Again, Wilse, thanx for the great post! Just as a review, thought I'd copy in here the last couple lines from MMU's last NR:
mmu.simplenet.com
This discovery of primary crystalline igneous rock in the Chinchaga project forms part of a new diamond exploration thrust developed from the Chinchaga winter drill program data. This strategy is based on the exploration of primarily north-south expansion faults in the structurally dense Chinchaga area, modified by their relationship with a second set of expansion faults and a tightly packed third set of compression faults. The newly identified diamond carrier magma candidates are located near a major expansion fault that contains an adjacent elliptical feature. This feature, and others, will be sampled as part of an exploration program scheduled to start immediately.
(That fault adjacent "elliptical feature" = ... !)
- BTW, The above is strikingly similar to descriptions I've heard re. the ACA lands' fault system in AB, wherein they found their many diamondiferous kimberlites.
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Further,
a follow-up to Ashton's earlier posted paper (which can found here:
victoryventures.com ),
-Can be found here:
victoryventures.com
*"An Update on the Newly Emerging Diamondiferous Kimberlite Field in Western Canada"
(*the primary author, Mike Dufresne, is Marum's head field geologist, and the publication is by APEX Geoscience, Marum's field operations' delegate co.)
-See the discussion there re. AB vs. NWT diamond deposits, and economics thereof...
- Article excerpts:
Interestingly, one difference between the topographic expression of kimberlites in the Lac de Gras region, N.W.T. and Alberta, is that in Alberta several of the diatremes which have been found to date comprise low, but distinct positive topographic features, which is contrast to the majority of the Lac de Gras kimberlites that typically occur beneath lakes or in similar, covered depressions. The reason for this probably is that in the N.W.T. situation, the kimberlites are less resistant to glacial erosion compared to the surrounding Precambrian rocks, whereas in Alberta the kimberlites are more resistant in comparison to the typically surrounding Mesozoic shales and other thin-bedded sedimentary rocks.
As well, another difference may be the types and chemical signatures of indicator grains in Alberta. For example, although pyropic garnets have been found in several places in Alberta, G10 pyropic garnets are, to date, relatively rare; the reason for this is uncertain. Some of the indicator minerals which have been found to be useful in Alberta to indicate kimberlitic or other ultramafic diatremes, and particularly those that are potentially diamondiferous, include: chrome diopsides, eclogitic and pyropic garnets, omphacitic pyroxenes, chrome-rich picro chromites, picro ilmenites and chromian olivines. In short, the diamond indicator mineral chemistry data that currently are in the public domain are largely derived from South Africa or Australian kimberlitic or lamproitic diamondiferous diatreme fields, and these data may or may not be directly applicable to the Alberta situation, or there may exist some differences with respect to mineral grain chemistries in Alberta that still are favourably indicative of diamondiferous eclogitic or peridotitic mantle and kimberlitic or lamproitic diatremes.
-refer/ compare to some of MMU's past mineralogy reports from their AB exploration/ drill programs:
eg.,
mmu.simplenet.com
and others:
marumresources.com
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- lots more re. AB vs. NWT in the above linked Dufrense et al. article re. "Economic and Regulatory Considerations" etc. (i.e., sounding good for AB!)
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Lastly, from the article, re. methodology:
Exploration methods which to date have been successfully used in Alberta include: (a) detailed to semi-detailed airborne magnetometer surveys; (b) diamond indicator mineral sampling of selected surficial materials (mainly stream sediment and till heavy mineral concentrates); (c) interpretation of aerial photography and Landsat imagery to search for ‘circular' topographic or vegetation features; (d) more recently, digital elevation modelling of topographic data and re-interpretation of old and new seismic data are been used with success in some places; and, finally, (e) diamond drill testing of selected targets. The Ashton - Pure Gold - Alberta Energy joint venture, for example, initially discovered a total of 11 kimberlites by the drill testing of 10 selected, subtle, but definite, aeromagnetic anomalies..
-Marum has carefully been employing all the above methodology, and more yet...
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Work for Marum in the Chinchaga is getting underway, kids!
Best,
-j
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