond pipe in North America in November 1991 near Lac de Gras. The Ekati Diamond Mine is now located there. [5] [8] [9] Fipke maintained a 10% interest in Ekati until 2014, when he sold his share to Dominion Diamond Corp. for US$67 million. [2] "I'm not really a miner," he said. "I'm an exploration geologist. This sale gives me more ability to do exploration." [7]
Fipke is currently involved in multiple greenfield projects, involving searches for diamonds in Ontario with Metalex Ventures, for gold in the Yukon, Nevada and Yemen with Cantex Mine Development and for uranium along the Manitoba–Saskatchewan border with Northern Uranium. [7]
Fipke bought his first thoroughbred racehorse in 1981 and has subsequently become a significant owner and breeder. His major winners include: [10] [11]
Fipke owns two farms in Kentucky where he houses roughly 75 broodmares. He breeds mainly to stallions Tale of Ekati, Perfect Soul and Jersey Town. [10]
Fipke has received multiple honors, including: [6]
He was inducted into the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame in 2013. [6]
Fipke's history forms a significant portion of the "narrative broth" from which author Kathy Reichs formed the plot of the novel Bones Are Forever . [18]
The Ekati Diamond Mine ("Ekati") is Canada's first surface and underground diamond mine. It is located 310 km (190 mi) north-east of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, and about 200 km (120 mi) south of the Arctic Circle, near Lac de Gras. Until 2014 Ekati was a joint venture between Dominion Diamond Mines (80%), and the two geologists who discovered kimberlite pipes north of Lac de Gras, Chuck Fipke and Stewart Blusson each holding a 10% stake in the mine, until Fipke sold his share to Dominion.
Unbridled was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1990 Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic.
Lemons Forever is an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the Grade 1 132nd Kentucky Oaks horse race on May 5, 2006. Her win was the biggest upset in the history of the Oaks.
A diamond rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area where diamonds were newly discovered. Major diamond rushes took place in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in South Africa and South-West Africa.
Canadian diamonds are diamonds which have been mined in any one of the Provinces and territories of Canada. Diamond-rich areas weren't commercially extracted in Canada until the early 1990s. For the first 60 years of the 20th century, diamonds originated from kimberlite pipes and alluvial deposits in places such as Africa and some from South America. Later, diamond discoveries were made in the Soviet Union. Since the 1990s, major diamond discoveries were made and mining operations began. Canadian diamonds play a large role in the world market of diamonds.
Stewart Lynn "Stu" Blusson, is a Canadian geologist, helicopter pilot, businessman and philanthropist. He co-discovered billion-dollar Ekati Diamond Mine, 300 kilometres from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. He is President of Archon Minerals Ltd. In 2002, Blusson donated key start-up funds necessary for Quest University Canada in Squamish, British Columbia. In 2006, Blusson donated $10 million for the Archon X PRIZE to develop a quick and inexpensive way to sequence the human genome. Blusson had a net worth of $660 million CDN in 2006.
Franc Renault Joubin, was an American prospector and geologist best known for a huge uranium discovery in northeastern Ontario, Canada in 1953.
The Broken Hill Ore Deposit is located underneath Broken Hill in western New South Wales, Australia, and is the namesake for the town. It is arguably the world's richest and largest zinc-lead ore deposit.
Unbridled's Song was an American thoroughbred racehorse who won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Florida Derby and Wood Memorial. He was the favorite for the 1996 Kentucky Derby but suffered a cracked hoof in the weeks before the race and finished fifth. He finished his racing career with five wins from twelve starts and earnings of $1.3 million. He subsequently became a highly successful sire, with major winners including Breeders' Cup champions Arrogate, Forever Unbridled, Midshipman and Liam's Map. He also sired the filly Eight Belles who came second in the Kentucky Derby. He was posthumously the leading sire in North America of 2017.
Tale of Ekati is a retired Thoroughbred racehorse.
Not Bourbon is a Canadian Thoroughbred race horse. He is owned and bred by Charles E. Fipke and ridden by Jono Jones. At age two, Not Bourbon set a new Woodbine track record in winning the Bull Page Stakes. Racing at age three, he won the Queenston Stakes then upset heavily favored Harlem Rocker in the Plate Trial Stakes.
Violet Rita "Viola" MacMillan was a Canadian mineral prospector and mining financier. During her career, she was one of few women in the mining industry, was the first female member and, later, president of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada, and the first woman inducted into the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame.
Established in 1932, the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) represents the interests of the Canadian mineral exploration and development industry. The association is best known for its annual convention and trade show in Toronto. The event regularly attracts up to 25,000 attendees from more than 130 countries.
The Canadian Association of Mining Equipment and Services for Export (CAMESE) is a Mississauga-based trade organization supporting the export of Canadian mining exploration equipment and services to mining companies around the world. The organization introduces foreign mining companies to Canadian suppliers by publicizing the expertise and success of domestic mining technologies and mining operations.
Hugo T. Dummett (1940–2002) was a South African mineral-exploration geologist who is best known for his role in the discovery of the Ekati Diamond Mine in the Barren Lands of Canada's Northwest Territories. Dummett has been described as "the brains, the ideas and the energy" behind the discovery of Ekati, which led to the creation of a new Canadian diamond-mining industry.
Dan Hausel a polymath of martial arts, geology, writing, astronomy, art, and public speaking. Hall-of-Fame 10th degree black belt grandmaster of Shorin-Ryu Karate and Kobudo, mineral exploration geologist who made several gold, colored gemstone, and diamond deposit discoveries in Alaska, Colorado, Montana and Wyoming, author of more than 600 publications including books, maps, professional papers and magazine articles, public speaker, artist, former astronomy lecturer for the Hansen Planetarium in Utah, and former rock musician.
Forever Unbridled is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse who was named the Champion Older Mare of 2017 after winning the Fleur de Lis Handicap, Personal Ensign Stakes and Breeders' Cup Distaff. She also won two Group I stakes races in 2016 before finishing third in that year's Distaff.
As a result of a divorce settlement, Mrs. Fipke, wife of geologist Chuck Fipke, will control about 21 per cent of Kelowna-based Dia Met Minerals. As of Thursday morning, the stake was worth $123.1 million.
fipke reich bones are forever.