Arctic Star Exploration Corp. Provides Details of the Birch Kimberlite, Diagras, Lac de Gras
Vancouver, June 3rd - Arctic Star Exploration Corp. ("Arctic Star" or the "Company") (TSXV:ADD) (Frankfurt:82A2) (WKN:A2DFY5) (OTC:ASDZF) is pleased to announce that it has received more detailed geological logs for the Birch kimberlite. The core has been logged in Yellowknife by Dan Gainer, P. Geo. A geologist who is familiar with kimberlites. Dan has recognized two kimberlite types in the two drill holes drilled at Birch. Kimberlite 1 is described as a black olivine poor resedimented volcanoclastic kimberlite and Kimberlite 2 as a grey clast supported olivine rich resedimented volcanoclastic kimberlite. Kimberlite 1 has a high percentage of mudstones imparting the dark colour.
Kimbelrite 2 has an abundant mantle derived fragments and indicator minerals whereas these are not common in Kimberlite 1. It was noted that kimberlite 2 contained fragments of kimberlite 1.
Buddy Doyle VP of Exploration said, "Coarser grained kimberlite with mantle derived minerals has a higher probability of containing diamond than the finer grained mantle mineral poor kimberlite, so we would expect Kimberlite 2 to have the best potential. The photos in figure 1 show examples of the mantle minerals".
Table 1 summarizes the geology from the 2 Birch kimberlite holes, the first drilled vertical and the second drilled to the east at 82.2 degrees dip from the same location.
Table 1.
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|Drill hole|From |To |Interval|Geology |
|----------------------------------------------|
|DG-2021-01|0m |28m |28m |Overburden |
|----------------------------------------------|
| |28m |32.66m|4.66m |Kimberlite 1|
|----------------------------------------------|
| |32.66m|35.4m |2.74m |Kimberlite 2|
|----------------------------------------------|
| |35.4m |50.36m|14.96m |Kimberlite 1|
|----------------------------------------------|
| |50.36m|54.45m|4.09m |Kimberlite 2|
|----------------------------------------------|
| |54.45m|62.78m|8.33m |Kimberlite 1|
|----------------------------------------------|
| |62.78m|71.71m|8.93m |Kimberlite 2|
------------------------------------------------
A total of 43.71m of Kimberlite, 27.96m (64%) of Kimberlite 1 & 15.76m (36%) of Kimberlite 2.
Table 2.
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|Drill hole|From |To |Interval|Geology |
|----------------------------------------------|
|DG-2021-01|0m |28m |28m |Overburden |
|----------------------------------------------|
| |28m |32.66m|4.66m |Kimberlite 1|
|----------------------------------------------|
| |32.66m|35.4m |2.74m |Kimberlite 2|
|----------------------------------------------|
| |35.4m |50.36m|14.96m |Kimberlite 1|
|----------------------------------------------|
| |50.36m|54.45m|4.09m |Kimberlite 2|
|----------------------------------------------|
| |54.45m|62.78m|8.33m |Kimberlite 1|
|----------------------------------------------|
| |62.78m|71.71m|8.93m |Kimberlite 2|
------------------------------------------------
Total 37.95m of kimberlite, 13.2m (35%) Kimberlite1 & 24.26m (65%) Kimberlite 2.
Total kimberlite 81.66m
The kimberlite NQ size drill core was mechanically split and half of it was sent to CFM laboratories in Kelowna for caustic fusion. Table 3 lists the samples sent to this laboratory. The portions of the two kimberlite types from the two holes are 50/50.
Table 3 Sample weights sent for Caustic Fusion.
------------------------------------------------
|Drill hole|From |To |Interval|Geology |
|----------------------------------------------|
|DG-2021-01|0m |28m |28m |Overburden |
|----------------------------------------------|
| |28m |32.66m|4.66m |Kimberlite 1|
|----------------------------------------------|
| |32.66m|35.4m |2.74m |Kimberlite 2|
|----------------------------------------------|
| |35.4m |50.36m|14.96m |Kimberlite 1|
|----------------------------------------------|
| |50.36m|54.45m|4.09m |Kimberlite 2|
|----------------------------------------------|
| |54.45m|62.78m|8.33m |Kimberlite 1|
|----------------------------------------------|
| |62.78m|71.71m|8.93m |Kimberlite 2|
------------------------------------------------
Total 150.54kg. 20 samples.
Samples were sent in 8kg charges (which represent approximately 4.3m of core separated by geology where possible). The lab began processing 12 days ago which has a rate of 3 samples every two days.
