Vancouver — A 105.4 kg sample collected from the Stellaria kimberlite has confirmed the diamondiferous nature of the new discovery on the Kikerk Lake property in the north Slave Craton region of Nunavut.
Ashton Mining of Canada (ACA-T) intersected the kimberlite while drill-testing a geophysical feature just 700 metres east of the diamond-bearing Potentilla kimberlite. A vertical hole drilled into a 160-by-50-metre shaped anomaly passed through 20 metres of glacial overburden and 35 metres of underlying dolomitic limestone before intersecting 39 metres of hypabyssal kimberlite. The hole exited the kimberlite body at a depth of 94 metres and terminated in limestone at 129 metres of depth.
A 105.4 kg sample collected from the core returned 66 microdiamonds (0.1-to-0.5 mm in two dimensions) and 13 macrodiamonds (greater than 0.5 in at least one dimension).
Stellaria is oriented along a 2-km-long linear geophysical feature. A portion of this feature sits directly up-ice of a kimberlite indicator mineral train hosting a significant G10 garnet population.
Encouraged by the discovery of a second diamondiferous kimberlite on the property, Ashton plans to complete further prospecting and heavy mineral sampling, along with delineation drilling of the Stellaria kimberlite this summer.
The Kikerk Lake property is held 52.5% by Ashton, 30% by Northern Empire Minerals (NEM-V) and 17.5% by Caledonia Mining (CAL-T). Ashton can increase its interest to 59.5% by carrying Caledonia through to completion of a feasibility study. Northern Empire retains its 30% working interest.
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