THE DIAMOND PAGE — Sampling results disappoint in Arkansas

A low diamond count from the Crater of Diamonds state park in Arkansas means the project may be better suited as a tourist attraction.

Ashton Mining of Canada (ACA-T) says the results to date fall short of the diamond content that would be required to support a commercial mining operation.

Ashton and Star Resources (SRR-T), in a 51-49 partnership, are one of two groups that hold the exclusive right to submit bids should the state of Arkansas proceed with the awarding of mining rights. The other group is a consortium of private companies led by Diamond Fields International.

A further five trenches in the central and southern portions of the lamproite pipe yielded three diamonds weighing 0.228 carat from a combined sample of 2,547 tons.

To date, 160 stones weighing 36.3 carats have been recovered from 7,139 tons of sampled lamproite. The preliminary grade is estimated at 0.5 carat per 100 tons, or 0.005 carat per tonne.

The 10,000-ton bulk-sampling program continues to test other portions of the pipe, which is estimated to contain a resource of 78 million tons to a depth of 600 ft.