North Arrow Minerals Inc. has completed an exploration drilling and till sampling programme at its 100% owned Mel Diamond Project, Nunavut in Canada.

The Company said it was the first ever exploration drilling of a new kimberlite field at the project. The programme also included “work focused on generation of new targets through till sampling and geophysical surveys”, North Arrow reported.

The Mel Project is located approximately 20 km from tidewater and work was conducted from an exploration camp established approximately 140 km south and 210 km northeast of the Hamlets of Hall Beach and Naujaat, respectively. 

During the drilling, kimberlite was intersected in five out of six holes that reached their target depth, with 787.5 total metres of drilling completed in all of them. The diamondiferous kimberlite ML8 was extended by drilling to over 170m in strike length; and the 224 kg of kimberlite which was collected from it is presently undergoing microdiamond analysis.

The Company reported the discovery of kimberlite ML345, at approximately 1.5 km south of ML8.  North Arrow also completed magnetic surveys over 14 ground grids.

A total of 447 till samples were collected to better define existing and new targets within the 56,075 ha property.

President and CEO of North Arrow, Ken Armstrong, commented: “The drilling of kimberlites ML8 and ML345 has confirmed that the Mel Project represents a new diamondiferous kimberlite field in Canada. Over 200 kg of kimberlite is presently undergoing microdiamond analyses and further samples of drill core will soon be submitted for additional microdiamond, mineral chemistry and petrographic analyses. Importantly, the 2018 exploration program also included collection of 447 till samples, doubling the number of samples collected from the Project. Results from these samples will help to define existing and new kimberlite indicator mineral (KIM) anomalies ahead of the 2019 exploration season. The Mel exploration camp remains in place and will support renewed exploration drilling of new and established targets in 2019.”