Karelian Diamond Resources Share Discussion Threads

[duplicate book] 14/9/2018 10:21

Goldeneye5.....I would love to be proved wrong, but I would forget about Rio, and any 'financial' involvement for now. Smoke screen? I would rather look at this situation as smoke and mirrors. We keep getting lots and lots of 'nothing' news from our Board. You only have to look towards the similarities between CGNR and KDR to see where this one is heading. KDR has no public relations because it has nothing of any note, or financial value, to relate to us! There isn't a bubble here to step outside of. I think it burst quite a while ago. All of last years reorganisations and consolidations have come to nought. They were brought about to serve the needs of our Board. How has all that helped in any way, except to facilitate further fundraising at an ever decreasing price, creating more and more dilution to us long suffering shareholders. Where is our value in the Company going to come from, and more importantly, when? The share price has dropped even further since consolidation. It was supposed to attract further investors! Who would invest here at the moment? It is incredulous to me that we still have people accumulating here as they must be surely aware of things that we are not! Be nice if we got news next week, but it would need to be real news. Something tangible that people can see a worth to, otherwise this is only going one way. People are aware of the reality of things here now. Credibility is something that is difficult to attain, and so very easy to lose as our Board have found to their cost, and ultimately, ours too.

[goldeneye5] 14/9/2018 09:59

News Next week and a full explanation to shareholders of what's going on and why KDR has zero Public Relations but at the same time is pushing CGNR. I bring with me a number of small shareholders with non disclosable interests ( some only just), who are loosing patience. As I said, step outside the bubble.

[goldeneye5] 14/9/2018 09:39

The question is are Rio going to do a deal or do they want the Kuhmo for themselves for a price of course? Was Lahtojoki a smoke screen to deflect attention away from the real prize? And did Lahtojoki turn out to be a more valuable smoke screen than expected?Company, our company!!..... needs to communicate soon with their shareholders. I would be very surprised if the major shareholders are not very annoyed by now. I know of many 2-3 % holders who have lost patience now. I would advise management to step outside of the bubble and take a look at KDR from the shareholders perspective. Take a moment! What would you be thinking if you were in the average shareholders position?Anyone who thinks management will not read this is wrong.

[rbonnier] 12/9/2018 22:58

Has anyone got any idea of expected time scales here of when we may hear something on the drilling programme.Absolutely zilch between now and the AGM and i seriously doubt if prof will even turn up as the only inevitable announcement then will be another deeply discounted placing that will just about wipe everybody out.

[wetdreamer] 12/9/2018 22:10

Update on kuhmo work programme would be appreciated.

[goldeneye5] 12/9/2018 15:48

Have management got lost in a trench or pit? Earth calling KDR, come in KDR!

[johnnygrainger] 31/8/2018 12:08

Just read the Lahtojoki RNS again. The markets definitely missed the significance not knowing the story. The Eastern limb is the largest area. Before The previous encumbents due to economic downturn went under they had spent millions clearing the overburden to test the near surface Kimberlite on the largest part of Lahtojoki the eastern limb. So to conclude the micro diamond results prove the lahtojoki Kimberlite pipe extends to the largest area with near surface Kimberlite diamondiferous. Very well played by our board in control of this increased asset with a mining licence in place.

[shambaby] 28/8/2018 13:31

Glad to see the bickering and name calling has stopped and everyone looking forward to drill results. It’s what we invested for and will shape the company moving forward.

[ladybird1] 28/8/2018 12:52

Indeed, Bonny. 'S..t or bust.'

[rbonnier] 28/8/2018 11:16

Regardless of how big the discount was at the last placing it is what it is and we are where we are its the news from the current drilling programme that is of the only concern here.

[ladybird1] 28/8/2018 08:52

Remind me - how big was the DISCOUNT on the KDR placing?

[duplicate book] 28/8/2018 07:54

Placing over at CGNR at a 20% premium to share price. Raised 500k.

