By NICK STEWART
With sub-zero temperatures finally bringing some much-needed firmness to the clay-laden ground, drilling is now underway to take a closer look at the largest diamond-bearing kimberlite pipe in Ontario.
One drill began turning in late January at Tres-Or Resources Limited’s Lapointe Discovery, located 80 kilometres southeast of Timmins. This work represents the extraction of a 50-tonne sample from a depth of 220 metres as part of a large-tonnage test.
“You start off to give yourself confidence that the information you’ve compiled is worth pursuing,” Laura Lee Duffett, president and CEO of Tres-Or, says.
Forages M. La Freniere Inc. of Nedelec, Quebec recently drilled the vertical, 275-metre guide hole to test the overburden and to better gauge the kimberlite body in advance of the large-tonnage test. This work indicates that the central part of the Lapointe body is covered with 73 metres of soft clay.
Although the sample was initially due to be removed following the completion of the guide hole in November, three straight weeks of rain delayed the move.
“There was no way that the 66,000-pound drill was going to be sitting on 70 metres of clay without shifting,” Duffett says.
Discovered in 2005, the Lapointe Discovery pipe stretches across 21 hectares. That total may grow as further testing remains to be done on the body’s northern wall.
Just four tonnes of kimberlite of the projected 100 million tonnes said to be on site have been tested to date.
Released in late 2006, these results recovered 440 diamonds with the largest being a 0.00665-carat clear, white firey gemstone.
While many were broken, studies of more than 100 of the recovered diamonds determined they were not fractured naturally, but rather, as part of the recovery process, either during drilling, transportation, or preparation for testing.
This included 70 stones measuring 0.5 millimetres in two dimensions, measurements which qualify them as macrodiamonds.
Through the interpretation of this and other information over the last year, the company has determined the Lapointe kimberlite most likely features coarse-size distribution. This means the micro-diamond content of the body won’t provide a solid basis for economic studies, requiring this large-tonnage test to better understand the pipe.
If a similar level of macrodiamond discovery is made in this newest test, the company may see the possibility of moving forward to a full-blown bulk sample, which would involve a minimum of 2,000 to 6,000 tonnes of material.
The results will shape the nature of the company’s local drill program for the remainder of the year. Given the scope and size of the project and the high cost associated with diamond exploration, Tres-Or will require additional partners to understand the viability of the property, though Duffett expects a number of parties will come forward if test results are positive.
Located near Stornoway Diamonds Corp.’s Timiskaming Diamond Project, the Lapointe project has access to “excellent infrastructure” with good road access and a built-in workforce in the region, she says. This level of accessibility is key as many diamond exploration projects are remote.
“We call this Tim Horton’s Exploration, because you can buy a coffee in Kirkland Lake and be on site within 30 minutes.”
In an effort to explore the area surrounding the Lapointe pipe, Tres-Or has already partnered with Arctic Star Diamond Corp., where Tres-Or acts as the project operator of a 60 per cent joint venture.
The pair were awarded with two 21-year surface and mining rights leases over the 388.7-hectare Lapointe project area in early 2007.
An intersection has already been found in a small kimberlite dyke east of the Lapointe discovery, and while the find has little value on its own, it indicates that there are other “feeder” systems in the area.
“There has to be other occurrences in this area, so we’re pursuing that very aggressively.”
Another significant partnership struck by Tres-Or includes the recent renewal of a five-year memorandum of understanding with the Timiskaming First Nation, whose traditional territorial lands encompass the Lapointe project area. This makes the company the only one in the area to have a formal agreement with the Timiskaming First Nation, a key factor as Tres-Or has since outlined five kimberlite bodies in Quebec that fall within their lands.
As a result, exploration progress has benefited both sides, with Tres-Or receiving a green light to move forward while the First Nation has seen economic development activity as well as contracts to assist with the exploration work.
These ties have become so emblematic of positive progress between mining and First Nations interests that Duffett has been asked to speak at the upcoming Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada on the subject.
“Consultation early on and full understanding leads to a much better end and I believe that if we’re going to be successful, we’ll be successful together and the communities must benefit.”
