Karelian Diamond Resources plc announced that TUKES (The Finnish Mining Authority) has granted it three strategic diamond exploration reservations in close proximity to other sites where the company is currently conducting exploration operations.

While two of the new reservations (KDR-R2 and KDR-R3) are in the Kuhmo kimberlite field target area around the Company’s Riihivaara kimberlite discovery, the third (KDR-R1) is situated around the approximately two hectare in size Lahtojoki kimberlite pipe diamond deposit, Karelian said. The former locations include the Company’s anomaly 5 target, where a green diamond in till was recovered earlier.

The applications for these three reservations were made following a review of airborne geophysics and past exploration data, the Company stated, and said receiving them would help secure the adjacent ground to already held and known kimberlite bodies, which is important as kimberlites tend to occur in clusters, and in both areas there are indications for the potential of new kimberlite discoveries.

In the Lahtojoki diamond deposit over which the Company holds a mining concession, it is moving towards the potential development of a diamond mine. The Reservation KDR-R1 area also has a number of high interest geophysical and kimberlite indicator mineral anomalies that have been identified by the Company and which the Board believe could add additional diamondiferous resource.

Professor Richard Conroy, Chairman, Karelian Diamond Resources plc commented: “The granting of these Reservations by TUKES is a key step forward for Karelian Diamonds and we consider this to be extremely important in regard to our future development of the Lahtojoki diamond deposit where any additional resources identified could dramatically change the magnitude of the project, and also the advancement of our exploration programme in the Company’s Kuhmo target area in what appears to be a new emerging kimberlite province.”

***

 

 

 

 

 

 

THREE DIAMOND EXPLORATION RESERVATIONS GRANTED

IN LAHTOJOKI AND KUHMO

ï‚· Potential for further discoveries around Lahtojoki diamond deposit

ï‚· Reservations cover twenty regional Kimberlitic Indicator Anomalies in Kuhmo Area

ï‚· Kuhmo target area could be part of emerging Kimberlite province

Introduction

Karelian Diamond Resources plc (“Karelian Diamonds”) (AIM: KDR), is pleased to report that TUKES (The Finnish Mining Authority) has granted the Company three strategic diamond exploration Reservations. One of these diamond exploration Reservations (KDR-R1) is situated around the Company’s approximately two hectare in size Lahtojoki kimberlite pipe diamond deposit which is within the Kaavi kimberlite field. The other two diamond Reservations (KDR-R2 and KDR-R3) are in the Kuhmo kimberlite field target area around the Company’s Riihivaara kimberlite discovery and the Company’s anomaly 5 target, where the Company discovered a green diamond in till.

All the Reservations are in the Karelian Craton in Finland where the Company is actively working on the discovery and development of economic diamond deposits.

Following a review of airborne geophysics and past exploration data the Board decided to apply for these new diamond exploration Reservations. These Reservations secure the adjacent ground to already held and known kimberlite bodies, which is important as Kimberlites tend to occur in clusters, and in both areas there are indications for the potential of new kimberlite discoveries.

The Company is also today providing an update on the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on its activities.

The Lahtojoki KDR-R1 Reservation, Kaavi Area

The Lahtojoki KDR-R1 Reservation of 26.47km² has been granted by TUKES for a period of one year. This Reservation secures for the Company the potential for further discoveries in the immediate area.

This Reservation surrounds the Lahtojoki diamond deposit over which the Company holds a mining concession and where it is moving towards the potential development of a diamond mine.

The Reservation also surrounds the Diamond Exploration Permit over Lahtojoki South. In the Lahtojoki South Exploration Permit kimberlite boulders from an unknown kimberlite have been discovered (as previously announced by the Company on 12th January 2017).

The Reservation KDR-R1 area also has a number of high interest geophysical and kimberlite indicator mineral anomalies that have been identified by the Company and which the Board believe could add additional diamondiferous resource potential to the Lahtojoki diamond deposit (as previously announced by the Company on 19th September 2016).

The Kuhmo Area KDR-R2 and KDR-R3 Reservations

The Kuhmo KDR-R2 Reservation of 1,476.95km² and KDR-R3 Reservation of 1,453.24km² have been granted by TUKES for a period of two years, respectively.

These Reservations secure ground around a series of twenty regional kimberlite indicator anomalies that have been identified by the Company.

