DIAMOND PAGE — Monopros prepares for drilling

Monopros will conduct an initial 8-to-10-hole program of core delineation drilling on the Victoria Island property in the High Arctic. The work, to begin in early April, will also include magnetic geophysical surveys.

In the summer of 1998, Monopros discovered five kimberlite bodies on Victoria Island while testing eight targets. The discoveries were made using a compact, 2,000-lb. percussion drill that reached a limited depth averaging only 20 metres in the holes.

The cluster of five kimberlites occupies an 80-sq.-km area in the northern portion of the property, near where Monopros made several diamondiferous discoveries.

The De Beers Consolidated Mines (DBRS-Q) subsidiary can earn a 51% interest in the 2-million-acre Victoria Island property by spending $2 million on exploration and making payments totalling $200,000 over three years. Once vested, joint-venture partners Ascot Resources (AOT-V) and Major General Resources (MGJ-V) will each hold a 24.5% share.

Final microdiamond analysis of the Snowy Owl kimberlite yielded an additional 15 stones from an extra 8 kg of sample material, raising to 90 the number of micros recovered from 88 kg of sample. The two largest stones recovered were in the 0.3-to-0.5-mm square mesh screen size.

The 88-kg sample was derived from a single percussion hole that penetrated only 12 metres into the Snowy Owl body.

Snowy Owl exhibits both volcanic crater and hypabyssal facies material. The presence of the crater facies suggests that the upper portion of the kimberlite body is present and that much of the original kimberlite should be preserved at depth.

Indicator mineral analysis of Snowy Owl indicates an abundant garnet population, including sub-calcic harzburgitic garnets (G-10s) and high-chrome (more than 14% Cr2O5) lherzolitic garnets. Also, some of the eclogitic garnets have high Na2O and TiO2 contents, which are consistent with eclogitic diamond inclusions.

These results suggest there is potential for two sources of diamonds, as both peridotitic and eclogitic mantle has been sampled in the diamond stability field.

Microdiamond results were previously reported for the other four kimberlites and are summarized as follows:

• Golden Plover produced 2 macros (+0.5 mm) and 42 micros from 180 kg of drill sample;
• Longspur yielded 2 macros and 37 micros from a 90-kg sample;
• Phalarope returned 6 micros from 180 kg of kimberlite sample; and
• Whimbrel yielded a single micro from 180 kg.

The Snowy Owl, Golden Plover and Longspur kimberlites are regarded as high-priority targets as they were defined up-ice of kimberlite indicator mineral occurrences.

A spring drilling program, budgeted at $400,000, will further test Snowy Owl, among other kimberlites.