Caldera keeps up kimberlite quest

No kimberlite has been found in early drill results from the Abminga diamond project in South Australia.

The project is a joint venture between Montreal-listed Caldera Resources (formerly Bishop Resources International Exploration) and Australian-based Mount Isa Mines (MIM), in which the latter is earning a half interest by spending $4 million on drilling. While Caldera owns several licences in the area, the joint venture covers just two.

MIM drilled 12 targets in a 1,991-metre program designed to follow up more than 200 aeromagnetic anomalies that have been found at Abminga. The presence of zircon at the site, along with alluvial diamonds downstream from it, suggests that diamondiferous kimberlite exists at Abminga.

Bulk samples from three anomalies are being crushed and separated, and similar treatment will be given to samples from other MIM-drilled targets.

Caldera has carried out field programs on its nine wholly owned exploration licences in the Abminga area, and, having assessed results, has relinquished its interest in three of them.