North Arrow Minerals Inc. recently reported on final diamond recoveries from the composite mini-bulk samples of four units within the Q1-4 kimberlite at the Naujaat Diamond Project, in Nunavut.

The project is considered to be extremely prospective, and one media report has called it “one of the largest undeveloped diamond resources in Canada”. Further, it is believed that Naujaat contains “a significant population of extremely rare, potentially high value, fancy vivid orangey yellow diamonds”, the report says.

“The largest diamond was recovered from unit A28 and weighs 0.25 carats,” the Company announced. “The purpose of these composite samples is to provide diamond recovery information to supplement results from smaller drill core samples submitted for microdiamond (caustic fusion) analyses, including recovery of diamonds greater than 0.106mm. The diamond recoveries reported in this news release will be used to support incoming microdiamond sample results expected over the next eight weeks.”  

According to estimates, the Q1-4 kimberlite contains an inferred mineral resource of 26.1 million carats from 48.8 million tonnes of kimberlite with an average total diamond content of 53.6 carats per hundred tonnes from surface to a depth of 205 metres.

The current mini-bulk sample was recovered as part of the  summer exploration programme that was completed in September 2017. The sample included the collection of a 234 wet tonne mini-bulk sample and over 10,000 kilograms of kimberlite in drill core.

The Company intends to carry out a  larger planned programme “to better define the size, grade and diamond content of the Q1-4 kimberlite in support of economic assessment”.

North Arrow hopes to do carry out this  larger bulk sampling in 2018,  to get a better idea of the diamond value of its resource, once financing and  permissions are in place.

Apart from   evaluating the Naujaat Project, North Arrow is also conducting exploration drilling programmes this spring at the Loki and LDG Projects in the NWT and plans to drill test newly discovered diamondiferous kimberlite at the Mel Project (NU), the Company stated.

North Arrow is also awaiting till sample results from its Pikoo (SK) Project;  and maintains a 100% interest in the Hope Bay Oro Gold Project (NU), located approximately 3 km north of TMAC Resources’ new Doris Gold Mine.