Afridi drilling meets early success

The first hole sunk by Yellowknife’s Titan Drilling has cut kimberlite on the Afridi Lake property in the Northwest Territories.

Hole AL02-02 was designed to test a thumbprint-shaped electromagnetic anomaly immediately west of the diamondiferous DA-2 kimberlite discovered in 1996. The hole, angled ay minus 50, cut kimberlite at depths between 78 and 140.2 metres; it was terminated at 160.9 metres while in metasediments. Following logging of the core, samples will be sent to the Saskatchewan Research Council for microdiamond analysis.

The drill rig is on its way to test a gravity anomaly, at a prominent structural intersection, 750 metres to the east and about 350 metres east of the DA-3 kimberlite.

The drilling is part of a program designed to test up to ten kimberlite targets at Afridi Lake. The targets were outlined by a previous airborne and ground geophysical survey.

The diamondiferous DA-1, 2 and 3 kimberlites were discovered in early 1996. The largest stone recovered from the three kimberlites came from DA-3; the dodecahedral fragment measures 1.12 by 0.83 by 0.24 mm.

Mantle Resources (MIN-V) owns an undivided 100% interest in the 200-sq.-km property. Earlier this month, Shear Minerals (SRM-V), Dasher Energy (DHR-V) and International Samuel Exploration (SAZ-V) inked a deal to earn a quarter-interest in the property by collectively expending $250,000 on exploration and converting selected mineral claims to mineral leases.

The three will also issue 100,000 shares each to Mantle for any diamondiferous kimberlite intrusion discovered on the property to a maximum of three. So far, Mantle Resources has turned four variably diamondiferous, but presently uneconomic, kimberlite intrusions.

The property is situated about 320 km northeast of Yellowknife, within the prolific Lac de Gras kimberlite field, which plays host to the Ekati and Diavik mines.