Southernera's Canadian Exploration (other exploration regions follow)
southernera.com
Overview
The Company's Canadian exploration efforts have been focused in the Slave Craton region of the Northwest Territories (map). SouthernEra holds various participation interests in project areas within the Lac de Gras and Southern Kimberlite Field. These projects include Back Lake, Misty Lake, WO Claim Block, Commonwealth Claim Block, Yamba Lake, Monument, Kidme Claim Block and Lac de Gras.
During 2000, SouthernEra expanded its Canadian exploration program by entering into participation interest agreements on properties within the Superior Craton region, Ontario. The Company has a 60% participation interest in the Domi Project and a 100% interest in both the Majestic and Crown Projects.
The majority of the Company's exploration projects are at a drill testing stage based upon the results of kimberlitic indicator mineral sampling and airborne geophysics.
Northwest Territories
SouthernEra has continued its exploration in the Southern Kimberlite Field, host to 14 identified kimberlite bodies. Two new kimberlitic indicator mineral trains were defined in the Back Lake Project area during 2001 and 2002. SouthernEra has a 60.4% interest in the project. An airborne geophysical survey (1,453 line-km) covering the two mineral trains was completed in July 2002 and identified 12 high-interest geophysical targets as possible kimberlite sources. The exploration program planned for 2003 includes follow-up ground geophysical surveys and drilling of positive targets, as well as till sampling of other areas of the property for kimberlitic indicator minerals.
SouthernEra currently holds a 60% participation interest in the Misty Lake Project located within the Southern Kimberlite Field. During 2002, ground geophysical surveys tested 13 of the 18 identified kimberlite airborne targets, the results of which showed that four of the targets warrant diamond drilling. Drill testing and investigation of the remaining five airborne targets will be completed during 2003.
Within the Lac de Gras field, one new kimberlite pipe (WO9) was discovered in the WO Claim Block returning positive microdiamond results during 2002. During 2003, additional holes will further test the pipe to retrieve a more representative sample for diamond testing and a further 15 airborne gravity kimberlite targets will be drill tested. SouthernEra holds a 10% interest in Diavik's Commonwealth Claims, where mini-bulk sampling of two kimberlite pipes was completed during 2002.
The Yamba Lake Project is located approximately 40km north of the Ekati Diamond Mine. In 1993 and 1994, five kimberlites (Torrie, Sputnik, Sue, Eddie and Ptarmigan) were discovered on the property and a sixth kimberlite (T-10) was discovered in 1997. During 2000 and 2001, ground geophysical surveys and drilling by SouthernEra led to the discovery of a kimberlite dyke, the S141 pipe and the Ptarmigan satellite pipe. Six of the thirteen boreholes drilled during 2002 sampled the Sue, Sputnik and Eddie kimberlite pipes. Results from the Sue kimberlite pipe were encouraging and the Company is planning the next sampling phase on Sue for 2003. Further ground geophysical surveys and till sampling will be conducted during 2003 to follow up on other targets identified by airborne geophysical surveys. SouthernEra has the option to earn a 60% undivided interest in the property by completing a Bankable Feasibility Study before December 31, 2006.
Ontario
The Superior Craton is the largest craton in the world covering much of Northern Ontario and Quebec, an area almost six times as large as the Slave Craton. Already it has proven to host potentially economic pipes such as the Victor pipe of De Beers, undergoing advanced feasibility studies.
SouthernEra currently has three advanced projects: Domi, Majestic and Crown, the selection of which was based upon the positive identification of high-interest kimberlite pipe-like geophysical targets. Target selection was defined from private and public airborne surveys, as well as the coincident occurrence of positive kimberlitic indicator mineral results returned from stream and till sampling, conducted internally by SouthernEra and programs released by the Ontario and federal governments.
To date, SouthernEra has staked over 25,000ha of land that covers more than 200 airborne geophysical anomalies and has collected over 2,500 till and stream sediment samples of local and regional coverage.
