From a July 8 news release, the world learned that the first diamond-bearing rock in Alaska has now been produced. The rock was found at the Shulin Lake project (Shulin), 75 kilometres northwest of Anchorage.
Shulin consists of 152 claims located on 16,000 acres. Testing from 18 drill core samples this spring revealed encouraging results from hole ten. Hole ten's 9.972 kilogram sample yielded 15 microdiamonds (largely white and transparent), and one 0.71 x 0.57 x 0.47 millimetre macrodiamond. (The sample also recovered 44 synthetic diamonds from drillbits.) While these preliminary findings provide too little data for solid projections, the numbers do appear promising.
Since 1991 when Dia Met Minerals Ltd. and BHP Minerals announced the Northwest Territories discovery that set in force the largest diamond staking rush in Canadian history, more than 200 kimberlite pipes have been found in the area. But only now has Alaskan soil has shown any promise.
Calgary-based Golconda Resources Ltd. (Golconda) holds a 40% interest in Shulin which can increase to 51% if Golconda forks out the next $150,000 in exploration. The remaining interest is held by private company Shulin Lake Mining Inc. and by Edmonton-based Shear Minerals Ltd. (Shear), with Golconda as project manager. Golconda and Shear officials are pleased with the recent findings.
While Alaska's is not typical diamond-producing geography, neither is Australia's, where the Argyle diamond mine currently operates at a profit. The diamond-bearing area at Shulin shows characteristics similar to lamproitic intrusions -- like those found at the Argyle minesite. Suspicions are that the Alaskan intrusions were created during the shifting of tectonic plates that formed the state's geological slices. Those slices facilitate the tapping and channelling of magma from great depths.
In 2001, Shulin Lake Mining Inc. completed initial investigations in the area. At that time, three drill targets at two kilometre intervals yielded findings of phyllite, biotiteschist and quartzite, suggesting an underlying crystalline basement. The rock also contained pyroxene, olivine, orange garnets, chromite, ilimenite and other minerals of kimberlitic/lamproitic affiliation, suggesting pipelike intrusions.
Diamonds are not newto Canadian-based exploration company Shear Minerals Ltd. which currently has eleven diamond projects underway. Shear trades as "SRM" on the Toronto Venture Exchange. For more information about the company's exploration activities, visit http://www.shearminerals.com/.
Canadian exploration company Golconda Resources Ltd. focuses on gold and platinum group metals in Saskatchewan and British Columbia, Canada, and on gold and diamonds in Nevada and Alaska, USA. Golconda trades as "GA" on the Toronto Venture Exchange. For more information about Golconda, visit http://www.golcondaresources.com/.
Golconda and Shear officials are eager to begin the next drill program to determine the size of the lamproitic intrusions and where these intrusions come to the surface. This program will commence shortly. If testing results continue to be as promising as the spring batch, Shulin could well become a new facet in the North American hunt for diamonds.
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