Early soil sampling at the Tabletop and Gunanya properties in the Pilbara region of Western Australia has yielded three microdiamonds.
Stockdale Prospecting, the Australian exploration unit of
Stockdale, which is exploring the property to earn a 51% interest from
The microdiamonds were in splits from the samples, weighing 3 to 4 kg. They had been digested using the conventional caustic-fusion process, which dissolves the host rock and leaves the resistant minerals.
Two of the micros came from Tabletop, where an earlier aeromagnetic survey had found four “bull’s-eye” style anomalies suggestive of pipe-like kimberlite bodies. The other came from Gunanya, where the same survey outlined three similar prospects.
The companies also gained a native title site clearance, allowing it to drill on the targets on the Tabletop property. This regulatory requirement obliges anyone planning intrusive site testing to have the site inspected by an anthropological team and representatives of aboriginal groups that may have a land claim on the area.
The site clearance, approved by leaders of the Kunawarritji and Cotton Creek communities, will permit drill testing on all the high-priority targets at Tabletop. To avoid the extreme summer heat, which starts in November, the partners plan to test 10 targets as soon as a drill becomes available. The program will consist of both reverse-circulation and air-core drilling, with holes 100-120 metres deep.
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