North Arrow Minerals Inc.  yesterday released an  update on its 100% owned Naujaat Diamond Project, Nunavut, including the Q1-4 kimberlite diamond deposit, located only 9 km from the coastal community of Naujaat.

The Company’s current plans include the collection of a 10,000 tonne bulk sample from the Q1-4 deposit. Towards this, North Arrow has initiated “an engineering design and costing study” for a small-scale mobile diamond recovery plant.

“The purpose of the bulk sample will be to evaluate diamond size distribution and value characteristics, with emphasis on a distinct population of high-value, fancy, yellow to orangey-yellow diamonds that have been identified in the deposit,” the Company explained.

The services of Imilingo Mineral Processing of Pretoria, South Africa, TOMRA, and Microlithics Laboratories of Thunder Bay, Ontario have been engaged by North Arrow “to investigate modular diamond recovery design options incorporating TOMRA’s X-Ray transmission (XRT) sorting technology with a view to recovering diamonds greater than 3 mm (nominally > 0.5 carat) in size”, the Company said.

Ken Armstrong, President and CEO of North Arrow, commented: “Over the last number of years, TOMRA’s XRT sorting technology has changed the diamond mining landscape by providing an X-Ray transmission sorting solution that improves diamond recoveries while reducing breakage and water use compared to more traditional diamond recovery circuits.  We believe XRT sorting technology can also be used for the evaluation of diamond deposits and is an ideal recovery solution for the Q1-4 diamond population.  Locating a small-scale diamond recovery plant at or near the project site will also reduce costs, improve logistics and increase local employment and business opportunities for the residents of Naujaat.”

One of the important aspects of the study is the focus on the recovery of diamonds greater than 3 mm. A significant amount of the cost associated with processing past Q1-4 kimberlite samples has been related to ensuring and documenting the recovery of smaller diamonds (down to 1 mm in size).

Armstrong explained saying, “While information on the 1 mm to 3 mm diamonds is important, most often the value of these diamonds does not impact the potential viability of the deposit being tested. This is certainly the case for Q1-4 where the value and size distribution of the fancy coloured diamond population will be critical in determining the economic potential of the deposit. We are therefore looking to design a small-scale mobile plant that can produce a hand-sortable concentrate for the recovery of +3 mm diamonds while saving significant costs and time delays associated with shipping bulk samples south for processing.”

Due to the deposit’s close proximity to marine transportation infrastructure, and the improved accessibility that will be provided by a proposed new community access trail, has made the locating of a diamond recovery plant at Naujaat  possible.

North Arrow had reported earlier in the year that the Hamlet of Naujaat has submitted a project description for construction of an access trail that will pass approximately 1.5 km to the southeast of Q1-4. “The access trail will lie entirely within the Municipality of Naujaat and the Hamlet has taken the lead as proponent for its design and construction and is pursuing financing options which are currently well advanced,” stated North Arrow. “Completion of the access trail is scheduled for summer 2020, which aligns with projected timing for delivery of a diamond recovery plant in support of a 10,000 tonne bulk sample from Q1-4.”