PEOPLE — ARGOSY — Morris Beattie appointed vice-president

Toronto-listed Aber Resources has encountered a visible diamond in drill core from hole A154-9, at a vertical depth of 55 metres.

Aber and 60% partner Kennecott are drill-testing the A154 diamond pipe on their Diavik claims near Lac de Gras, N.W.T.

The joint venture drilled two holes from the ice in May and has completed an additional seven holes since drilling resumed in mid-September from a barge-mounted rig. Four of the seven holes encountered kimberlite, one hit granite and the other two were abandoned near surface because of drilling problems.

The diamond encountered in A154-9 is described as a clear, colorless octahedron which appears to have been sheared in half by the drill bit. The full stone is estimated to weigh about half a carat.

Results from drill core analysis at Lakefield Research are not yet available, although the company reports that initial results from A154-3 indicate that the samples processed to date are diamondiferous.

A154-3 is 250 metres north of discovery hole A154-2, which returned 894 microdiamonds and 402 macrodiamonds (the largest of which weighed 1.75 carats).

Additional drilling is required to determine the size and shape of the pipe or pipes at the A154 site. This work will resume in late November, after freeze-up.

Saskatchewan

* In the Fort a la Corne region, Kimmswick Diamonds (a wholly owned subsidiary of Alberta-listed Aaron Oil) and Rhonda Mining (ASE) have identified four distinct and separate rock units with heavy mineral and diamond concentrations.

The flat-lying sandstone units occur within a 50-metre sequence of Middle Cretaceous interbedded shales, siltstones and sandstones. The diamond indicator minerals and mineralogy of the sandstone units indicate that they were derived from kimberlites that erupted into a shallow Cretaceous sea. This sequence of sedimentary rocks has become the principal focus of the Kimmswick-Rhonda program.

The regional setting of the Fort a la Corne kimberlites and their associated heavy mineral sands is said to resemble the sedimentary diamond deposits that have been mined extensively in the Yakutia region of Siberia. Kensington Resources (VSE) has signed a deal with Kimmswick and Rhonda to earn a half interest in the project by funding up to $3 million in exploration and issuing up to 1 million shares.

Upon receiving regulatory approval, Kensington plans to undertake a drill program to evaluate prospective targets.

Overseas

* Cliff Resources (TSE) reports that the 1994 drilling program has wound down on the Phillips Range joint venture in Western Australia.

Thirty-four small-diameter holes, totaling 4,056 metres, were drilled in the North, Central and Southern lobes of the Aries kimberlite. Results from the small-diameter program are being compiled.

A wide-diameter program on the North Lobe was carried out in early October. The first hole was drilled at 153 metres, and the second was drilled to a final depth of 151.5 metres. About 670 tonnes of kimberlite and kimberlite breccia were collected and, to date, 290 tonnes have been processed. The remaining 380 tonnes should be processed by the end of November. Cliff has provided funding to the tune of A$4.2-million since the inception of the Phillips Range joint venture in mid-1993. Cliff has earned a 30% interest in the venture.