DIAMOND PAGE — Another kimberlite found at Victoria Island

Monopros has intersected a fifth kimberlite at the Victoria Island diamond project in the Northwest Territories.

The De Beers Consolidated Mines (DBRS-Q) subsidiary can earn a 51% interest in the 809,360-ha project by spending $2 million on exploration, after which Ascot Resources (AOT-V) and Major General Resources (MGJ-V) will each hold a 24.5% share.

Monopros has focused on the northern end of the Victoria Island property, where previous sampling returned high counts of garnets. Work on the property dates back to 1994, when Ascot completed an airborne magnetic survey and conducted a reconnaissance till-sampling program. A 20-kg till sample collected from the north end of the property yielded more than 300 garnets, including many G9 garnets and and a number of G10s.

Follow-up, tightly-spaced sampling around this sample returned high counts of garnets in five additional samples. At a recent presentation, Bernard Kahlert, senior technical advisor and director of Major General, said the garnets had rough edges, which indicates they haven’t travelled far.

Detailed geophysical work in the north end revealed a series of magnetic highs.

Reconnaissance till sampling revealed one or two indicator minerals at a number of sites in the southern portion of the property.

The glaciation history on the property is complex, with evidence of at least three variable directions.

In 1997, Major General hired diamond consultant George Read to re-evaluate the indicator-mineral chemistry, which comprised a high proportion of garnets and a lesser amount of chromites, ilmenites and olivines.

While the garnet geochemistry differs from that of the well-developed Ekati and Diavik projects near Lac de Gras, it compares favorably with the Jericho project of Lytton Minerals and New Indigo Resources. Both peridotitic and eclogitic garnets are present, suggesting the kimberlite has sampled an eclogitic mantle.

The presence of G10 and high-chromite G9 garnets suggests the mantle is diamondiferous. As well, the garnet nickel-thermometry suggests a cool cratonic geotherm, which is necessary for diamonds to be present in the mantle.

Ascot and Major General entered into a joint-venture agreement with Monopros earlier this year. Monopros is reported to have made a number of diamondiferous kimberlite discoveries within tens of kilometres of the northern boundary of the Victoria Island property.

The airborne magnetic survey and geochemical data were re-interpreted by Monopros, which identified several high-priority anomalies close to the indicator mineral occurrences.

Using a compact, 2,000-lb. percussion drill rig to test both land and lake-based targets, Monopros commenced drilling in June and intersected kimberlite in the very first hole. Thus far, five of eight targets tested have been revealed to be kimberlites. All of the discoveries lie within an area roughly 7 km in diameter.

Monopros hit kimberlite at an average depth of 20 metres in the holes.

A 300-kg sample is being collected from each kimberlite and shipped to De Beers Laboratories in South Africa for microdiamond and indicator-mineral analysis. Once the samples have left the property, an 8-week turnaround on results is expected.

Several additional lake-based geophysical targets remain to be tested.

Monopros field crews are currently ground-checking a dozen geophysical and indicator-mineral anomalies. That work involves geological mapping, till sampling and geophysical surveys.