DIAMOND NEWS ROUNDUP — Parker Lake diamond discovery sparks interest

With permission of its joint-venture partners, Monopros has processed a third surface sample from the narrow, 1.5-metre

diamondiferous dyke on the Parker Lake property, west of Hudson Bay in the Northwest Territories.

A 7.8-kg sample yielded 6,677 microdiamonds and 3 macros. The micros are much smaller than normal, most being less than 0.074 mm in size. Of all the diamonds recovered, 2,708 were larger than 0.074 mm, prompting Monopros to take an additional 1,000-kg

sample, which it will analyze for macros.

The Parker Lake property is held 50% by Cumberland Resources (VSE), 25% by Manson Creek Resources (VSE) and 25% by Comaplex Minerals (TSE). Although the discovery has been deemed

uneconomic, owing to its limited size, the land position held by the joint venture comprises some 400,000 hectares, and several majors are known to have expressed interest.

Elsewhere in the Northwest Territories

* Exploration drilling at

the Diavik project near Lac de Gras has resulted in the discovery of a diamond-bearing kimberlite 750 metres south of the A-154 pipe.

Aber Resources (TSE), which holds a 40% interest in the

joint-venture, says a clear and colourless diamond, 3 mm in size, was observed following the analysis of 108 metres of kimberlite drill core. Kennecott Canada holds the remaining 60% interest.

* Kennecott will spend more than $800,000 this field season

exploring the WO, DHK and WI claim groups, also near Lac de Gras.

The company holds an overall 40% interest in the claim blocks, while a 35% stake in each of the blocks is split equally among Dentonia Resources (VSE), Horseshoe Gold Mining (ASE) and Kettle River Resources (TSE).

Exploration will include till sampling, gravity surveys over potential kimberlite targets, and drill testing. The program will be additional to any work carried out on the Tli Kwi Cho (DO-27) and DO-18 pipes.

At the DHK group of claims, field work will concentrate on the DD-42 pipe, an adjacent gravity target, and several indicator mineral trains. SouthernEra Resources (TSE) holds the remaining 25% interest in the DHK block.

Drilling will test two magnetic anomalies on the WO claim block, while ground geophysics will be applied to pipes DO-29, DO-32 and DO-41 to determine if additional drilling is warranted.

SouthernEra holds a 10% interest, and Aber Resources the

remaining 15%.

The WI block will be subjected to followup work on a highly

prospective indicator mineral train. The remaining 25% of the WI claim block is held by SouthernEra.

* Meanwhile, at the Victoria Island project in the High Arctic, a summer program of airborne geophysics and till sampling is

planned.

Recent till sampling on the most promising of 11 mineral

indicator anomalies confirmed previous results, suggesting the existence of a kimberlite source on the northernmost property.

The project is a joint venture between Ascot Resources (VSE), with a 75% interest, and Major General Resources (VSE), with 25%.

Saskatchewan

* Exploration drilling is under way on the Candle

Lake joint venture near Fort a la Corne.

Operator Kennecott Canada is attempting to test five previously identified diamondiferous kimberlite pipes. Initial drilling last year by partners War Eagle Mining (VSE) and Great Western Gold (VSE) recovered 35 microdiamonds and 5 macros from 231.7 kg of core.

Additional geophysics will be used to delineate other drill

targets. Kennecott can earn a 60% interest by spending $8 million on exploration and development over five years.

Africa

* Drilling on the Makgadikgadi and Mopipi properties in

western Botswana failed to find the kimberlite source of a strong surface concentration of garnets and ilmenites.

Botswana Diamondfields (VSE) hopes that baseline cutting and further soil sampling will enable it to trace the source.

Meanwhile, reconnaissance soil sampling will be carried out over the Okwa license area, in addition to a small, aeromagnetic

survey.

United States

* Guardian Enterprises (VSE) has begun exploring

two mineral leases which it recently acquired in southeastern Wyoming.

Each property comprises 255 hectares; one lies 65 km north of Laramie, while the other is 35 km south of that city, near the Colorado border.

Stream sediment sampling by the Geological Survey of Wyoming recovered chrome diopsides on the northern property.