Rockinghorse yields new kimberlite (July 17, 2001)

Kennecott Canada Exploration is readying its drill to sink a second hole into a newly discovered kimberlite body on Tahera‘s (TAH-T) joint-venture Rockinghorse property, 120 km northeast of its wholly owned Jericho project, which is 430 km northeast of Yellowknife.

The kimberlite, dubbed Anuri, was discovered near the head of a prominent kimberlite-indicator mineral train. The discovery hole, angled at 45, cut kimberlite from 71.4 to 260.7 metres down-hole (a true width of about 134 metres).

The second hole is aimed at providing a preliminary outline of the kimberlite body. Microdiamond analysis of the kimberlite drill core will be performed at Kennecott’s diamond laboratory in Thunder Bay, Ont. Preliminary results are expected in a week.

Under a revised joint-venture agreement, Kennecott, a division of Rio Tinto (RTP-N), can earn up to a 62.5% interest in Rockinghorse and the nearby Hood River property by funding discoveries to production.

Earlier this summer, exploration drilling on Rockinghorse uncovered a shallowly dipping kimberlite sill, dubbed Amaruq. Kennecott cut the sill with eight widely spaced holes over an area measuring 1,400 metres by 600 metres.

The sill varies between 0.1 metre and 2.5 metres in width. Microdiamond testing will be performed at Kennecott’s lab in Thunder Bay.

Last year, the Nanurjuk kimberlite, which was discovered at the southern end of the Rockinghorse claims, proved to be barren.