Apr 6 2016
North Arrow Minerals Inc. is pleased to provide an update on results from the 2015 till sampling program at its 100% owned Mel Diamond Project in Nunavut. The project area is located less than 10 km from tide water on the Melville Peninsula, approximately 140 km south of the community of Hall Beach and 210 km northeast of the community of Naujaat (Repulse Bay) which is also the location of North Arrow's Qilalugaq Diamond Project.
A total of 228 till samples were collected in August 2015 as part of a program designed to better define two unsourced kimberlite indicator mineral (KIM) trains within the project. Visual picking results have been received from 175 of the 227 till samples and include numerous highly anomalous samples including four samples returning in excess of 100 KIM grains and one sample returning over 200 grains. Initial microprobe analyses have confirmed these grains as mantle-derived pyrope and eclogitic garnets and magnesium ilmenite KIMs. For comparison, the most highly anomalous sample from previous till sampling had returned 22 KIM grains. Initial interpretation of the distribution of these anomalous samples suggests that the northernmost KIM train is resolving into at least two and possibly four discrete indicator mineral trains. These till sampling results are highly encouraging as the 2015 till sampling program has been successful in drawing closer to multiple, potential kimberlite bedrock sources. Results from the remaining samples are expected over the next several weeks and will be used to identify targets for follow up exploration, including further till sampling, ground geophysics and drill testing.
The 2015 till samples were processed at Microlithics Laboratories Inc., an independent mineral processing laboratory located in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Heavy mineral concentrates were sent for final KIM extraction to I&M Morrison Geological Services Ltd. in Delta, British Columbia, an independent mineral sorting and petrographic laboratory. Quality assurance protocols, security and actual operating procedures for the collection, processing, transport and recovery of kimberlite indicator minerals conform to industry standard Chain of Custody provisions. As part of North Arrow's ongoing QA/QC programs, heavy mineral concentrates and other materials are subject to audit. North Arrow's diamond exploration programs are conducted under the direction of Kenneth Armstrong, P.Geo., President and CEO of North Arrow and a Qualified Person under NI 43-101. Mr. Armstrong has reviewed the contents of this press release.