Deliniation drilling is enabling Archangel Diamond (AAD-V) to determine the economic viability of the Verkhotina diamond project in northwestern Russia.
To project is a 40-50 joint venture between Archangel and Russian state-owned Archangelskgeoldobycha, which have thus far tested 25% of a 40-ha magnetic anomaly. The remaining interest is held privately.
Twelve holes have been drilled on Pipe 441, which contains two distinct phases: a crater facies consisting of bedded sandstones and tuffaceous breccias, and a higher-grade kimberlite diatreme facies.
The crater facies extends over a 9-ha area and features an average grade of 0.44 carat per tonne, based on 7.9 tonnes of collected drill sample.
The diatreme covers more than 6 ha, extending at least 320 metres east to west and 200 metres north to south. Its boundaries appear to be limited to the north and south but is open to the east and west.
Based on the 5.1 tonnes of sample processed to date, the diatreme has a preliminary grade of 1.53 carats.
The most recent hole was collared 80 metres south of hole 48 and 80 metres west of hole 49. It intersected the crater facies at a depth of 71 metres and the diatreme at 175 metres and was last reported to have reached a depth of 235 metres.
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