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North Arrow began exploring kimberlite trains on new properties acquired in the Kivalliq and Baffin regions using an airborne magnetic survey. Flown by contractor Tundra Airborne Surveys in Ontario, the Diamond DA-42 Twin Star is a state-of-the-art, composite aircraft outfitted with wing tip pods for the magnetometers and a nose stinger for a VLF-EM receiver. - photo courtesy of John Charlton |
Airplanes and kimberlite trains North Arrow looking for diamond indicators after acquiring new properties
Daron Letts
Northern News Services
Published Monday, August 12, 2013
NWT/NUNAVUT
North Arrow Minerals Inc. has had a plane in the air for the past several weeks near Chesterfield Inlet and Hall Beach in search of kimberlite trains.
The British Columbia-based junior exploration company acquired two kimberlite projects in the Baffin and Kivalliq regions last month as part of its new focus on hunting for Northern diamonds.
"The North is an area where there's been a real history of successful diamond exploration in Canada and it's a good place to be exploring," said Ken Armstrong, North Arrow president and CEO. "With the general lack of diamond exploration activity - exploration activity in general, but diamond exploration activity, as well - we're just looking to take advantage of the fact that there are public data sets and information out there that indicate there are unexplained targets and areas that we think are quite prospective in the North."
North Arrow's new properties include the Mel project, which consists of approximately 74,057 hectares on the Melville Peninsula, located 140 kilometres south of Hall Beach, and the Luxx project, which consists of approximately 40,468 hectares on tidewater 60 km from Chesterfield Inlet.
Unexplained kimberlite indicator mineral trains have been documented by past exploration activity in each region, according to public data filed with the federal government in accordance with the Nunavut and Northwest Territories Mining Regulations.
Stornoway Diamond Corporation filed results of work done in the Mel area as part of its Aviat project on the Melville Peninsula. Shear Minerals Ltd. filed results of work done in the Luxx area as part of a large exploration program in the region associated with its Churchill Diamond Project to the south.
"There could still very well be some undiscovered kimberlite in those localities," Armstrong said. "So, it's taking advantage of that public information to identify areas that we believe still are prospective for the discovery of new kimberlites and, ideally, diamondiferous kimberlites."
Mel, which is 210 kilometres northeast of North Arrow's Qilalugaq diamond project near Repulse Bay, is located within 10 km of tidewater and contains two kimberlite trains defined from more than 500 till samples recorded in Stornoway's public assessment files, according to Armstrong. Luxx contains at least one kimberlite train, defined from more than 350 till samples in public assessment records filed by Shear, located within 20 km of the Churchill kimberlite cluster.
North Arrow began exploring both properties last month using an airborne magnetic survey, flown by contractor Tundra Airborne Surveys out of Ontario. The collection and preliminary analysis of the data should be complete soon, Armstrong said, adding the company will follow up with till sampling to confirm and better define the composition of kimberlite indicator minerals.
The purchase and sale of each property is subject to the receipt by North Arrow of all necessary regulatory approvals, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.
In addition to the Mel, Luxx and Qilalugaq projects in Nunavut, North Arrow is exploring two diamond sites in the NWT's Lac de Gras region. The company's Lac de Gras project, located 290-km northeast of Yellowknife and within 10 km of Diavik diamond mine, is currently the site of a $1.3-million overburden drilling program being operated and funded by Dominion Diamond Corporation. The company's Redemption project is located 32-km southwest of Ekati Diamond Mine and 47 km west of Diavik Diamond Mine. The company has ongoing diamond projects in Saskatchewan and Ontario, as well.
The company also maintains a number of gold, base metal and lithium properties, including the Anialik project, located approximately 170 km southeast of Kugluktuk; the Bamako project, located approximately 190 km southeast of Kugluktuk; the Contwoyto project, located near the past-producing Lupin gold mine in western Nunavut, approximately 400 km north of Yellowknife; the Hope Bay ORO project, located approximately five kilometres north of Hope Bay Mining Ltd's new Doris North gold mine and 725 km north of Yellowknife; and the Phoenix project, located approximately 70 km southeast of the Diavik Diamond Mine in the NWT.
Formed in 2007, North Arrow has been exploring in the North for 16 years. Last year, the company pursued gold and copper projects in Chile, which did not work out, Armstrong said.
"We basically reorganized the company in the early part of this year to turn it into a diamond-focused company," he added.
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