Back to Diagem and Brazil. The release following is interesting to this hamster. The area Diagem holds in Brazil is North west of the SUF/CNB holdings, but in the same aged rock, and could be sourced from the same type of diamond stability field. They are implying the diamonds in this area of Brazil may be sourced from very deep levels similar to the Slave Craton, NWT area.
Diagem obtains results of independent research study
Diagem International Resource Corp DGM
Shares issued 34,010,068 1999-09-03 close $0.16
Tuesday Sep 7 1999
Mr. David Cohen reports
Diagem has recently undertaken a specially commissioned research study, conducted by Dr. Felix Kaminsky, into the form and nature of the diamonds from Diagem's main area of interest in Juina Mato Grosso State, Brazil. The results of this study were compared with the results of similar studies of diamonds from other diamond-bearing countries such as Russia, South Africa, Brazil and Venezuela. This is believed to be the first such independent study conducted on this region. Management are very exited by the conclusions made. The following is a summary of the report as prepared by Dr. Kaminsky.
Study of Diamonds from the Juina Area, Mato Grosso, Brazil
By Dr Felix V Kaminsky, O.D. Zakharchenko and G.K. Blinova, June, 1999
The first systematic, comprehensive study of diamonds from the Juina area, Mato Grosso, was organized by Diagem. A few hundred diamonds from different placer deposits were examined in the laboratories of KM Diamond Exploration Ltd., Vancouver, and Institute of Diamonds, Moscow. Studies included grain-size distribution, morphological and optical characteristics, ultraviolet luminescence, infrared spectroscopy, carbon isotopic composition and mineral inclusion studies. According to Dr. Felix Kaminsky and Dr. Zakharchenko's conclusion, diamonds from the Juina area are unique in their characteristics.
Firstly, a set of high-pressure mineral inclusions found in the Juina diamonds differs from traditional minerals of diamond association in other regions. No pyrope garnets and chrome spinels were found in the Juina diamonds studied. Ferropericlase dominates among the mineral inclusions in the Juina diamonds, the spinel inclusions are very low in chromium and high in titanium (Cr2O3 less than or equal to 36 weight per cent and TiO2 greater than or equal to 10 weight), the majority of ilmenite inclusions have low MgO contents, in some cases with very high (up to five weight per cent) MnO contents; and the rare olivine inclusions have lower than average proportions of the forsterite component and higher than average Cr2O3 and NiO contents. Analogues inclusions have been found to date only in the Slave province, Canada, where they form a deep-seated paragenesis from lower-mantle depths (greater than 650 kilometres). A set of mineral inclusions in Juina diamonds may have been formed at the same ultradeep Earth mantle level, which is favourable for formation of kimberlites rich in diamonds.
Secondly, the IR characteristics of the diamonds studied indicate that there are very high proportions of nitrogen-free and low-nitrogen crystals among Juina diamonds, and the IaB nitrogen center is predominant. The Juina area diamonds appear to have even lower nitrogen levels than the Premier diamonds, RSA. This confirms a very deep-seated origin of the Juina diamonds and means that the Juina diamonds had a prolonged thermal history, which resulted in the almost complete transformation of single-atomic and paired nitrogen centres into polyatomic complexes of IaB type. There is also evidence that the crystallization and later annealing of these diamonds occurred at high temperatures. Based on these results, one should expect to meet very large diamonds within the Juina deposits; the known large diamonds probably belong to the same diamond population as the diamonds studied. Semiconductive diamonds could be found in the Juina area as well. These are extremely rare and valuable, and their existence may dramatically increase the average Juina diamond price.
Thirdly, diamonds from the Juina area are isotopically heavy and are characterized by a narrow range of carbon isotopic composition (-7.8 per cent to -2.5 per cent).
Diamonds from different places of the Juina area are rather uniform in their morphology, proto-magmatic surface features, colour, transparency, intactness, etc. Some differences between the diamonds were noted, including variations in colour, fluorescence and IR-characteristics. It is likely that there are different local sources of placer diamonds within the Juina area.
Diamonds from the Juina area do not have a high degree of working as diamonds from other areas in Brazil, such as reworking in ancient intermediate sedimentary coastal-marine collectors. The Juina diamonds have only alluvial morphological features. The high proportions of defective crystals (with marks of plastic deformation and oxidative dissolution) and octahedral diamonds showing polycentric face growth suggest that the diamonds have not travelled far and that the major primary source(s) may be nearby."
Dr. Kaminsky Joins Diagem's Search for the Source of the Juina Diamonds.
Diagem is pleased to announce that Dr. Kaminsky will be joining the company's exploration team as a consulting diamond geologist.
Dr. Kaminsky graduated from Moscow State University in 1959 with an MSc degree in Geology. He obtained a MSc degree in geophysics from the Moscow Oil Institute in 1966, completed a PhD degree in geology and mineralogy in 1969 at the Institute of Ore Deposits in Moscow and DSc degree in 1983 from the Moscow Geological Academy. He is a member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences and the New York Academy of Sciences, United Statees.
From 1959 to 1970 Dr. Kaminsky worked in Siberia as a geologist and geological team leader where a new kimberlite field was discovered and six kimberlite pipes identified. From 1970 to 1994 he worked with the Russian Institute of Geology as a leading specialist in diamond deposits. He was directly responsible for the discovery of 11 new diamond localities including the first diamonds in the Arkhangelsk area. For the Arkhangelsk discovery, Dr. Kaminsky was awarded the Order of Honour and in 1991 he received the state prize for his work in developing new diamond exploration and evaluation techniques.
In 1994 he established KM Diamond Exploration Ltd., a consulting firm based in Vancouver. His consulting work involved all aspects of diamond exploration and project generation mainly for clients in Canada, Australia, South America and South Africa. He has published more than 200 scientific articles, authored six books and lectured at universities around the world.
Dr. Kaminsky will be involved in the following:
the planning and execution of exploration and evaluation activities;
furthering the study of the characteristics of the diamonds and the kimberlites in the Juina area; and
assisting in the communication of information and data to the scientific and investment communities.
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