Renard 7, 8 prove diamondiferous

The two most recent Renard kimberlite finds in the Otish Mountains region of north-central Quebec are diamond-bearing.

Joint-venture partners Ashton Mining of Canada (ACA-T) and Soquem have confirmed that all eight kimberlitic bodies discovered in a 2-km-diameter area on the Foxtrot property contain diamonds.

A 101.1-kg sample of Renard 7 returned 33 microdiamonds measuring less than a 0.425-mm square-mesh-size fraction. Just nine micros were recovered from a 111.8-kg sample of Renard 8, with the largest stone caught in a 0.425-0.600-mm square-mesh screen.

Ashton is processing mini-bulk samples from Renard 2, 3 and 4 in a program designed to test the potential for larger diamonds. Ashton and Soquem are 50-50 partners in a joint venture holding more than 3,800 sq. km of mineral permits in northern Quebec.

Soquem is a Crown corporation of the Quebec government.