[shambaby] 27/8/2018 21:01

Thanks for that MilkTray. What is intriguing is that most the Kimberlites are diamondiferous. The Eclogite at Riihivaara suggest a richer source as eclogite is negligible in other kuhmo diamond bearing Kimberlites. "G3 (eclogitic) and G4 (pyroxenitic) garnets are very unusual for eastern Finland. It is surprising to find eclogite-derived grains in this area, because the kimberlites found to date in the Kuhmo-Lentiira-Kostomuksha area are very poor in eclogite component, being rather much more dominated by peridotite indicators," says Dr. Hugh O'Brien, a diamond specialist with the GTK. "Eclogite mantle material is significant as it tends to be associated with a much higher grade of diamonds than peridotite mantle material," he adds. Currently only one Kimberlite source announced by the company but clusters usually contain 10-50 Kimberlites

[milktray77] 27/8/2018 20:34

Riihivaara and Kuhmo1 may be what they have all been looking for, The "quantum" step that has led to the "holy grail". Perhaps company behaviour and the behaviour of others points to this. STEPHEN GRIMMER has left everything behind to work part time in Finland for KDR. Yeh, Pigs will fly! Its out there and nobody has really picked up on it. Ok it wasn't in an RNS and KDR chose not to put that on their website.
I wonder why? I wonder who requested him? I wonder who requested it not be publicised?

A little bedtime reading I picked up:
In Europe, diamond-bearing kimberlites have only been discovered in eastern and northern Finland, as well as northwestern Russia. This northeast corner of the Fennoscandian shield is a mosaic of different cratons that includes the Karelian, Kola-Kuloi, and Norbotten cratons.The most significant diamond findings have been made in the Archangel area, where the partially operational Grib and Lomonosov mines are located. 46 kimberlitic deposits are known in Finland, the most of which are located in the regions of Kuopio and Kaavi.

The first kimberlite was observed in Kaavi in 1964 when Malmikaivos Oy located a kimberlite pipe while surveying the area for metallic ores. The rock was not positively identified at that time. The seventh and the most prospective diamond deposit found in Finland, the kimberlite in Lahtojoki, is located in Kaavi. Kimberlites have also been found in southern Kuusamo. Rocks resembling kimberlite were discovered in the Kuhmo and Lentiira regions, but analysis showed them to be olivine-lamproites. Typically the Kuopio, Kaavi, and Kuusamo kim- berlites form pipes and the Kuhmo and Lentiira olivine-lamproites form veins. All deposits are small, only a few hectares in size at best.

Radiogenic isotope analysis has shown that the Finnish kimberlite deposits represent three different age groups. The oldest are the Kuhmo and Lentiira olivine-lamproite veins at 1.2 billion years old. The Kuusamo kimberlites are approximately 760 million years old. The youngest, some 600 million years old, are the Kuopio and Kaavi deposits. For comparison, the Archangel kim- berlites located within the same craton complex are considerably younger, only 360 to 380 mil- lion years old. They are part of the same alkali rock province as the Sokli and Iivaara alkali rock deposits belonging to Finland.

The Lahtojoki kimberlite of Kaavi is currently the best and most explored diamond deposit in Finland. It was discovered in 1989 by Malmikaivos Oy, who had signed a co-operation agreement with Ashton Mining Ltd, an Australian diamond company. The deposit has since been explored by many companies, most of whom have been foreign. The deposit has a surface area of approximately two hectares and its vertical section is a pipe. The kimberlite is covered by a thick layer of soil some 20 metres deep, which has made sampling a challenge.

In the 1990s, the Malmikaivos-Ashton co-operative drilled a 23-tonne sample of the Lahtojoki kimberlite. The results showed a diamond content of 21 to 45 carats for 100 tonnes of material. Usually a minimum diamond content of 20 carats per 100 tonnes is required for mining to be profitable. Naturally the quality of the diamonds is also a factor when assessing the profitability of the enterprise. However, the diamond content diminished in the large-scale sample of 1,000 tonnes to only about six carats per 100 tonnes. In the early 2000s, some 3,500 tonnes were still mined from the deposit, only 500 tonnes of which were processed. The diamond content of this sample remained at the lower figure seen in the large- scale sample of Malmikaivos-Ashton. One very likely explanation for the poor results of each large-scale sample is that the concentration of diamonds is at its lowest towards the surface, from where both samples were extracted. Even so, to extract larger samples from lower depths would be prohibitively expensive.

