Samples from three new Victoria Island kimberlites discovered this past summer on the Hadley Bay joint venture in the Canadian Arctic contain no diamonds.
The Apollo, Diana and Pluto kimberlites were discovered, along with the Neptune kimberlite, by partners
In addition to the new discoveries, the joint venture re-tested the known King Eider kimberlite with two angle holes. King Eider has proved incredibly complex. The kimberlite intersected by the two scissor holes was sub-divided into six phases based on a geophysical and visual interpretation. Partial microdiamond results from the first holes were previously reported for three samples, each of which represents a distinct phase. The partners have now released micro results for the two remaining samples of the first hole.
A section of kimberlite weighing 95.4 kg was collected from a down-hole depth of 50-79.3 metres, returning eight micros and four macros (a macro is here defined here as exceeding 0.5 mm in one dimension). The largest stone measures 1.14 by 0.68 by 0.69 mm and falls into the 0.425-0.6-mm square-mesh screen category.
A 60.7-kg sample taken from the bottom of the hole over a down-hole depth of 106-125.5 metres yielded only nine micros.
In total, five samples, weighing 349.6 kg and representing five distinct kimberlite phases in the first hole, returned only 47 micros and 17 macros. The largest macro, at 1.17 by 1.17 by 1.13 mm, was recovered from a 0.85-1.18-mm square mesh screen.
The second hole was drilled as a scissor to the first. A 40.3-kg sample taken from the upper 24.4 metres of the hole returned only four micros and one macro. The lone macro was recovered from a 0.3-to-0.425-mm square mesh screen classification.
Canabrava can earn a half-interest in the Hadley Bay project by spending $5 million on exploration over four years and issuing 250,000 shares to Diamonds North.
Farther south on Victoria Island, Diamonds North has reported micro results from a new discovery on its wholly owned Blue Ice project, along with additional results from the known Sand Piper and Snow Bunting kimberlites.
Diamonds North pulled a 6.2-metre-long intercept of kimberlite from an angle hole drilled into the Vega anomaly, 1 km west of Sand Piper. Sixteen micros and four macros were recovered from a 22-kg sample. The largest macro exceeds 0.5 mm in two directions and corresponds to a 0.3-0.425-mm square mesh screen classification.
Sand Piper and Snow Bunting are two of the 16 known kimberlites De Beers discovered on Victoria Island in the late 1990s. Diamonds North further tested Sand Piper this past summer with two holes, partial results of which were announced previously. A further 45.1 kg of sampled material from the upper part of the second hole yielded 10 micros and three macros, including one stone measuring 1 by 0.6 by 0.34 mm. This stone was recovered from 0.425-to-0.6-mm square-mesh screen size.
In total, 23 micros and seven macros were recovered from 76.84 kg of core sampled from the second hole. The first hole, which had cut a 6.49-metre intercept of kimberlite along the fringe of the body, returned an impressive 75 micros and 43 macros weighing 0.109 carat from a 6.49-kg sample.
The Snow Bunting body, 1.5 km east of Sand Piper, was tested by an angle hole, which intercepted 20 metres of kimberlite. A 16.7-kg sample yielded 11 micros and four macros exceeding 0.5 mm in two directions. Three of the macros fall in the 0.425-to-0.6-mm square-mesh screen division.
The partners are awaiting further results from 750 kg of surface samples taken from the Pegasus, Sculptor and Zeta showings. These showings occur along the eastern half of the so-called Galaxy trend. All of the kimberlite discoveries made this past summer occur on the Nunavut side of the Blue Ice project. Owing to permitting issues, Diamonds North was unable to carry out drilling on the Northwest Territories side of the trend.
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