ALROSA geologists examine a new kimberlite body near Aikhal

ALROSA geologists have started to study a new kimberlite body near the village of Aikhal in the Mirny District of Yakutia, the company said in a press release published yesterday. The mapping of hard-to-reach kimberlite, which is scheduled to be completed in the 4th quarter of 2020, is carried out by way of electrical resistivity tomography (ERT).
The new kimberlite pipe is located under Lake Mutnoye, 12 km from Aikhal. Having confirmed the kimberlite’s diamond grade, geologists began to define its boundaries, after which it will be possible to start assessing its resources and then reserves. This will make it possible to evaluate the prospects for commercial development of the new diamond ore occurrence. It is expected that drilling will be completed in the second quarter, and a preliminary estimate of inferred resources will be concluded during the summer of 2021.
To get a more precise size of the ore body overlain by the lake, boulders and sedimentary rocks, ALROSA specialists use the ERT technique.
“The electrical resistivity tomography is a high-resolution electrical prospecting technique that allows you to work using modern high-performance equipment and effective algorithms for two-dimensional and three-dimensional modeling. It permits to reduce the labor-intensive and costly exploration drilling during geological surveys and accordingly the time and budget for prospecting operations,” said Konstantin Garanin, Chief Geologist of ALROSA.
ALROSA geologists received a Russian-made portable multi-electrode electrical exploration station at the end of 2019 and have already tested it exploring the Syuldyukar kimberlite pipe in the Ygyatta diamond bearing area of Yakutia.