Arctic Star's Arbutus Kimberlite Shows "Excellent Diamond Potential"
Vancouver, British Columbia -- October 3, 2022 -- NewsGenie -- Arctic Star Exploration Corp. has announced promising diamond indicator mineral (DIM) analysis from its Arbutus Kimberlite discovery at the Diagras project in the Northwest Territories. The analysis, conducted by C.F. Mineral Research Ltd., suggests the kimberlite has "excellent diamond potential."
According to Dr. Chuck Fipke, who created the Canadian diamond industry with his work leading to the Ekati diamond mine, the Arbutus Kimberlite exhibits some of the best chemistries he has observed. A 3kg sample was processed, revealing abundant indicators in relation to sample size. The lab compared the minerals to its global database of diamond inclusions, noting similarities.
Mr. Patrick Power, President of Arctic Star, highlighted the significance of indicator minerals in new kimberlite discoveries. Dr. Fipke's interpretation suggests the kimberlite is multi-phase, with one phase displaying superior chemistry. The chemistry is permissive for large diamonds.
Three core samples weighing less than 1kg each were submitted for analysis. A summary sheet detailed the recovered diamond indicators, classified by type. The presence of an asterisk (*) indicates that the indicator minerals match compositions of those included in diamonds or from diamond-bearing xenoliths, of which the C.F. Mineral Research database contains approximately 11,000 from global sources. The diversity of kimberlite indicators suggests the samples originate from different kimberlite phases.
One sample, DG-2022-09A, showed a particularly rich source of pyropes, along with diamond inclusion minerals from diamond-bearing chromite, Group 1 eclogite, and Lherzolite sources. Dr. Fipke noted that he had never encountered such a source. He expects the kimberlite phase of DG-2022-09A to be loaded with diamonds. The DG-2022-09A phase Di* indicator results are the best C.F. Mineral have ever encountered.
Mr. Buddy Doyle, VP Exploration for Arctic Star, said the company plans to drill more to define its size and get larger diamond samples.
The Diagras project is a joint venture between Arctic Star Exploration Corp. (81.5%) and Margaret Lake Diamonds Inc. (18.5%).