Arctic Star's Arbutus Kimberlite Shows Promising Diamond Results
Vancouver, British Columbia -- September 14, 2022 -- NewsGenie -- Arctic Star Exploration Corp. has announced final caustic fusion diamond results from drill testing the Arbutus kimberlites at the Diagras Diamond Project. The Diagras project, a Joint Venture between Arctic Star (81.5%) and Margaret Lake Diamonds Inc. (18.5%), is located in the Lac de Gras diamond production district in the Northwest Territories.
The Arbutus results are the second-best to date among Arctic Star's discoveries at Diagras. Buddy Doyle, VP Exploration for Arctic Star, stated that the industry uses caustic fusion microdiamond results to determine if a kimberlite is diamond bearing, prioritizing further work based on stone frequency and size distribution.
Doyle noted the Arbutus kimberlite could be of economic interest if the trend of larger stone sizes continues. The lab reported 8 diamonds greater than 0.3mm, with varying colors and descriptions as aggregates or fragments. These stones are too small to be considered gem quality, as economic stones are >1.18mm in diameter.
| Kimberlite | 0.105 mm | 0.15 mm | 0.212 mm | 0.3 mm | 0.435 mm | 0.6 mm | 0.85 mm | 1.18 mm | Weight Kg | Total Stones | Stones/100kg |
| Sequoia | 282 | 117 | 39 | 23 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 505.3 | 499 | 99.8 |
| Arbutus | 29 | 19 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 143.05 | 61 | 43 |
| Birch | 10 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 141.5 | 29 | 20 |
| Alder | 3 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 223.72 | 14 | 6 |
| Cedar | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 90.6 | 1 | 1 |
A chain of custody protocol was used. Sample weights are dry weights. A total of 143.05 kg of half NQ core, from drill hole 8 and full core from drill hole 9 consisting of 18 samples weighing on average 7.9kg, where sent to the Saskatchewan Research Council laboratory, in Saskatoon. There they undergo a caustic fusion process where the samples are fused in kilns under heat for 24 hours to form a residue. The residue is then further chemically treated, the final product is then hand-picked for diamonds utilizing a microscope. Each sample is spiked with distinct artificial diamonds to ensure good recovery. The Laboratory is SCC accredited, (ISO/IEC 17025).
The Arbutus Kimberlite is adjacent to the Finlay kimberlite. The JV plans to test Finlay for diamonds. The JV awaits diamond results from the Spring drilling program on Sequoia and plans to continue exploring for new kimberlites on the property in 2023.
Buddy Doyle, a Geologist with over 30 years of experience, is the Qualified Person for this release.