The Board believe that the series of kimberlites in the Kuhmo area could be part of a new emerging kimberlite province in this area. These include the Riihivaara kimberlite discovered by the Company and the largest (6.9 Hectare) diamondiferous kimberlite in Finland, the Seitaperä kimberlite pipe held by the Company, as well as a series of significant regional kimberlitic indicator mineral anomalies defined by the Company.

In the twenty regional anomalies in the KDR-R2 and KDR-R3 Reservation areas there are significant numbers of kimberlitic indicator minerals identified that include four G10 garnets, twenty three G9 garnets, as well as well as one hundred and thirty seven chromites of which twenty nine plot in the diamond inclusion field.

These garnets and other minerals such as certain chromites are used to locate kimberlites and are referred to as kimberlitic indicator minerals. Some of these garnets, the G10’s and certain G9’s, are created under similar conditions to diamonds within the ultramafic mantle rocks underlying the crust and are therefore used as predictors of the presence of diamonds as well as chromites that plot in the diamond inclusion field.

COVID-19 update

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company has taken necessary measures in accordance with government guidelines to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of its employees, contractors and partners in both Finland and Ireland. COVID-19 is presently restricting field and laboratory work in Finland given the restrictions on operations and movement. Other work related to the Company’s exploration and development programme such as that described in today’s announcement is, however, ongoing.

Karelian granted three new diamond reservations in Finland

Karelian Diamond Resources announced on Tuesday that the Finland mining authority, TUKES, has granted it three strategic diamond exploration reservations.

The AIM-traded firm said one of those, KDR-R1, is situated around its two hectare Lahtojoki kimberlite pipe diamond deposit, which is within the Kaavi kimberlite field.

It said the other two, KDR-R2 and KDR-R3, are in the Kuhmo kimberlite field target area, around its Riihivaara kimberlite discovery and its ‘anomaly 5’ target, where it previously discovered a green diamond in till.

All the reservations are in the Karelian Craton in Finland, where the company said it was actively working on the discovery and development of economic diamond deposits.

Following a review of airborne geophysics and past exploration data, the board decided to apply for the new diamond exploration reservations.

It said the reservations secured the adjacent ground to already held and known kimberlite bodies, which it explained was important as kimberlites tended to occur in clusters, and in both areas there were indications for the potential of new kimberlite discoveries.

At the same time, Karelian updated the market on the impact of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, saying that since the outbreak, it has taken measures in accordance with government guidelines to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of its employees, contractors and partners in both Finland and Ireland.

It said the pandemic was currently restricting field and laboratory work in Finland, given the restrictions on operations and movement.

Other work related to its exploration and development programme was still ongoing, however.

“The granting of these Reservations by TUKES is a key step forward for Karelian Diamonds and we consider this to be extremely important in regard to our future development of the Lahtojoki diamond deposit where any additional resources identified could dramatically change the magnitude of the project, and also the advancement of our exploration programme in the company’s Kuhmo target area in what appears to be a new emerging kimberlite province,” said chairman Richard Conroy.

At 1414 BST, shares in Karelian Diamond Resources were down 11.76% at 3p.

***

 

 

 

Pangolin Reports Positive Drill Results at Kweneng and Provides Diamond Exploration Update – Botswana, Africa

TORONTO, May 07, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pangolin Diamonds Corp. (TSX-V: PAN) (“the Company” or “Pangolin”) wishes to update shareholders on recent activities at its various projects in the Republic of Botswana, Africa.

Highlights Include

Positive drill results at Kweneng

52.5% of chromites recovered from soils at Kweneng indicative of diamond stability field

68 aeromagnetic targets identified at Motloutse and Malatswae

Kweneng

Drilling intersected a shallow (< 1 m overburden) phlogopite and clinopyroxene rich ultramafic hypabyssal dyke of approximately 6m in true width. Processing of 25 kg drill chips through Pangolin’s in-house 1 TPH DMS plant produced chromite, clinopyroxenes, and what is interpreted as fragments of a chromite-garnet peridotite. The Kweneng Project is located about 20 km north of Botswana’s capital, Gaborone.

