Knife pipe pegged at 6 ha

Based on the results of delineation drilling, together with ground geophysical data, the Knife kimberlite pipe in Nunavut is estimated to comprise a surface area of 6 ha.

During spring drilling, the Canadian exploration division of De Beers tested the Knife kimberlite with six angled holes, confirming that the pipe runs 390 metres north-south and 230 metres east-west. All core in the 1,124-metre program has been shipped to Yellowknife, N.W.T., where it will be logged before being sampled and analyzed for microdiamonds.

De Beers can earn a 70% interest in the 10-sq.-km property, 80 km south of Coronation Bay, from Rhonda (RDM-V) by spending $10 million on exploration over six years. Rhonda will retain a 30% interest carried to production.

De Beers discovered the Knife pipe last fall. Representative core samples from three drill holes yielded nine macros and 208 micros from 397 kg of kimberlite. One 20-kg sample, in particular, returned 54 stones weighing 0.04748 carat from a 6-metre interval.

Rhonda also holds a 100% interest in the 800-sq.-km Inulik claim block, which is contiguous with the Knife property. An exploration program at Inulik is planned for this summer.