Figure 1. Peridote Mantle nodules, left image chrome diopside, right image pyrope garnet hosted in olivine from Kimberlite 2, drill hole DG-2021-02.
Figure 2. Images of the kimberlite core from the Birch Kimberlite
Kimberlite 1: Conspicuous white olivine in a dark mud derived matrix. Matrix supported, poorly sorted. About 20% Olivine. with 5% broken fine to medium (1-4 mm) irregular, anhedral shaped macrocrysts and 15% occasionally broken, subhedral, elongate, very very fine to fine (0.25-1 mm ) phenocrysts. All olivine is completely altered to light green serpentine with minor carbonate. Country rock xenoliths comprise <10% of this core and are dominated by weak to moderately altered granite, ranging in size from 0.2-1 cm with rare up to 10 cm observed. Less common mudstone and diabase fragments up to 2 cm are also observed. Rare Indicators of 0.5-5 mm dark purple and red pyrope with thin kelphitic rims are observed. Magmaclasts are rare and have thin incomplete or complete dark brown rims around country rock fragments.
Kimberlite 2: Dark grey colour comprised of closely packed olivine crystals and country rock xenoliths in black mud matrix, clast supported. Olivine abundance is around 40-50% with an irregular coarse population 30% broken fine to coarse (1-8 mm) irregular, anhedral shaped macrocrysts and occasionally broken, subhedral, elongate, (0.25-1 mm ) phenocrysts. All olivine is completely altered to light green serpentine with minor carbonate. Country rock xenoliths comprise 10-20% of this core and are dominated by altered granite, ranging in size from 0.2-1 cm with rare up to 10 cm observed. Less common mudstone and diabase fragments up to 2 cm are also recorded. Matrix is black, composed of mud and minor lithic fragments with weak carbonate alteration. Indicators of 0.5-5 mm dark purple and red pyrope with thin kelphitic rims are common. <1mm bright green chrome diopsides are observed. Magmaclasts are common with thin incomplete or complete dark brown rims around country rock fragments. Autoliths of KIMB1 0.5-5 cm are observed. Mantle xenoliths of peridotite 0.5-1 cm are observed.
The company also received the final ground geophysical data from around the Birch discovery a figure 3, summarizes these results. The Birch kimberlite occurs to the SE of the Black Spruce Kimberlite discovered in the 1990's by drilling a prominent magnetic low. The black ellipse in the figure outlines that magnetic anomaly and is our best guess for its location. In the figure the ground Ohmmapper survey that measures resistivity, the colours highlight the more conductive zones as the "hot" red/magenta colours. The Red ellispses are anomalies generated by a ground gravity survey (Gravity lows). The data suggests the Birch kimberlite is a 150m long ellipse as defined by the gravity and EM. The other red ellispses are secondary gravity anomalies.
Click Image To View Full Size
Figure 3. Ohmmapper ground EM survey results: Arctic Star drill holes shown by the green dot, (DG-2021-01 and 02) and the black drill trace is DG2021-03 which intersected a kimberlite dyke. The Black ellipse is the Black Spruce Kimberlite, defined by a magnetic low. The red ellispses are ground gravity anomalies.
Qualified Person
The Qualified Person for this news release is Buddy Doyle, AUSIMM, a Geologist with over 35 years of experience in diamond exploration, discovery, and evaluation. A Qualified Person under the provisions of National Instrument 43-101.
About Arctic Star
Arctic Star is a dedicated diamond explorer. It recently discovered 4 new kimberlites in Lac de Gras area NWT on its Diagras Diamond Project next to the producing Diavik & Ekati diamond mines. The Company also owns 100% of the Timantti Diamond Project near the town of Kuusamo, in Finland, with several diamondiferous kimberlite discoveries. The Company also has a joint venture of the drill ready diamond exploration properties in Nunavut (Stein).
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF Arctic Star Exploration Corp.
Patrick Power, President & CEO
+1 (604) 218-8772
ppower@arcticstar.ca
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Cautionary Statement Regarding "Forward-Looking" Information
This news release contains "forward-looking statements" including but not limited to statements with respect to Arctic Star's plans, the estimation of a mineral resource and the success of exploration activities. In this release it is not certain if the kimberlite discovered will be economic or not as this depends on many factors. Forward-looking statements, while based on management's best estimates and assumptions, are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Factors that could affect our plans include our potential inability to raise funds as intended, and in such event we may require all funds raised, if any, to be used for working capital rather than the intended uses as outlined. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward?looking statements. Arctic Star undertakes no obligation or responsibility to update forward?looking statements, except as required by law.