Following the completion of a 6,000 line-km airborne survey by SouthernEra and the release of a 105,000 line-km Ontario and federal government survey in northern Ontario during 2001, SouthernEra secures the 100% owned Crown and Majestic projects that cover a interest search area of 120,000km². On both projects, regional and local target sampling have been conducted, the Crown project being extensively sampled in the summer of 2002. A total of 34 airborne geophysical targets have been further evaluated with ground geophysics, 16 of which warrant further work prior to drilling during 2003. Currently, airborne targets in the Majestic project are being evaluated and down ice sampling is being carried out.
At the Domi project, joint venture with Freewest and Sparton (60% SUF), 18 high-priority airborne geophysical targets indicative of kimberlite pipe intrusions were staked during 2000. This was followed up with detailed helicopter airborne surveys. Till and stream samples were collected down ice of the targets in the summers of 2001 and 2002. Based on the detailed survey an sample results, three of the targets remain high priority.
The focus for 2003 is to continue advancing airborne targets for selection of drill testing, complete the drill testing in addition to conducting regional exploration as part of ongoing project generation.
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South Africa
SouthernEra has a portfolio of 12 diamond exploration projects in South Africa. The most advanced of these is the Mooikloof Diamond Project located in the Limpopo Province.
The Mooikloof project, containing the Mooikloof kimberlite pipe, is located some 10km to the west of the Oaks Diamond Mine of De Beers. A ground geophysical survey over a kimberlitic indicator anomaly west of the Mooikloof pipe was completed in 2002, the results of which strongly indicate that another kimberlite body occurs in the Mooikloof project. This target will be drilled during 2003.
Progress continues on SouthernEra's regional exploration programs in South Africa.
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Australia
The Yilgarn Diamond Project is a joint venture (JV) with Caldera Resources Inc., located within the Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia (map). The exploration licences cover more than 1,350km² of ground prospective for diamondiferous kimberlites. During 2001, the JV drill tested 16 targets, selected from the infill magnetic survey, resulting in the discovery of the Rason kimberlite and lamproite field hosting 11 pipes. An infill aeromagnetic survey, covering a further 22 prospective anomalies, was completed in February 2002. Of these, nine targets were drilled which intersected ultramafic rock with either olivine lamproite or kimberlitic affinities.
Following the discovery of the Rason kimberite field by the JV, the exploration program was expanded during 2002 to explore for diamonds within known kimberlite provinces, as well as targeting new areas identified and selected based on reprocessing of approximately 132,000km² of purchased aeromagnetic data and the assessment of regional exploration data. Positive kimberlitic indicator mineral and geochemical results have been obtained from some of the loam samples collected during 2002 from selected aeromagnetic anomalies and confirm the potential for the discovery of economic kimberlite bodies within the expansion program areas.
A total of 7,600 line-km high-resolution aeromagnetic surveys will be completed in February 2003 within the expanded project to advance selected priority kimberlite targets to the drill stage.
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Gabon
The Company commenced exploration in Gabon during 1999 based on the favourable geological environment to host significant primary diamond deposits in conjunction with the stable socio-economic and political climate.
In February 2000, SouthernEra was granted three exclusive "permis de recherche" to explore for diamonds in Gabon (map). These rights to the three zones, namely Nord, Kango, and Sud, have been subsequently renewed for a second three-year period.
In July 2001, the rights to a fourth area, Mbigou, were secured and, in July 2002, SouthernEra entered into a joint venture (JV) agreement with COGEMAT to explore their Makongonio permit area. In addition, SouthernEra has one exclusive "permis de recherche" and one "autorisation de prospection" for precious metals.
Prospecting results to date have identified zones of kimberlite potential in the Kango, Sud, Mbigou and Makongonio permit areas. A 42,000 line-km airborne geophysical survey to fast-track diamond discovery commenced during 2002 and will be completed during 2003.
The diamond exploration program proposed for 2003 will focus on follow-up within the COGEMAT Makongonio JV area, Kango, Mbigou, and Sud, where indications point to local kimberlitic sources. This will include drill testing of kimberlitic targets selected from the airborne survey.
To view a presentation about this project, click here
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