The Lahtojoki kimberlite’s rock is mostly tufisitic kimberlite breccia that resembles volcanic ash. It is rich in mineral and rock fragments from both the crust and mantle; xenoliths, megacrys- tals, and indicator minerals. Mg-ilmenite, Cr- and Ti-pyrope, and Cr-diopside are particularly abundant. Since 2002, goldsmith Eva Thorén has been working in Kaavi with the right to exploit the Lahtojoki deposit in her gemstone production. She has fashioned jewellery from the uncut diamonds and indicator minerals of the deposit.

It is difficult to find kimberlitic rocks in the field. This is due to the small size of their rock exposures and their susceptibility to weathering. Usually glacial erosion has worn down the soft kimberlite more than the surrounding bedrock, only leaving kimberlites in bedrock depressions. Later these depressions will have been concealed by heavy soil cover, peat lands, or lakes. This makes kimberlite outcrops a rarity. Kimberlite boulders are also scarce, as atmospheric conditions will quickly erode them.

A realisation came very soon after the first kimberlite discoveries were made in South Africa: the kimberlites contained not only diamonds, but also other characteristic minerals that could be utilised in diamond prospecting. These so-called companion minerals (i.e. indicator minerals) are mineral grains that come from the planet’s mantle and are thousands of times more common in kimberlite than diamonds. When kimberlite erodes and weathers away, the indicator minerals get deposited in the ground in river sands and gravels, where they can be spotted and used to trace the kimberlite.

The most popular indicator minerals are Cr- and Ti-pyrope-garnets that occur as 0.25–2.0 mmparticles (medium sand), eclogitic pyrope-alman- dine-garnet, Mg-ilmenite, Mg- and Ti-chromite, Cr-diopside, and sometimes the less frequently used forsteritic (magnesium-rich) olivine. The most important indicator mineral is obviously diamond itself. In practice, the Cr- and Ti-pyrope-garnets can only occur in kimberlitic rocks, but the other indicator minerals can be found in other rocks. Cr-diopside and olivine are particularly vague indicators when used on their own due to their ubiquity. The research on indicator minerals has advanced so far that the chemical composition of them can be used to identify a kimberlitic origin with a high degree of accuracy. This does require the use of a microanalyzer, however, which is both expensive and slow.

The paragenesis of each deposit varies. Not all indicator minerals will be present in every kimberlite, and their amounts and share in the composition vary widely. Sometimes all indicator minerals except diamond are absent, and sometimes the conditions have been so corrosive for the deposit that all other indicators but diamond have been utterly destroyed. Different indicator minerals have different resistances to physical and chemical erosion. This affects how the indicator minerals survive different sedimentation environments and how they transfer in river sediments and till.

In places like Fennoscandia, that have recently undergone glaciation, indicator minerals are usually looked for in the till that was dug up from bedrock by the ice sheets of the last glacial period. The till (basal or ground moraine) will follow the ice sheet’s direction of travel. This makes it an excellent source for indicator mineral surveys. The indicators included in the basal till may form migration trails akin to those of ore boulders, even though their concentration in the till can be as minute as single parts per billion.

Basal till is often readily available – practically all of Finland is covered in till. The basal till is very often topped by massive ablation moraine that was created when the ice sheet melted, or other soil types like sand, gravel, or peat. These layers can be several metres thick, meaning an excavator or ground drill must be used to take samples. The samples are usually taken in steps, starting from the surface of the bedrock and proceeding deeper in a few metres at a time. This is because the vertical distribution of the indicators in the till bed may indicate the distance the material has travelled. In theory, the concentration of indicator minerals should be highest at the bottom of the till bed where the kimberlite deposit is, and as distance from the deposit grows, the biggest concentration will move closer to the surface.

A typical minimum sample batch of basal moraine weighs a few dozen kilograms. Findingeven a single grain of indicator minerals is significant. T he samples are processed using gravity, as the specific gravity of the indicator minerals is greater than the majority of the minerals present in
till. Common concentration methods include the.percussion table, the gravity separator (Knelson), various spiral concentrators, heavy-liquid separation, and panning. Indicator minerals are then identified from the concentrates with a microscope.

