`Corridor’ yields two more pipes

The discovery of two new kimberlite pipes in the Northwest Territories lends credence to the theory that a major north-northwesterly trend dubbed the “corridor of hope” is associated with kimberlitic intrusions in the Lac de Gras diamond region.

Near the southern end of the trend, partners Kennecott Canada and DHK Resources nicked the edge of a kimberlite body on the WO block just south of Lac de Gras with their first hole. Collared on the lake ice above the Tli Kwi Cho twin anomaly, the NQ diameter (1.9″) hole returned 40 ft. of the potentially diamond-bearing rock before hitting host monzonite at 215 ft. A subsequent wide step-out hit the pipe at a depth of about 170 ft. and was still in kimberlite at press time.

About 80 miles to the northwest, Lytton Minerals (TSE) also reported a pipe intersection on its 1.1 million-acre claim group.

The stocks of all the participating juniors jumped on the day of the announcements, with Lytton adding 75 cents to $3.45 and Kettle River Resources (VSE) — part of the DHK syndicate — adding 40 cents to $4.40. At $3.50, Lytton’s market value is close to $300 million.

SouthernEra Resources (TSE), Aber Resources (TSE) and Commonwealth Resources (VSE), which hold interests in the WO claims, also gathered steam. The “corridor of hope,” a term coined by geologist Ed Schiller, refers to the zone between two pronounced dyke swarms that trend north-northwest through the Lac de Gras region. The Point Lake discovery lies within the trend, as do the seven kimberlite pipes intersected by the Aber-Commonwealth-SouthernEra team last year.

The kimberlites are thought to be related to the same structures that controlled the emplacement of the diabase dyke swarms. Most of the world’s major kimberlite fields occur along similar trends.

“We should have been able to predict Lac de Gras just by looking at the dyke swarms,” Schiller says.

The recent finds by Lytton and DHK bring to 19 the number of kimberlite pipes found in the Lac de Gras area to date. So far, 70%, or 13, of these are known to be diamond-bearing.

Estimates vary, but about 5,000 kimberlite bodies — including dykes and sills — have been found worldwide. About 500 of these are diamond-bearing, but only 50 (1%) have hosted economic diamond deposits.

The DHK rig will now be moved to the smaller of the two magnetic high targets on the twin Tli Kwi Cho anomaly.

Lytton, which remains tight-lipped about the specifics of its program, will continue drilling on the new kimberlite and other targets along the trend. The junior has staked an additional 5.8 million acres to the north, President Desmond Alexander says.

Meanwhile, SouthernEra reports that it will participate in the drilling of at least 50 kimberlite targets in the Lac de Gras area. Some of these drill targets lie on SouthernEra’s wholly-owned claims, including 500,000 acres recently staked. Others occur on joint venture properties such as the Tenby claim block, the Muskox lake block and the Fido claims shared with Lytton. — For more diamond exploration coverage, see Page 6.