Stornoway Diamond Corporation (SWY:TSX) and Shear Minerals Ltd. (SRM:TSXV) are pleased to report that drilling in the Josephine River corridor has resulted in the discovery of the Kahuna kimberlite dyke with true widths in the order of 3.5-4.0m based on drilling as well as surface exposures.
Within the Josephine River Corridor, a 5.5km long linear magnetic high trend referred to as Kahuna has been drill tested at two separate sites and trenched at two sites along its length. Drill hole KD-26a intersected an 11.4m interval of coarse grained highly macrocrystic pyrope-bearing kimberlite. This hole was drilled at a -70 degree dip across the kimberlite that is interpreted as a 4m wide vertical dyke. In order to test the northern and southern extensions of the Kahuna trend, additional holes were drilled 2.0km to the south (KD-25) and 2.5km to the north (KD-32/32a) of the main Kahuna dyke; both locations intersected macrocrystic kimberlite.
Prospecting 400m to the north of KD26a set up resulted in the discovery of two surface outcrops. The kimberlite is highly macrocrystic and pyrope bearing similar to the drill core. Where the kimberlite has been exposed it measures at least 3.5m wide. A mini-bulk sample weighing 3.6 tonnes was collected from this site for macrodiamond processing.
"It is highly encouraging to locate a wider kimberlite dyke with greater tonnage potential on the Churchill Project" says Shear President and CEO Pamela Strand. "With the mini bulk sample from the new Kahuna dyke, we have approximately 20 tonnes of kimberlite that will be processed for macrodiamonds in the coming months."
Josephine River Drilling Update
A total of 15 holes were drilled (1,125m) into 11 spatially separate geophysical anomalies within the Josephine River Corridor to test possible sources of pyrope indicator mineral dispersion trains. In addition to the Kahuna kimberlite, four kimberlites were discovered of which three are classified as low diamond potential based on visual characteristics. Seven additional targets were tested but no kimberlite intersected. Two geophysical targets suggestive of kimberlite pipes were drilled. Target KD308 remains unexplained due to access given the fact that the target is located under a lake. This target will be drilled from ice in the 2007 spring drill program. KD604 was explained by a slightly magnetic gabbro intersection. Samples of kimberlite have been submitted to the SRC for diamond processing. Thirteen high interest G10 indicator mineral dispersions remain unsourced in the Josephine Corridor. The 2006 drilling program is now complete.
Below is a table with details of the kimberlite drill intercepts:
|
Drill Hole ID
|
Target ID
|
Dip
(degrees)
|
Azimuth
(degrees)
|
End of Hole (m)
|
Overburden (m)
|
Kimberlite Intercepts (m)
|
Total Kimberlite (m)
|
|
06KD-24
|
KD5122S
|
-50
|
270
|
51.5
|
7.6
|
12.2-13.6
|
1.4
|
|
06KD-25
|
Kahuna South
|
-50
|
120
|
122
|
5.5
|
35-36.9
|
1.9
|
|
06KD-26
|
Kahuna
|
-50
|
270
|
26
|
11
|
15.5-20.11
|
4.6
|
|
06KD-26a
|
Kahuna
|
-70
|
270
|
56
|
6.2
|
27.3-38.7
|
11.4
|
|
06KD-27
|
KD322_5141
|
-50
|
290
|
44.0
|
13.0
|
21.3-21.452
|
0.15
|
|
06KD-27a
|
KD322_5141
|
-70
|
290
|
68.0
|
9.0
|
58.15-58.3,58.4-58.6,
59.25,60.8,63.7-63.93
|
2.1
|
|
06KD308-01
|
KD308
|
-50
|
025
|
161.0
|
6.8
|
147.3-147.42
|
0.1
|
|
06KD-28
|
FFF Area
|
-50
|
290
|
59.0
|
11.6
|
48.7-49.3
|
0.6
|
|
06KD-31
|
FFF Area
|
-50
|
300
|
40.0
|
12.5
|
18-18.4; 19.75-21.62
|
2.2
|
|
06KD-32a
|
Kahuna North
|
-65
|
176
|
158.0
|
6.3
|
121.3-122; 128-134.9, 138.6-139.4,139.7-141.14
|
9.7
|
|
06KD-32
|
Kahuna North
|
-50
|
100
|
74.0
|
7.4
|
54.5-55.4, 56-56.2, 57.7-59.6
|
3.0
|
1 1Very crumbly clay dominated intersection with poor core recovery
2 Green clay altered kimberlite
3 Visual observation interprets this kimberlite as the low diamond potential type.
4 Kimberlite was parallel to core axis
The Churchill Diamond Project is comprised of mineral rights to more than 2 million acres located near the communities of Rankin Inlet and Chesterfield Inlet in the Kivalliq region of Nunavut. The project is owned by joint venture partners Shear, which has a 51% interest and is the operator, Stornoway (35%) and BHP Billiton (14%). To date the partners have drilled 45 kimberlites over a wide area on the Churchill and Churchill West projects. The 2006 field program is under the supervision of Jennifer Burgess, P. Geol., a Qualified Person under NI 43-101.
On behalf of the Board
STORNOWAY DIAMOND CORPORATION
/s/ "Eira Thomas"
Eira Thomas
President