TORONTO, Feb. 01, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Talmora Diamond Inc. (CSE:TAI) (“Talmora” or the “Company”) announces that it has been granted 3 Prospecting Permits (86,689.98 ha) in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region of the Northwest Territories. The permits are adjacent to the Company’s current claims and give the Company exclusive rights to the area, excluding any claims staked prior to February 1, 2018, for a period of 5 years provided certain expenditures are made.
Previous holders of the ground collected till samples at a density of 1 sample / 8 km2 and completed an airborne magnetic survey at 400 m line spacing. They selected an anomalous five line dyke-like magnetic high following a topographic low as a possible kimberlite but they never tested it (1). The permits also include magnetic targets previously staked by Talmora that lapsed before sampling or other work could be completed. Talmora believes the dyke-like anomaly is worth testing as modeling shows it near the surface and that it could be part of a larger structure. Anomalous kimberlite pathfinder elements and indicator minerals form a broad train in the till down-ice of the anomaly.
Project Summary
In addition to the new permits Talmora holds 81 mineral claims (16,360.62 ha) straddling the 68th parallel on the east side of the Lena West diamond region of the Northwest Territories. Most of the claims are in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region with the remainder in the Sahtu Settlement Region.
The Talmora property lies on the same favourable structure: “Zone of Anomalous Mantle” or “Diamond Corridor”(2) as the diamondiferous kimberlites at Darnley Bay and the significant diamondiferous Dharma kimberlite in the northeast corner of Great Bear Lake (13 diamonds >0.85mm weighing 0.9 carats recovered from 1457.37 kg of core by caustic fusion) (3). All three areas are located outside and east of the Cretaceous basin. The Zone of Anomalous Mantle corresponds with a left lateral displacement of the mantle in the area of Great Bear Lake, implying a northern extension of the "Slave Diamond Corridor” through Lena West(4).
Over $75 million has been spent in the Lena West region by other companies(5) on exploration which included the recovery of widespread KIMs with good diamond association chemistry including 18 diamonds in field samples(6). Canterra (previously Diamondex) presented evidence(7) that many of the KIMs recovered on the western side of Lena West are derived from secondary concentrations at the base of the Cretaceous sediments with a likely primary source to the east, probably outside the Cretaceous basin on the diamond corridor. KIMs within the Cretaceous basin and outside the basin have been exposed to glacial redistribution processes(8).
The Lena West KIMs differ from those recovered at Darnley Bay but are similar to those from Dharma. The two Dharma kimberlites are small and have a limited range of KIM compositions so cannot be the source of all the Lena West KIMs. Multivariate cluster analysis confirms that the KIMs in the Talmora area have compositions that cover the full range of those found across Lena West and show marked differences to those KIMs recovered at Darnley Bay and Dharma(9, 10).
Ferricrete cobbles occur in tills on the Talmora property (especially down-ice of magnetic targets) and appear to be of local origin. Ferricrete ("laterite") provides evidence of a humid and tropical climate in the Talmora area that may have been the Eocene Thermal Maximum (55Ma) and indicates that the bedrock surface has not been deeply scoured by glaciation(11). Evidence of surficial weathered bedrock covering parts of the property has been corroborated by a recent GSC publication(12).
Talmora sampling shows a strong correlation between KIMs in till samples and over forty magnetic anomalies with characteristics of kimberlite pipes. These targets have relatively low magnetic magnitude corresponding with a geological model of fresh kimberlite and an overlying thick layer of saprolitic weathered kimberlite intruding dolomite country rock and all covered by glacial overburden.
The 2012 field program included the use of a small Packsack drill which penetrated the glacial till in 3 holes and ended in clay with characteristics of weathered kimberlite. Clay penetration was limited to ~1.2m with drill cuttings and only one 25mm section of clay recovered. Thirteen chromites, one picroilmenite, and fourteen altered and five fresh Mn-ilmenites were recovered in cuttings from one drill hole. Chromite compositions lie on a very narrow Fe/Mg crystallization trend line indicating a single population and nearby source. Six of the Mn-ilmenites had diamond inclusion chemistry(13).
There is scientific evidence pointing to Talmora being the source area of the Lena West KIMs and diamonds. Talmora is currently seeking financing to test targets on the property with a larger conventional drill with the objective of recovering fresh kimberlite for microdiamond analysis.
