Future possibilities...While reading the Stornoway write up in todays diamond news it occured to me that perhaps De Beers Canada may have made the same mistake with the Hardy Lake cluster that Rio Tinto did regarding the Renard Pipes...
Stornoway acquired Ashton Mining of Canada and the Renard claims and went on to prove the Renard pipe contained many more diamonds than originally were believed to be present...
From todays write up - The area surrounding Adamantin hosted a furious diamond promotion in the early 2000s, after Ashton Mining of Canada Inc. discovered the rich Renard pipes. (Stornoway acquired Ashton in 2007, when Ashton's majority shareholder, Rio Tinto PLC, decided Renard was too small to be of interest. Rio Tinto may regret that decision today, as Stornoway went on to discover many more diamonds than were previously thought to be present.) Mr. Manson is hoping his company has the same luck at Adamantin, as all the earlier explorers in the area either came up empty, or found a kimberlite or two with little or no diamond content. Going Forward - The Trex property hosts at least 8 known diamondiferous kimberlite pipes and one has increased in size since De Beers originally discovered it and the diamond content was higher when Majescor drilled the last two holes back in 2006. See below:
Jack Pine is the largest kimberlite on the T-Rex property with 500m north-south axis, and estimated surface area of 5 Ha. Majescor reports excellent mineral chemistry and significant diamond content at Jack Pine. | | Sample
Weight (kg) | Diamond Size (mm) | Stones
Per 20 kg |
| 1 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.212 | 0.15 | 0.104 | 0.074 | -0.074 | Total |
| Jack Pine | 436.26 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 42 | 89 | 248 | 177 | 572 | 26 |
(Source: De Beers Canada from Majescor Resources News Release, March 30, 2005) De Beers diamond results are not 43-101 compliant and do not conform to CIM diamond reporting standards. These results are considered relevant as De Beers is an industry leader in diamond exploration and diamond mining. In 2005 Majescor tested Jack Pine with two core holes and submitted 359.75 kg of kimberlite for microdiamond recovery. | | Sample
Weight (kg) | Diamond Sieve Size (mm) | Total
Per 20 kg |
| 0.425 | 0.300 | 0.212 | 0.150 | 0.106 | |
| Jack Pine | 359.75 | 2 | 6 | 25 | 80 | 186 | 299 |
(Source: Majescor Resources News Release, August 4, 2005, Processing by SRC) Majescor results are CIM and 43-101 compliant, and were completed by Saskatchewan Research Council, which is an ISO accredited laboratory. The largest diamond recovered from Majescor's Jack Pine drill program measured 0.78 x 0.70 x 0.52 mm.
- So there are a few questions to be answered on the T-Rex property
1. Are there richer phases in the Jack Pine kimberlite body and can it be expanded in size? Very possible...
2. Are there subtle magnetic targets in the area that could be drilled and possibly result in new kimberlite discoveries using modern methods? I think so...
3. Several indicator mineral trains on the property with no known kimberlite origin.
4. Is there one or more diamond bearing kimberlite yet to be discovered on the T-Rex property? I believe there is....Just need to raise the funds to carry out the exploration required.
Just something to think about while we wait for the Redemption news....
GLTA