A trio of kimberlite bodies identified on the Fort a la Corne project in central Saskatchewan last year has yielded 138 macrodiamonds with a total weight of 7.61 carats, report partners Cameco (TSE), Monopros and Uranerz Exploration and Mining.
The joint venture did not release sample weights, saying the samples were “too small to permit valid grade estimates to be calculated.” The largest stone weighs 0.985 carats.
Since exploration began in 1988, 25 kimberlite bodies have been intersected on Fort a la Corne. In 1991, 200 tons of material from 15 kimberlites yielded 160 diamonds, mostly of gem quality. The best sample yielded a projected grade of 10.5 carats per 100 tons, whereas the producing pipes in South Africa have an average grade of 38 carats per 100 tons.
Of the 70-plus geophysical targets on the property, the largest is 170 acres and the average area is 30 acres. The joint venture says the recent results warrant further exploration.
One of the biggest obstacles to exploration in central Saskatchewan is overburden, which is more than 300 ft. thick at Fort a la Corne. As a result, drilling is time-consuming and expensive and companies must rely almost entirely on geophysics for target selection.
In southern Saskatchewan, a $750,000 exploration program is scheduled to get under way on 190,000 acres of ground recently acquired by partners Diamond Fields Resources (VSE), Lumina Investment (VSE) and Super Twins Resources (VSE).
The partners have identified about 60 bull’s-eye targets for follow-up. The initial phase of the 1993 program will include a closely spaced aeromagnetic program followed by drilling in June.
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