KWG finds diamonds at Bucke

Another kimberlite pipe in northeastern Ontario has yielded diamonds for its new owners.

Having taken a 25-tonne sample from the Bucke kimberlite pipe near New Liskeard, Ont., partners KWG Resources (ME) and Spider Resources recovered four macrodiamonds (greater than 0.5 mm in diameter) and one microdiamond from jig concentrates weighing 101.3 kg.

By comparison, a 59-kg sample from the Point Lake kimberlite in the Northwest Territories yielded 16 macrodiamonds and 65 microdiamonds.

Concentrates from additional passes through the pilot plant have yet to be treated.

“I wouldn’t want to get into talking about total weights until we get all the results,” said KWG President Norman Brewster. “Lakefield Research has not produced a full report yet.”

The Bucke announcement follows the recovery of one macrodiamond from a small sample of the A-4 kimberlite to the north in Arnold Twp. (T.N.M., Feb. 1/93). Now owned by Regal Goldfields (CDN), the A-4 was sampled by both Lac Minerals (TSE) and Monopros in the 1980s.

The Bucke pipe was discovered by Lac, which recovered three small stones with a total weight of 0.025 carats from six tonnes of material. The pipe lies under 40 metres of overburden, has a total depth of about 365 metres, and is estimated to be at least 230 metres wide.

Lac dropped its diamond exploration program in 1987.

KWG described its newly discovered stones as “clear to very slightly translucent exhibiting abundant surface textures.”

Meanwhile, results of preliminary drilling at KWG’s Guiges pipe in Quebec indicate the target is a hypabyssal macrocrystic kimberlite with a high indicator mineral content. The junior, which is optioning the property from Strike Minerals (CDN), will extract a 25-tonne sample from the pipe.