DIAMOND EXPLORATION INC. : http://www.diamondexplorationinc.com/ : QwikReport
Sahtu Project
In 2005, Patrician Diamonds, the predecessor company to Diamond Exploration Inc., acquired approximately 350,000 acres in nine prospecting permits the Sahtu District of the Northwest Territories. Area selection was based on anomalous magnetic features that had been delineated by a Geological Survey of Canada regional airborne magnetic survey. Also, Patrician's geologists had deemed the area to be prospective for kimberlites because De Beers reported finding a population of peridotitic and eclogitic garnets having minor kelyphitic textures in stream sediments and tills north of the Sahtu Property.
In mid-summer 2005, Patrician contracted McPhar Geosurveys Ltd. to conduct an airborne magnetic survey over the Sahtu Property. The survey delineated several attractive magnetic anomalies that appeared to be caused by near-surface bedrock features, possibly kimberlites. The features occur as a series of discrete anomalies along two apparent structural corridors and range in size from a few hectares to several tens of hectares. They are both sub-circular and dyke-like.
In 2006, a small helicopter-portable auger drill under contract from Geochem Surveys of Edmonton, Alberta was used to provide a preliminary assessment of twelve magnetic anomalies. A small sample of ultramafic intrusive breccia was obtained from the Hillside anomaly and identified by petrographic study as a kimberlite. Of the other anomalies that were evaluated, the six largest and more magnetic were in areas of relatively thick glacial till, ranging from in excess of ten metres to more than 33 metres, and the small drill did not penetrate to bedrock. Four magnetically weak targets were tested in the southern part of the property where till thickness ranged from 2.0 metres to 5.0 metres. Bedrock comprised semi-consolidated mudstones.
In 2008, the first phase of core drilling to test airborne magnetic targets on the Doctor Lake Project was completed. The work was done by Cabo Pacific Drilling Corp utilizing a fly-configured Atlas Copco B-20 core drill. One hole was completed to test the Hillside Diatreme, recovering approximately 400 kilograms of kimberlite core. Three holes were drilled to evaluate magnetic targets in the central and northern parts of the project area. Depths of the holes ranged from 60 to 220 metres. The holes intersected compact, poorly-lithified mudstone. Overlying glacial till was between 18 metres and 30 metres thick. The mudstone was medium brownish grey in colour, massive and non-bedded. None of the material recovered in the drill holes appeared to be magnetic and the causes of the magnetic anomalies are unexplained at this time.
The core hole on the Hillside Kimberlite was located in the south-central part of the anomaly. It was drilled vertically, collared in bedrock at 6 metres and was terminated at a depth of 130 metres. Kimberlite was intersected from the bedrock surface to 110 metres. The kimberlite is massive, medium to dark grey, with less than 10 per cent unaltered limestone xenoliths. It is interpreted to be tuffisitic kimberlite breccia. The hole ended in massive, light grey limestone. The core was processed by caustic fusion at the SRC Analytical Laboratories in Saskatoon, SK. Six microdiamonds in the 0.106 mm to 0.150 mm size range were recovered from samples 001 to 005 collected from the upper part of the kimberlite. These samples had a total weight of 111.5 kilograms and were from the first 70m of core. Samples 006 to 008 from lower in the hole near the edge of the kimberlite had an aggregate weight of 61.1 kilograms and contained no diamonds.
The company's management is very encouraged with these results. They confirm that Hillside is diamond bearing and suggest that other kimberlite targets may have good diamond potential. Hillside is the first reported diamond-bearing kimberlite discovered in the region west of Great Bear Lake. The company's technical team is currently evaluating data from this phase of drilling and other geophysical targets are being prioritized. Follow-up drilling in the spring of 2009 is being considered to evaluate these other targets and to test other parts of the Hillside Kimberlite.