In late September, Archangel Diamond (AAD-V) expects to receive initial results from a mini bulk-sampling test of Discovery pipe 441 at the Verkhotina tenement in the Arkhangelsk region of northwestern Russia.
Between 100 and 200 tonnes of material are being collected in an attempt to confirm diamond grade and quality. The company says results will be released in 20-Metre increments, with the final analysis scheduled to be completed in the first quarter of 1998.
Pipe 441 has a magnetic signature covering more than 40 ha, and drilling has outlined a pipe size of 17 ha, down to a depth of 300 metres.
A recent drill program collected 10.5 tonnes of samples from the crater facies portion of the pipe, which returned an estimated grade of 37 carats per 100 tonnes. A 6.3-Tonne sample from the diatreme facies returned an estimated grade of 138 carats per 100 tonnes.
The estimated grade for the total kimberlite is 71 carats per 100 tonnes, based on 16.8 tonnes of sample. These grades apply to stones greater than 1 mm.
While the total tonnage processed to date represents a relatively small volume of sample, the company says it is “sufficiently encouraged by the uniformity of the spread of good diamond grades” to begin engineering studies for a prefeasibility study. The project is a joint venture with a state-owned geological enterprise.
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