Diamond Fields International Ltd. has taken initiatives to ramp up the company’s exploration for high-grade gold and primary diamond deposits in Liberia, and progress on the marine diamond mining project in Namibia.
DFI is working in Liberia on diamond and gold concessions covering more than 181,000 hectares of prospective Archean- and Proterozoic-aged terrains. Positive results from development work, including grid sampling and pitting on the diamond and gold prospects, have encouraged the company’s board to approve an increased level of spending on the advancement of the Liberian prospects. Targets include diamondiferous kimberlite in western Liberia (the Camp Alpha prospect) and two high-grade gold deposits (Henry Town in western Liberia and Barteajam in eastern Liberia). All the prospects are the subject of artisanal workings indicating the presence of diamonds and coarse gold. DFI intends to identify the bedrock sources of these minerals.
Results from laboratory analysis are expected before year-end for grid and pit sampling of a three-kilometre-long kimberlite dike target and a three-hectare kimberlite pipe target. These are the first two of eight high-priority kimberlite targets discovered during the first round of reconnaissance sampling on the Grand Cape property.
Both gold targets (Barteajam and Henry Town) are being explored with grid soil and stream sediment sampling. On Barteajam a three-kilometre by 500-metre grid has been sampled over the largest area of artisanal working in order to generate drill targets. On the Henry Town prospect soil samples are being collected along and across strike from known showings. Additional targets for both diamonds and gold are expected to be generated by continiung reconnaissance sampling that has to date covered less than 25 per cent of the concession area around the aforementioned development prospects.
The company’s marine diamond project in Namibia has moved to a new phase of resource development. Previous sampling by BHP and De Beers Marine defined the Reef Edge deposit, which extends for more than seven kilometres along the inland side of Diaz reef, in water depths between 45 metres and 60 metres and hosts a larger average diamond size than Marshall Fork. The DF Discoverer mining vessel is currently mining trenches across the mineralized area to pursue additional areas of high-grade material and improve the resource/reserve base of the marine diamond project.
Randal Cullen, PGeol, chief geologist for Diamond Fields International, is a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and is responsible for program design and quality control of exploration undertaken by Diamond Fields.