They are identified based on their colour, crys- tal form, and morphology. The results are usually confirmed using electron optics, either with an energy-dispersive spectrometer (EDS) attached to a scanning electron microscope (SEM) or a micro- analyzer (electron microprobe; EMP). The chemical composition of indicator minerals is not only indicative of their kimberlitic origin, but will also be a sign of the parent rock’s potential for diamonds.

Certain elements and their level of concentration in the diamond indicator minerals are more significant: for example the nickel content of Cr-pyrope-garnet is directly linked to its crystallisation temperature. This can be compared to the fact that the mantle’s zone where diamonds remain stable has a temperature range of 1,050– 1,200 °C. If much of the Cr-pyrope grains have crystallised in those temperatures, it is likely that the kimberlite may have grabbed material from a diamond-bearing zone in the mantle.

The value appraisal of a diamond deposit differs from other ore deposits. In addition to determining the quantity of the diamonds, it is vital to carefully analyse the commercial value of individual crystals, as they will determine the deposit’s cash value per tonne of ore. Foreign mining companies have retained control over Finland’s diamond deposits. This has restricted GTK’s activities only to preliminary photographic documentation and image analysis of the extracted diamonds.

46 kimberlitic deposits have been discovered around Kaavi, Kuopio, Lentiira, Kuhmo, Kuusamo, and Pohjois-Kuusamo. In 2012, 30 of the kimberlite deposits had been tested for diamonds and all but one were found to contain diamonds. The Kaavi and Kuopio kimberlites have yielded a total of 100 carats (20 grams) of diamonds, of which 70 carats have come from Lahtojoki alone. So far Finland’s diamond tally is estimated to be around 6,700 crystals. Most of these have come from Lahtojoki in Kaavi. The largest crystal found was 5.3 millimetres across and weighed 1.2 carats. This came from a kimberlite in the Kuopio-Kaavi area.

Over half of Finland’s kimberlite deposits contain diamonds, and diamond-bearing kimberlites have been found in all three rock types in the kimberlite group. Most of the diamonds found in Finland were microdiamonds, i.e. their diameter was less than 0.8 millimetres. For the record, a mantle rock pebble, xenolith, was discovered in the kimberlite in Lahtojoki that had a spectacular concentration of diamonds – approximately one per cent of the total volume! In carats, this would amount to 90,000 carats per tonne. This diamond-rich sample of eclogite was made of bright orange-red garnet, two different pyrox- ene minerals, and several serpentine minerals.

The diamond crystals in Kaavi and Kuopio have a diameter between five and 0.3 millimetres. The most common size is about one millimetre. Most of the crystals are colourless, brownish, or yellowy. Rare green, pink, and nearly black diamonds have also been encountered. The diamonds have a high concentration of impurities, mineral inclusions: silicates, and dark ore minerals. More often than not the diamond crystals are octahedrons or dodecahedrons or something in between. The rare cubic diamonds can be considered agglomerations of octahedral crystals. A small number of crystals also exhibit twinning. Crystal clusters and the resulting complex shapes are frequently found in Lahtojoki. The concave surfaces and particular surface streaking of some of the diamonds suggest that they have been separated from crystal clusters. Black and round carbonados (“black diamonds”) have not been found in Lahtojoki.

The diamond crystals of Kaavi and Kuopio are highly corroded. From 930 diamonds, only 18 per cent were pristine octahedrons. The share of pristine crystal samples in different pipes ranges from 14 to 24 per cent. In contrast, the number of fresh-faced fragments was low among the crystals. This is because the majority of the diamonds occur as loose crystals in the kimberlite. Kimberlite itself is a brittle rock, meaning its diamond cargo will more than likely remain intact in exploratory crushing and the subsequent enrichment process. Any diamonds in the rock inclusions of kimberlite, xenoliths, are more susceptible to crushing than those deposited in the kimberlite itself.



