공시 • Jul 29
North Arrow Reports Bulk Sample Results from Naujaat Diamond Project, Nunavut
North Arrow Minerals Inc. reported final diamond recoveries from a 1,823.6 dry tonne bulk sample collected in 2021 from the Q1-4 diamond deposit at the Naujaat Diamond Project, Nunavut. Today’s results, representing the final 30% (498 dry tonnes) of the bulk sample, are entirely from the A88 unit of the Q1-4 deposit and follow results from the initial 70% (1,326 dry tonnes) of the sample that were previously reported on April 26, 2022. The 2021 bulk sample consists of 2,500 sample bags (1,823.6 dry tonnes) collected from three sample pits (Pits B, D, & E) at the multiphase Q1-4 kimberlite, located just seven kilometres from the project laydown near the Hamlet of Naujaat. The sample was divided into five subsamples for processing purposes. The new results reported are from 498 dry tonnes (701 bags) collected from the A88 unit (Pit E, approximately 280m southwest of Pit D). Results from the first four subsamples from Pits B and D within the A28 unit (1,316 dry tonnes). Diamond results are reported with a bottom sieve size of +9 DTC, which is currently the smallest sieve size for which diamonds are detected and fully recovered using X-Ray transmission (XRT) optical sorting technology. A summary of the +9 DTC diamond recoveries from the 2021 samples collected from the A88 (A882021) and A28 (A282021) units is provided in the table below along with comparable results from a 183 tonne sample collected from A88 in 2017. Diamond recoveries reported from the 2021 Pit E sample (A882021) include 99 diamonds greater than +9 DTC weighing 55.80 carats from 497.6 dry tonnes of kimberlite for an overall +9 DTC sample grade of 11.2 cpht. Recovered diamonds include 21 diamonds larger than the 3 grainer size class (~0.66 carat) and 13 diamonds larger than 1 carat. The three larger diamonds are 7.00 carats (Irregular (polycrystalline), grey, opaque), 2.17 carats (fancy light orange, irregular (fragment), translucent, moderate inclusions), and 2.02 carats (Off white (H colour) aggregate, transparent, minor inclusions). The purpose of the 2021 sample is to acquire further information on the coarser sizes of the Q1-4 diamond population, with particular emphasis on potential high value fancy colour diamonds. As such, colour characterization studies of the diamonds have been completed using the industry standard grading scale established by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). For A882021, 10 of the 99 diamonds (10.1%) classify as fancy colour (12.8% by carat weight) with 9 of the fancy colour diamonds (90%) having orange as the primary colour and 3 diamonds (30%) categorized as having either intense or vivid colour saturations. The number of diamonds in each fancy colour grade is provided below. The GIA colour grading scale is the industry standard for polished diamonds and, although colour grading of rough diamonds is very similar to that of polished diamonds, there is no universally accepted colour grading scheme for rough diamonds. Colour grading of the Naujaat rough diamonds provides useful information for modelling the fancy colour diamond population. However, for individual rough diamonds, the graded colour does not necessarily represent the final colour of a diamond polished from the rough stone, nor does it include characterization of a diamond’s clarity (e.g. presence or absence of inclusions or cloudiness in the diamond). Previous cutting and polishing of select Naujaat rough fancy colour diamonds has produced fancy vivid orangey yellow diamonds, certified by the GIA and demonstrating that the Q1-4 deposit can produce polished fancy colour diamonds for use in the luxury jewelry market. The $5.6M bulk sample program is being funded by Burgundy as part of a option agreement, under the terms of which, with completion of the bulk sample program, Burgundy will earn a 40% interest in the Naujaat Project. Further details on the collection of the bulk sample can be found in North Arrow’s news release. Diamond results reported in this release are based on dense media separation (DMS) processing, X-Ray Transmission (XRT) sensor-based diamond sorting, and diamond colour grading work completed by the Saskatchewan Research Council’s Geoanalytical Laboratories Diamond Services, Saskatoon, SK (SRC), an independent diamond recovery laboratory. The sample was processed through a DMS plant configured to recover diamonds retained on a 0.85mm square mesh sieve. Kimberlite was fed directly into the DMS plant with plus 50mm (later plus 30mm) oversize material first crushed to 30mm as required. All +12.5mm material was subsequently reduced through a secondary cone crushing circuit and re-introduced into the plant. Plus 0.85-12.5mm DMS concentrates were dewatered, dried, and screened into -2mm, 2-4mm, 4-8mm and +8mm fractions. Dried +2mm DMS concentrate fractions were passed through a TOMRA COM XRT 300/FR optical sorter, configured to detect and recover diamonds greater than 2mm in size. XRT accepts (concentrates) were transported to SRC’s secure sorting lab for diamond sorting, cleaning, sieving and weighing in accordance with SRC handling protocols. Audits of +2mm XRT rejects (tails), using grease table and magnetic separation techniques, were completed on selected fractions. Dried +0.85-2mm DMS concentrates have been stored for future diamond recoveries, if and as required.