Kennecott expands potential of Anuri

The first hole of a spring drilling campaign on the Rockinghorse property in Nunavut has expanded the tonnage potential of the highly diamondiferous Anuri pipe. The project is in the Coronation Gulf district.

Kennecott Canada Exploration, a division of Rio Tinto (RTP-N), collared the hole near the centre of the Anuri kimberlite. The hole was drilled to a down-hole depth of 254 metres and, with the exception of the first 40 metres of overburden, remained in kimberlite over its entire length. Core samples will be tested for microdiamonds at Kennecott’s Thunder Bay laboratory.

Kennecott can earn a 62.5% interest in the project from Tahera (TAH-T) by funding all costs through to completion of a bankable feasibility study. The joint venture covers more than 1,500 sq. km of mineral claims.

Anuri was discovered last summer at the head of a prominent, 15-km-long indicator mineral anomaly in the northern bay of Napaktulik Lake, 50 metres from shore. In total, 600 microdiamonds and 337 macros were recovered from 656 kg of processed kimberlite core. A macro is defined here as exceeding 0.5 mm in at least one dimension. Sixty-one of the macros were larger than 0.5 mm in two dimensions, and nine of the stones exceeded 1 mm in two dimensions. The largest diamond recovered weighed three-quarters of a carat.

Kennecott then discovered a second kimberlite body, immediately east of Anuri. Drilled from the shore at an angle of minus 45, the discovery hole intercepted 36 metres of kimberlite at a down-hole depth of 294-330 metres. Microdiamond analysis on 129.4 kg of core from Anuri East recovered 75 micros and 34 macros, including five diamonds greater than 0.5 mm in two dimensions and a single stone exceeding 1 mm square mesh.

Based on geophysics and the recent drill hole, Anuri and Anuri East are now interpreted to coalesce in the upper region. The upper part of the kimberlite is now believed to measure 180 by 300 metres, whereas an earlier estimate was 140 by 125 metres.

Kennecott will next test a 200-metre-long electromagnetic target that extends to the southeast of Anuri East. During the current campaign, some 15-20 targets will be tested.

Meanwhile, the company is also preparing to begin exploration drilling on Tahera’s Jericho project, 120 km southeast of Rockinghorse. At least 20 targets will be tested. Kennecott will have the option of incorporating Jericho into the existing joint venture with Tahera.