Diamond jewellery made of Kaavi uncut diamonds

The first domestic diamond jewellery was showcased in October 2002 at the wedding expo held in Katajanokka in Helsinki as a marketing test. The diamonds used in the jewellery were uncut raw crystals from Lahtojoki in Kaavi with a diameter of one millimetre. The jewellery was designed by Timo Nupponen and they were manufactured by A&G Mining owned by Eva Thorén.

Finland is the only country in Europe with a good chance of diamond production. Barring Norway and Sweden, the countries in Europe have a low likelihood of finding diamond deposits that could be commercially viable.

Domestic brilliant-cut diamonds could be sold as certified domestic material. For example, the diamonds in Canada are laser engraved with the Polar Bear symbol on their edge. It is likely that a similar practice would be adopted in Finland if domestic diamond produced got started. Future Finnish diamonds would probably be marked with a swan or flag symbol.

[milktray77] 27/8/2018 19:58

Whilst I look for my skis, I would be grateful if anyone could remind me of AIM Rules following Director buys and the release of price sensitive news? Is it 60 days, I am not sure? Placing was 11 June I do know.
Any AIM Rules experts about?

[wetdreamer] 27/8/2018 19:57

Can’t argue that drill results could be huge for shareholders.

[milktray77] 27/8/2018 19:46

Think back to the PDAC in Canada in March 2018.
It was all about CGNR and Irish Gold. Or was it?

All of the photos taken at the CGNR booth included Senior Tukes officials from Finland with CGNR/KDR geologists!

I wonder why that was? KDR were not officially at PDAC. Or were they?

A full chart was on display showing "Finland Potential", with Kuhmo and Lahtojoki noted on a map. Yes Conroy Gold licences in Finland were there too, but the Tukes buys were not posing for that.

Ikka Keskitalo - Senior Advicer and Project Manager at Tukes was with the geologists at the booth
Pasi Molkoselka - Senior Tukes Officer was with them too.
Terho Likamaa - Head of Mining Unit in Tukes must have ducked out of the photo.

Irish Minister was hanging out with the Finnish Minister and the two of them were photographed pointing at the map of Finland.

Perhaps its time to start posting this stuff. Time for KDR to wake up or I might wake them up.

Maybe I will return with chocolates!

[rbonnier] 27/8/2018 19:28

Lets hope so i cant see the likes of Richard Taberner continuing to buy and add to his already substantial holding on a 500/1 long shot somehow .we probably are going to get the news we all hope for here fingers tightly crossed .

[shambaby] 27/8/2018 18:08

Hoping for life changing news from my few thousand invested from Riihivaara and Kuhmo 1 drilling.

[escapetohome] 27/8/2018 17:47

Mine is £2000. But i got a fair few for my buck.

[shane titley 1] 27/8/2018 14:41

IF you're investment is £5 ,50k ,100k makes no difference.
We all have invested.
The company needs to start delivering and improve communication!

[shane titley 1] 27/8/2018 14:37

Perhaps its time to stop the snipes at each other. All invested here should be excited for these results. Regardless of what price we invested at. If these results back up the mineral chemistry we will all be very happy.

I may lose my holding if all goes Pete Tong! . But drilling results will be here soon.

[johnnygrainger] 27/8/2018 12:10

Bonnie these results from the 2018 Work programme is the reason we all invested. WE ARE DRILLING!!! You can only get to prove up the assets with drill results, all the exploration to get to this point is done!!! Is provern to pinpoint the drill to prove up our geologists many years of work!!! Not many people know the story here. Those that do are invested for this Drilling campaign. News to come of the Micro/Macro diamond count from a new Kimberlite with exceptional mineral chemistry and the likely announcement of a further new Kimberlite that hosted the green diamond (2nd rarest colour on earth). Share price at record lows and the company funded to drill the two virgin assets. Hundreds of millions invested since the exploration of diamonds started in Finland. Mineral Chemistry proves these two assets currently being drilled are the best to date. I invested for these drill results, millions spent to get here. Share price beggars belief. It’s all in black and white if you research. No ramping needed from here hxxps://geology.com/diamond/spectacular-diamonds/

[rbonnier] 27/8/2018 11:02

When will they announce results from the work programmes ? What are the current time frames and expectations ?
Got to be some very positive developments before the next placing otherwise everyone will have about lost their entire investments .