Mixed results at Alluviaq Fjord

Despite recovering some commercial-size stones from the Torngat 1 dyke in the Alluviaq Fjord area of northern Quebec, Twin Mining‘s most recent surface sampling would seem to confirm the structure’s low grade.

Three mini-bulk samples totalling 341.6-tonnes were collected last summer from different sections of an excavation on the dyke. The excavation measures 65 metres long and up to 7 metres deep. A 13.12-carat parcel of diamonds larger than 1 mm indicated a preliminary grade of 0.038 carat per tonne, or 3.8 carats per 100 tonnes.

The parcel consisted of 1,548 diamonds. Each of the two largest stones exceeded half a carat, with one weighing 0.566 carat (4.97 by 3.87 by 3.4 mm) and the other, 0.685 carat (4.6 by 4.2 by 3.54 mm).

In addition, Twin collected 50-kg grab samples at roughly 400-metre intervals along 37 km of cumulative strike length of the Torngat dyke system. The sampled widths measured up to 4 metres and averaged 1-2 metres throughout the mapped length. This work has highlighted a 4.5-km section in the Torngat North area, where four samples yielded the following results:

– Grab 7571 yielded nine micros and four macros weighing 0.014 carat from 24 kg of sample (a macro is defined as exceeding 0.5 mm in at least one dimension).

– Grab 7573 yielded 30 micros and two macros weighing 0.006 carat from 24 kg.

– Grab 7587 yielded 11 micros and four macros weighing 0.021 carat from 24 kg.

– Grab 8466 yielded 41 micros and four macros weighing 0.009 carat from 48.57 kg.

The largest stone recovered from the four grab samples was a fragment measuring 1.85 by 1.25 by 1.07 mm.

Last March, Dumont Nickel (DNI-V) received disappointing microdiamond results from surface sampling on its property holdings in the Torngat area, where 33 dykes had been found. Last summer, the company collected 26 samples weighing 50-kg each, including eight from a property jointly held with Marum Resources (MMU-V).

All but four samples were barren, and those four, which came from Dumont’s wholly owned property, contained only a single micro each.