TRES-OR'S INNOVATIVE SCIENTIFIC APPROACH
INCHES TOWARDS A REWARDING DISCOVERY

Interview by Allan Regier Portrait Photography by Tom Burley
From The Canadian Miner July 28 2003

Over the past months Tres-Or Resources Ltd., has been investigating 3 known kimberlite pipes in the Notre Dame du Nord area of Quebec which were discovered in the 1980s and 1990s. New data on the chemical and magnetic signatures from those 3 kimberlite pipes are now being used to advance exploration of new high priority targets on Tres-Or's diamond exploration claims in the Cobalt, New Liskeard diamond camp. With the acquisition of the Notre Dame du Nord claims, Tres-Or now has properties in the camp on both sides of the Ontario, Quebec boundary.

Two of the three previously discovered kimberlite pipes are diamond-bearing, but investigation of those pipes ceased in the mid-90s. De Beers discovered the original Guigues pipe in 1983. This was the first kimberlite discovered in the New Liskeard area, but no results were published. Three short holes drilled in the early 1990s tested a small portion of the pipe and yielded a colourless 2.0 X 1.0 X 0.5 mm diamond from the 23 tonnes tested. In the mid 90s two pipes were discovered 500 metres apart, near the Ontario border. All five holes drilled in the three-phase Troika pipe intersected diamond-bearing kimberlite, with the first hole yielding 22 microdiamonds from 22 kilograms.

Testing of the ND2 kimberlite pipe originally failed to yield diamonds, but retesting of the core recovered a sharp octahedral microdiamond measuring 0.5 mm.

This is perhaps a clear demonstration of the fact that laboratory testing for diamond contents of kimberlites has improved significantly over the past two decades.

"Data from the known kimberlites are helping Tres-Or to prioritize other geophysical and geochemical anomalies on the Notre Dame du Nord property, and to reduce the risks and costs of drilling." said Tres-Or's president, Laura Lee Duffett. Rather than simply taking till samples over the area, Tres-Or's crews are performing more thorough soil analyses which will help to discriminate between kimberlites and other types of ultramafic rock which do not have the potential for a diamond discovery.

Duffett states confidently…" We have good indications of size, orientation, mineral components, and chemistry within the3 previously discovered pipes from the old core that we have acquired and retested. Using the new data we have developed an analytical test that is superior to simple till heavy mineral analyses. We are taking closely spaced soil samples over the 3 known pipes and are able to compare their multi element chemical signatures. They all have shown elevated chromium and nickel values and other specific elements. These signatures directly reflect the mineral components of the pipes." She adds…." We can now go to the 7 high priority geophysical targets we have outlined on the Quebec property and perform these detailed soil chemistry surveys over the geophysical anomalies to ascertain if they have elevated multi element anomalies indicative of the local kimberlites. In Quebec most of the pipes are near surface or outcrop with minimal overburden. Thus we could probably uncover with a backhoe, very inexpensively, the interesting targets, and then we would go to diamond drilling."

Duffett forecasts that the exploration program due to start after spring breakup will yield some interesting results…" The highest priority is on the 7 new targets that we developed, 3 of which are high priority targets selected by the diamond exploration team. I'm confident that with our expertise and good work carried out by the diamond exploration team, Tres-Or has a very good chance of discovering a diamond bearing body."

A private placement from Sidex Limited Partnership is providing the majority of the funding for the upcoming $300,000 exploration program at Notre Dame du Nord. Sidex is an initiative of the Quebec Government and Solidarity Fund QLF designed to stimulate diversified mineral exploration in the province of Quebec.

Tres-Or signed a Letter of Intent last year to acquire 100% of the Notre Dame du Nord claims and has been working on the property since last fall. The claims were acquired from Norman McBride and Philip Brown, who assembled the claims over the last 10 years.

Norman McBride is a prospector and staking and exploration service contractor for Tres-Or and other companies in the area. He is also a former band councilor of the Timiskaming First Nation, and facilitated a meeting between Tres-Or and the band council. This led to Tres-Or being granted the right to explore Timiskaming First Nation territory lands which are contiguous and adjacent to some of Tres-Or's Notre Dame du Nord mineral claims. Anomalies generated from airborne magnetic and geochemical surveys by the Quebec government indicate potential targets on the First Nations' territory. Any discoveries made by Tres-Or will be developed by a joint venture process. Mr. McBride will act on behalf of the interests of the Timiskaming First Nation.

The Notre Dame du Nord property itself covers 163 claim units, or 8,860 hectares, and extends from the Quebec border, north of Nortre Dame du Nord, south and east 10 km toward Angliers. The property lies within the Cobalt, New Liskeard kimberlite field that extends across the Ontario, Quebec provincial boundary. At least 14 kimberlite pipes have been discovered in the New Liskeard kimberlite field, about half of those are known to be diamond bearing. Those pipes are associated with the Cross Lake Fault and occur to the north or south of it.