References
(1) Kivi, K., Gill, T. and Thomson, V. (2008) Assessment Report, Mackenzie JV Diamonds Project, North of 68o Block, Till Sampling and Airborne Magnetics for Diamond Exploration, 1 February 2006 to 31 January 2008; Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Assessment Report 085307, 23 p. plus appendices.
(2) Davies, R. and Davies, A. W. (2013): Zone of Anomalous Mantle, Proceedings Volume of the 10th International Kimberlite Conference; Journal of the Geological Society of India, Springer, 14 p.
(3) www.SEDAR.com postings: Sanatana Diamonds Inc. Dec 20, 2007 and Jul 16, 2008
(4) Davies A.W. and Davies, R. (2016) "Seismic Velocity Model of Great Bear Fault Zone, NWT, Canada – and its implications for diamond exploration; 35th International Geological Congress August 27th to September 4th, 2016 Cape Town, RSA
(5) www.SEDAR.com postings: Sanatana Resources Inc Jul 10, 2012; Canterra Minerals Corporation Apr 19, 2010; Darnley Bay Resources Limited May 2, 2005, Apr 13, 2007 and May 1, 2009; Burnstone Ventures Inc. Jan 15, 2007; and Diadem Resources Ltd. Apr 27, 2012.
(6) www.SEDAR.com postings: Canterra Minerals Corporation Jun 5, 2007 and Darnley Bay Resources Limited Jul 4, 2001.
(7) Agashev, A.M. , Kuligin, S.S., Orihashi, Y., Pokhilenko, N.P., Vavilov, M.A. & Clarke, D. (2008): The ages of zircons from the Jurassic sediments of Bluefish River slope, NWT Canada and the age of kimberlite activity Lena West. 9th International Kimberlite Conference, Extended Abstract No. 9IKC-A00170, 3 p.
(8) Davies, R. and Davies, A. W. (2013): Cluster Analysis of Chromites, Lena West Diamond Region, NWT, Canada; 35th International Geological Congress; August 27 - September 4, 2016 Cape Town, South Africa
(9) Davies, A.W. and Davies, R (2016); Talmora Diamond Inc. - Horton River Project Update; 44rd Annual Geoscience Forum, November 15-17, 2016, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada
(10) Davies, R. and Davies, A. W. (2016): Tropical Weathering in Area of Melville Hills, Northwest Territories; 44rd Annual Geoscience Forum, November 15-17, 2016, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada
(11) Davies, R. and Davies, A. W. (2017): Where Have All the Garnets Gone – Lena West Paleo-Climate; 8th Oppenheimer De Beers Group Research Conference 17th & 18th October 2017
(12) Viellette, J.J., St-Onge, D.A. and Kerr, D.E. (2013) Canadian Geoscience Map 111, Erly Lake, Surficial geology, Erly Lake, Northwest Territories-Nunavut,NTS 97-A: Geological Survey of Canada
(13) Davies, R. and Davies, A. (2013). Examination of the +0.25mm fraction of till samples collected in 2012 and Packsack drilling of four magnetic targets. Report for Talmora Diamond Inc, Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Assessment Report 085843. 73 p. with appendices.
The scientific and technical portions of this news release were compiled, reviewed and approved by Alan W. Davies, P.Eng., P.G., who is the Vice-President of Exploration for Talmora Diamond Inc., a "qualified person" as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.
For further information please contact:
| Raymond Davies, | President & CEO | |||
| Talmora Diamond Inc. | Email: rayal.davies@sympatico.ca | Telephone 416-491-6771 | ||
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT
No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. This News Release includes certain "forward-looking statements" which are not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Company’s future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as “believes”, “anticipates”, “expects”, “estimates”, “may”, “could”, “would”, “will”, or “plan”. Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to the Company, the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet management’s expectations. Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, the Company’s objectives, goals or future plans, statements, exploration results, potential mineralization, the estimation of mineral resources, exploration and mine development plans, timing of the commencement of operations and estimates of market conditions. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to failure to identify mineral resources, failure to convert estimated mineral resources to reserves, the inability to complete a feasibility study which recommends a production decision, the preliminary nature of metallurgical test results, delays in obtaining or failures to obtain required governmental, environmental or other project approvals, political risks, inability to fulfill the duty to accommodate First Nations and other indigenous peoples, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, changes in equity markets, inflation, changes in exchange rates, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in the development of projects, capital and operating costs varying significantly from estimates and the other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, and those risks set out in the Company’s public documents filed on SEDAR. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law.
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rayal.davies@sympatico.ca
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