Found this posted on NNA site, KRR own 10%I was just browsing thru some of the Monument property's history and thought I'd post this in case --like me-- others had forgotten these details. It comes from an article by Will Purcell in 'Street Wire', July 14, 2005, available at https://www.nadina.com/
In readig it I was surprised to discover that Kennecott believed DD-17 compared favourably with many of the best pipes of that era (including four rich Diavik pipes) and that the pipe had considerable size potential. After the fiasco of mid-1994 it's taken until now to re-discover what's there. When will the results of the samples be known?
Here are Purcell's comments:
"... In its earlier program, Kennecott produced 44 diamonds from about 230 kilograms of DD-42 kimberlite, which works out to a bit less than 200 stones per tonne.
That is a modest tally, but there were some hints of hope in the result. Kennecott used a larger minimum sieve for its diamond recoveries, and the 0.15-millimetre cut-off undoubtedly lowered the diamond haul significantly. Most other explorers use a screens measuring 0.10-millimetre, or even smaller.
There was a sign of sparkle in the size distribution of the small DD-42 parcel. Nine of Kennecott's diamonds were macros, and the 0.26-to-1 ratio came close to some of the better early finds in Canada's North. The now obsolete standard can be misleading, but it does leave open the possibility that DD-42 could contain some larger diamonds.
Further, there were signs of variability in the Kennecott tests. One batch of kimberlite delivered just four micros from 83 kilograms of material, or about 50 stones per tonne. That hole probably tested a fringe of DD-42, and possibly an offshoot of the main pipe.
Meanwhile, the main hit on DD-42 yielded 40 stones from 146 kilograms of kimberlite, or about 275 stones per tonne. That material had a macrodiamond ratio of nearly 0.3-to-1. Those numbers seem at least mildly promising...."
" Kennecott saw enough promise that it collected nearly 950 kilograms of kimberlite from several drill holes, coming up with 188 diamonds for its trouble. That worked out to about 200 stones per tonne, a rate somewhat higher than DD-42 delivered.
"There were 54 macrodiamonds in the DD-17 parcel, and that suggested a ratio of just over 0.4-to-1. That value was better than DD-17 delivered and compared well with many of the better finds of the era, including Tli Kwi Cho and two of the four rich Diavik pipes.
"The latter two bodies delivered huge grades and the two other Diavik pipes topped those values, prompting Kennecott to forget about DD-17 and the other Monument pipes. The body did have Kennecott musing about collecting a mini-bulk sample early in 1994, but the Tli Kwi Cho bust likely soured the company on all of its lesser plays.
There were encouraging signs from DD-17. After several holes, Kennecott said the pipe had considerable size potential. One hole, drilled at a 45-degree angle, yielded over 150 metres of core. The early work revealed a significant mineral train trailing away from DD-17, and the mineral swath was one of the longest and strongest found on the old DHK properties.
The Monument partners reviewed the old data and came to an encouraging conclusion. There was a toutable proportion of G-10 garnets within the array of pyropes, and the indicator minerals included a small eclogitic garnet component. That heightens the interest of New Nadina and its partners in the old find.
Unfortunately, much of the old details are missing or flawed, leaving New Nadina, Archon and SouthernEra to start almost from scratch. Ms. Clements said that the old diamond parcel was unavailable and a lot of the old Kennecott information was not easily accessible...."