DIAMOND PAGE — Ashton drill results promising

A second batch of microdiamond results from Ashton Mining of Canada’s (ACA-T) winter reconnaissance drilling program on the Buffalo Hills project in north-central Alberta has shown kimberlite K-11, one of three new diamond-bearing kimberlites that occur in a cluster centred 30 km east of the K-14 complex, to be promising.

A total of 14 macrodiamonds and 106 micros were recovered from an 189.5-kg sample collected from the K-11 kimberlite by reverse-circulation drilling. (A macro is defined here as exceeding 0.5 mm in at least one dimension.) The three largest stones measure 1.1 by 1.2 by 0.8 mm, 1.7 by 1.5 by 1 mm and 1.3 by 1.1 by 0.8 mm.

During the winter program, Ashton discovered nine new kimberlites, raising the total number found on the 566,000-ha Buffalo Hills project to 23. Ashton holds a 42.5% interest in the Buffalo Hills project, as does Alberta Energy (AEC-T), with the remaining 15% held by Pure Gold Minerals (PUG-T).

The joint-venture partnership also covers 1.6 million ha of surrounding ground. Pure Gold holds a 49% interest in a broader package, comprising 9.2 million ha, the balance of which is split equally between Ashton and Alberta Energy.

The K-11 kimberlite, which has a magnetic signature measuring approximately 500 by 250 metres, was encountered beneath just 14.3 metres of overburden.

K-11 and five other new kimberlites appear to be part of a separate cluster, roughly 30 km east-southeast of K-14. Two of the kimberlites in this cluster yielded low microdiamond counts: a 89.9-kg sample from K-92 returned 1 macro and 2 micros; and 99.1 kg of material from K-10 yielded 4 micros. Analytical results for the remaining three kimberlites, K-32, K-15 and K-93, are pending.

In the meantime, Ashton is contemplating follow-up work in the K-11 area.

Further testing of K-95, 25 km to the south of the K-14 complex, continued to confirm the barren nature of the body; only a single micro was recovered from 118.3 kg of sample. Currently, a 40-tonne mini-bulk sample from the K-91 kimberlite is being processed at Ashton’s North Vancouver recovery plant.

Results are expected early in the third quarter.

A 450-tonne bulk sample collected from the K-14 complex during the winter program is slated for treatment at a new 10-tonne-per-hour,

dense-media-separation plant that is to be installed on site later this year.

However, Ashton is searching for a contract facility that could process the material much sooner.