The dyke material is highly altered and is currently interpreted as a phlogopite-rich lamprophyre - similar to the diamondiferous lamprophyres discovered by Southern Africa Minerals Corporation in 1998 approximately 33 km to the north. Pangolin’s samples will be submitted for petrographic identification.

his discovery came on the back of an extensive soil sampling program that identified a chromite anomaly measuring approximately 850 m x 250 m. Based on the indicator distribution and the relative location of the dyke, it is expected that more dykes may be present in the area. A soil sampling programme will continue once the lockdown is lifted to determine the horizontal extent of the dyke, locating any diatreme structures associated with the dyke as well as locating additional dykes within the KW04 area.

Dykes have been mined in South Africa for diamonds to depths exceeding 1000 metres below the surface. Significant diamonds mines have been established on the Bellsbank, Bobbejaan, Ardo, Helam, Roberts Victor, Star and Klipspringer dykes. Economic kimberlite dykes normally average 60 cm – 80 cm in width and tend to maintain their width and grade with increasing depth.

Chromites have been identified as diamond inclusions in West Africa, Dokolwayo in Swaziland, the five mines in Kimberley, Roberts Victor Star (all in South Africa), the Diavik kimberlite in Canada and Murowa as well as River Ranch in Zimbabwe.

A total of 326 kimberlite indicator minerals from surface soil samples (KIMs) were submitted to C.F. Mineral Research (CFM) in Kelowna, BC, Canada for microprobe analysis. C.F. Mineral Research Ltd. is certified ISO 9001:2015 and compliant with ISO 17025:2005

52.5% of chromites analyzed were classified as being derived from a “diamond friendly” environment in the mantle.

23% classified as CR DI; Chromite with major element diamond-inclusion composition

 

29.5% classified as CR DI*; Diamond-Inclusion Chromite from favorable harzburgite source

Chromites with Cr2O3 in excess of the stoichiometric limit of 67.9% Cr2O3 comprised 5.5 % of the population, thus indicating a derivation from a highly oxygen reduced environment which is favorable for the formation of diamonds.

The significance of chromites in diamond exploration was recognized in a publication by Griffin et al (1991) where it was stated:

“The high proportion of chromites as inclusions in diamonds from the producing mines in Siberia suggests that disaggregated chromite peridotite can make a major contribution to the overall diamond content of at least some kimberlites. Diamond inclusions also show that important contributions from chromite bearing rocks have occurred in West Africa, at Dokolwayo in Swaziland, at the five mines in Kimberley, at Roberts Victor and at Star (all in South Africa). No doubt there are many other examples.”

Subsequent to this publication, chromites have been identified as diamond inclusions in the Diavik kimberlite in Canada and Murowa and River Ranch in Zimbabwe.

 

COVID-19

Fieldwork in Botswana ceased at the end of March due to a nationwide lockdown. The lockdown is currently extended to 08 May but may be further extended depending on the spread of the virus in the country. To date, there are 23 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Botswana.

Pangolin has used its time during the lockdown for reviewing all existing data and for planning future field programs. Preparations are made to commence exploration as soon as the lockdown is lifted.

 

Motloutse and Malatswae

Aeromagnetic data over the Malatswae and Motloutse Project areas has been reviewed extensively. As a result, 38 aeromagnetic targets in the Motloutse Project area and 30 targets in the Malatswae Project area were identified for follow-up with groundmagnetic surveys and soil sampling. Once the targets have been followed up on the ground, the top twelve selected targets, based on magnetic and soil sample results, will be drilled.

 

AK10 Kimberlite Pipe

Due to the close working distances required at the AK10 kimberlite, work at the project has been suspended until such time that the Botswana Government lifts all social distancing requirements related to the COVID-19 virus.

Quality Control and Quality Assurances

Quality assurance procedures, security, transport, storage, and processing protocols conform to chain of custody requirements.

 

The technical disclosure in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Leon Daniels, PhD, and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

 

About Pangolin

Pangolin Diamonds focuses on exploring and developing commercial diamond mines in the Republic of Botswana. Management and our advisors are veterans of diamond discoveries and project finance. Pangolin is managed from Toronto, Canada, and Francistown, Botswana, and trades on the Toronto Venture Exchange under the symbol “PAN”. For more information please view the recent presentations on our website at www.pangolindiamonds.com

 

Dr. Leon Daniels, President and CEO

Email: ldaniels@pangolindiamonds.com