Vancouver company announces Nunavut diamond find

by eyetee | September 15, 2008 12:00 am

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Coarse diamond size distribution in a sample taken from Nunavut’s Baffin Island may be the first inklings of an important new diamond find for Canada.

According to Vancouver-based Peregrine Diamonds, the six-hectare CH-1 kimberlite on the Chidliak property returned 190 diamonds larger than the 0.075-mm sieve size, including 12 diamonds larger than the 0.600-mm sieve size.

The company says it found a second outcropping kimberlite—CH-2—about 1.5 km from CH-1. The nearest known kimberlite to CH-1 and CH-2 is 700 km away.

Peregrine says the find—which was taken from cumulative samples of only 195 kg—indicates the potential for large commercial-size diamonds in CH-1 and possibly other kimberlites in the area.

The company says the discovery of two pipes bearing diamonds at this early stage is unusual, fuelling speculation the diamond potential at Chidliak is favourable.

Peregrine’s vice-president of exploration Peter Holmes said the company will focus heavily on Chidliak in 2009.

“The identification to date of over 65 kimberlite-type geophysical anomalies combined with the tonnage potential demonstrated by the first two kimberlite discoveries illustrates the superb diamond potential of this property,” he said.

“Further, geophysical anomalies associated with the best kimberlite indicator mineral chemistry on the property have yet to be tested.”

The samples were processed by caustic fusion at the Saskatchewan Research Council Geoanalytical Laboratories (SRC).

Both CH-1 and CH-2 are exposed at the surface, which will positively impact exploration and bulk sampling costs.

 

Source URL: https://www.jewellerybusiness.com/news/vancouver-company-announces-nunavut-diamond-find/

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