Karelian upbeat on aerial magnetic survey over Kuhmo target

Finland-focussed exploration company Karelian Diamond Resources announced on Tuesday that an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) detailed high-resolution magnetic survey had been conducted over its ‘Anomaly 5’, or Tervavaara, target in the Kuhmo region in the east of the country.

The AIM-traded firm said that was the area where it had discovered a green diamond-in-till, and in the board’s view, had the potential to be a new diamond province.

It said the results, comprising maps of total magnetic intensity, were now being integrated with its existing kimberlite indicator minerals data and drilling information in the area, to aid in the identification of kimberlite bodies, including the possible source of the green diamond, or other diamondiferous kimberlite bodies.

The magnetic survey was carried out using a datalogger installed on a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drone.

It explained that the magnetic field was measured using a fluxgate magnetometer located in the tail boom of the drone.

The survey was flown on an east-west orientation with 73 flight lines at around 35 metre spacing, and nine north-south tie-lines 350 metres apart, at a mean height of 42 metres, with the survey totalling 250 line kilometres covering an area of 7.8 square kilometres.

Karelian said the use of the UAV airborne survey technique facilitated the acquisition of “comprehensive” geophysical data over terrain where a ground geophysical survey could be difficult, time consuming and possibly incomplete, particularly at certain times of year.

The technique could prove particularly useful in Finland, where the first kimberlite was discovered in 1964 by Malmikaivos Oy using a ground magnetic geophysical survey, as were the Lahtojoki kimberlite, which the company was proposing to develop as a diamond mine, and the Seitaperä kimberlite in Kuhmo, which Keralian had shown to be the largest known kimberlite discovered to date in the country.

“These results, using this innovative and highly effective technique, have greatly enhanced our already extensive knowledge of the Kuhmo diamondiferous area of Finland, in addition to the established diamondiferous Kuopio-Kaavi area of Finland, where the company is looking to develop the Lahtojoki diamond deposit as the first diamond mine in Finland and in Europe, outside Russia,” said the company’s chairman Richard Conroy.

At 0854 BST, shares in Karelian Diamond Resources were up 2.7% at 3.8p.