Thirty circular magnetic anomalies are being investigated on Tres-Or's blocks of claims in the New Liskeard field, in the Cobalt area. The Temagami North project includes 104 claim units that are under option to Rock Resources Inc. whereby Rock can earn a two-thirds interest by funding the exploration work. Tres-Or is the project operator. Duffett says …" We can now test those 30 geophysical anomalies that are shedding KIM indicator minerals and ensure that those anomalies are actually exhibiting kimberlite type elevated multi element data before we drill them. That is going to reduce the cost and the risks, as well."

After completion of ground magnetic grids and soil sampling Tres-Or plans 500 metres of diamond drilling to test prioritized magnetic targets on the Temagami North claims. Tres-Or also plans to drill test dipole magnetic targets on the Temagami East claims, located 50 km south of the New Liskeard kimberlite field.

The Cobalt, New Liskeard kimberlite field lies within the Lake Timiskaming Structural Zone, and those major fault structures extend through the James Bay Lowlands and southward, onto Tres-Or's claims in Temagami, until the LTSZ intersects the Grenville Front. The structure hosts over 30 kimberlite pipes and dykes, the two most advanced projects being De Beers' Victor pipe, in the James Bay Lowlands, about 550 km north of Temagami, and Sudbury Contact's 95-2 pipe in the New Liskeard field. More kimberlite pipes and dykes seem likely to be discovered as Tres-Or and other companies intensify their exploration of the James Bay Lowlands, New Liskeard and more southerly areas of the LTSZ. Duffett is confident that results will be forthcoming from southern areas of the LTSZ, maybe as early as the next field season. She observes…" This is a highly prospective area for kimberlite emplacement, yet no kimberlite has been discovered to date. However, we must remember that there has only been two field seasons of work in here, by three companies. In 1996 the author of the report describing the New Liskeard Cobalt field indicated very clearly that the chemistry appears to be getting better as you move southward. We have confirmed that observation based on the percentage of G10 pyrope garnets and diamond inclusion chromites found south in the Temagami area on Tres-Or's property."

The OGS collected and analyzed over 510 modern alluvium samples in 2001-2002 and concluded that the potential for finding kimberlite or related rocks in the Temagami area is high. Tres-Or collected and processed 609 till samples and recovered diamond potential indicators such as G10 garnets and diamond inclusion chromites. The percentage of G10 pyrope garnet grains recovered was about 5% in the Temagami area. From the published data, about 1% G10 garnets occur in the New Liskeard field.

Duffett plans to employ multi element soil analysis to help her search for kimberlites in the Temagami area by using the technique to prioritize targets developed by flying 10,500 line km of geophysical surveys and subsequently tracing kimberlite indicator mineral trains. She states…" We now have good methodologies and very well defined targets on the Rhonda Option and Tres-Or ground in the big block in Temagami. We can now start using the chemical data, over all of the Rhonda diamond drill targets and thus prioritize those targets to sort out the potential kimberlites." She adds…" The chemistry that we have from the KIM indicator mineral sampling program, the 609 samples in Temagami, show a number of these targets are shedding kimberlite indicator minerals, but they are not necessarily circular magnetic highs. The same can appear as a circular magnetic low, and we do have interference by very magnetic diabase dykes and intrusives in the area. So we can reduce our risks and costs by applying this inexpensive geochemical method to ensure that we collar the holes in the important areas. If the chemistry gives a strong enough kick it may be that we can uncover the potential source with a backhoe, this will be much less expensive than drilling."

Tres-Or and Rhonda Corporation plan to drill ten holes totaling 1,500 -2,000 metres of drilling, after running ground grids and soil sampling surveys. Rhonda is earning a 50% interest in 26,000 hectares by spending $4.5 million on exploration over three years, and has acquired a second option to earn 50% of 100 additional claim units by spending $250,000 on exploration by September 30, 2004. Tres-Or is the project operator of the program.

Exploring for diamonds is clearly a time consuming process and it is often difficult for junior grassroots diamond explorers to raise funds for exploration despite the fact that Canadian diamonds are in increasing demand around the world because of their high quality and non conflict nature.

"Canadians have been reluctant to invest in their best resource in recent times," Duffett complained. She thinks diamonds and water are going to be Canada's most important resources in this century. Here's why, "A diamond mine is the most profitable venture in the mining sector. There has never been a gold or base metal occurrence that has matched the profitability of a diamond mine."

So for Duffett, acquiring more good targets and 3 kimberlite pipes in Notre Dame du Nord is a way to get ahead of the field in more ways than one. Tres-Or's innovative scientific approach, using their expanding multi element databases may very well bring this company towards a rewarding discovery at a relatively low cost. It may also serve to again demonstrate that Canadian juniors are often the ones who discover diamond deposits rather than the majors.

back to top | back to press gallery