All four new kimberlite bodies (Renard 3 through 6) drill tested by Ashton Mining of Canada (ACA-T) and Soquem have returned both micro and macrodiamonds.
The targets all lie within a 1-km radius of the diamondiferous Renard 2 kimberlitic body on the 1,536-sq.-km Foxtrot property in the Otish Mountains region of north-central Quebec. Each body was tested by one hole angled at 50 from horizontal and one vertical or near-vertical hole.
A 101.2-kg sample from Renard 3 returned 9 macrodiamonds (at least 0.5 mm in one dimension) and 10 micros. The largest stone recovered measures 2.8 by 1.5 by 0.7 mm. The hole also returned more than 2,500 diamond fragments thought to represent the remains of at least two stones (> 3mm) damaged during microdiamond recovery.
The partners are currently processing another sample from Renard 3 with the aim of recovering larger stones.
A 102.1-kg sample derived from Renard 4 surrendered 14 macros and 21 micros. The largest diamond rang in at 2.5 by 2.1 by 0.9 mm.
At Renard 5, 20 macros and 15 micros were found in a 100.3-kg sample; the biggest had dimensions of 2.5 by 2 by 1.8 mm
At Renard 6, 100.6 kg of kimberlite yielded 6 macros and 25 micros with the largest being 1.2 by 1 by 0.8 mm.
The partners say the latest drilling indicates that each of the bodies may be smaller than the corresponding geophysical anomaly.
Analyst John Kaiser, publisher of the Bottom Fishing Report, suggests the Renard 3, 4 and 6 discoveries could range between 110 and 140 metres in diameter, with the potential for a combined resource of 7.9 million tonnes to a depth of 102 metres. Kaiser assumes the discovery holes were drilled in the centre of a circular geophysical anomaly and that the kimberlite bodies are pipes with near vertical walls. The Renard 5 body is a little more difficult to gauge, as the discovery and follow-up angle may have been drilled near the edge of the kimberlite. At worst, Renard 5 is a skinny pipe with a diameter of only 38 metres.
Ashton and Soquem jointly hold more than 3,800 sq. km of mineral permits in north-central Quebec.
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