Red yay or nay? I'm not a diamond guy.
Diamonds North recovers larger stones from Amaruk
2009-12-01 16:29 ET - News Release
Mr. Mark Kolebaba reports
DIAMONDS NORTH RECOVERS LARGER DIAMONDS FROM BELUGA-3
Diamonds North Resources Ltd. has recovered larger stones from the Beluga-3 kimberlite on its 100-per-cent-owned Amaruk property located in Nunavut, Canada. A 6.7-tonne sample collected by reverse-circulation drilling and processed by dense media separation yielded a total of 126 diamonds above the 0.5-millimetre mesh including nine stones on the 1.18-millimetre mesh and one stone on the 1.70-millimetre mesh.
The diamond recovered from the 1.70-millimetre mesh measures 2.6 millimetres by 2.0 millimetres by 1.0 millimetre and is a fragment with an estimated 60-per-cent loss. In addition, five of the nine diamonds on the 1.18-millimetre screen are fragments with varying characteristics (four of the stones show an estimated 60-per-cent loss). A high proportion of the diamonds recovered are white, clear octahedrons (see photos on-line).
"The recovery of a diamond fragment on the 1.70-millimetre screen from a small sample is what we needed to see from Beluga-3. This result not only validates our new targeting strategy of testing kimberlite with a subtle magnetic signature but provides a new kimberlite body requiring a larger bulk sample," says Mark Kolebaba, president and chief executive officer of Diamonds North.
Weight 0.50 0.60 0.85 1.18 1.70
Kimberlite (t) Total (mm) (mm) (mm) (mm) (mm)
Beluga 3 6.7 126 12 67 37 9 1
The sample was designed to test Beluga-3 for larger stones before committing to a more costly bulk sample. The collection cost using the reverse-circulation drill was less than $200,000 compared with the use of a core drill which would have cost approximately $1-million. The recovery of a diamond on the 1.70-millimetre screen warrants the collection of a larger sample.
The company has successfully joint financed the development of a low-cost, lightweight, bulk-sampling drill that utilizes reverse circulation without percussion to reduce and or eliminate diamond breakage. Plans to mobilize the drill to Amaruk are being considered. Estimated collection cost with this drill rig is $10 per kilogram in contrast with core drilling which is approximately $150 per kilogram.
An 851-kilogram Kanguq kimberlite sample was also processed by dense media separation. No diamonds above the 0.5-millimetre mesh were recovered. It is important to note that while Kanguq kimberlite does not warrant further work, it represents a new kimberlite cluster on the property.
Drill chips were logged in secure facilities at the Amaruk field camp by geoscientists. Samples were sealed with security tags and shipped to Saskatchewan Research Council Laboratory (SRC) for processing by dense media separation. SRC is accredited by the Standards Council of Canada to the ISO/IEC Guide 25 standard for specific registered tests. As part of a continuing quality control and quality assurance program, Diamonds North will conduct reviews and audits of results.
Bruce Kienlen, PGeol, and Graham Gill, PGeo, are Diamonds North's qualified persons reviewing these projects. They are responsible for the design and conduct of the exploration programs and the verification and quality assurance of analytical results.
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