Kennecott Canada Exploration has recovered a small amount of diamonds from the Phoenix kimberlite body in northeastern Alberta. Phoenix is the first of five kimberlites discovered to date on the Legend property.
Caustic fusion analysis on 380 kg of drill core yielded five stones. Two of the diamonds are classified as macros, that is, with at least one dimension measuring greater than 0.5 mm. However, all of the stones passed through a 0.5-mm square sieve.
Buddy Doyle, exploration manager of the North American diamonds division of Kennecott, says the preliminary results demonstrate that diamonds are present in the lithosphere beneath the Legend kimberlite field.
Kennecott, a division of London-based
Kennecott plans to identify through drilling as many kimberlites as possible, which the company hopes will enhance its chances of intercepting a potential economic one. Specific drilling plans have yet to be determined.
In recent work, Kennecott pulled 71.8 metres of kimberlite core from the Valkyrie target, starting at a depth of 129.2 metres, before shutting the hole down while still in the rock unit.
Kennecott intersected its fifth kimberlite body while drilling the Pegasus target, a magnetic high geophysical anomaly measuring 400 by 300 metres. Kimberlite was encountered at a much shallower depth of 83 metres. The hole was still in progress at presstime.
Preliminary heavy mineral analysis of the Phoenix and Roc kimberlites has shown abundant olivine and ilmenite, whereas clinopyroxene has been confirmed in the Dragon kimberlite. Unlike Phoenix and Roc, which are mag highs, Dragon is represented by a subtle low geophysical response.
Microdiamond results from the Roc and Dragon bodies are expected in the coming weeks.
With the onset of winter conditions and reduced daylight, Kennecott has decided to test only two more targets — Xena and Legend — before calling it quits for the year. The company says it will resume drilling in early 1999, relying on ground-support instead of helicopter-support.
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