Field Trip 02 – UNDER REVISION FOR 2024

Kimberlites From Across Canada

Leader(s): TBD

Location: Across Canada from Yellowknife to Calgary to Saskatoon, and Montreal.

Transport: All charter and scheduled planes between each destination and road transport at each destination are included in the field trip registration for POST-FT02A and POST-FT02A+B. Participants in POST-FT02B (only) will have to make their own travel plans to Montreal.

Description: Participants will travel across Canada examining drillcore from a geographically and geologically diverse range of kimberlite occurrences.  The trip provides a unique opportunity to see Canadian kimberlites encompassing a range of ages, textural varieties, and emplacement settings. Pre-prepared samples of some kimberlites may be made available. The trip begins in Yellowknife where participants will see core from the Lac de Gras and the northern Slave kimberlites (POST-FT04F), courtesy of Northwest Territories Geological Survey. In Calgary, core from the Gahcho Kuè Mine in NWT, Chidliak on Baffin Island, Nunavut and the Victor Mine in Ontario will be available, courtesy of the De Beers Group. In Calgary, participants will also be able to see diamonds from De Beers Canadian projects, including Snap Lake, Victor, Gahcho Kué, Chidliak and DO-27. Participants will then travel to Saskatoon, and on to Fort à la Corne, Saskatchewan for a site visit of the Star-Orion South Diamond Project in central Saskatchewan courtesy of Rio Tinto Exploration Canada and Star Diamond Corporation, where Rio Tinto is conducting an advanced evaluation program. Upon returning to Saskatoon, there will be a tour of the Saskatchewan Research Council Geoanalytical Laboratories (SRC), including their Diamond Laboratory that provides advanced diamond recovery services to the diamond industry. At the SRC participants will visit a 5 tonne per hour diamond processing plant (DMS) and diamond recovery facility, as well as visit the microdiamond processing and kimberlite indicator mineral recovery facilities. A one-day visit to the Renard Mine in Quebec courtesy of Stornoway Diamond Corporation can be added to the main field trip or be a separate field trip. This visit should include a visit to at least one open pit and, if possible, an underground visit, a partial tour of the main process plant plus bulk sample (test) plant, examine surface ore stockpiles if available from which it may be possible to obtain kimberlite samples and a viewing of a diamond display.DD

Top left: Star Kimberlite site next to the South Saskatchewan River, Fort à la Corne, Saskatchewan. Upper middle left: Microdiamond processing facility at the Saskatchewan Research Council facilities in Saskatoon. Lower middle left: Diamonds from the CH-06 kimberlite, Chidliak, Nunavut; Bottom left: Polished slab of drill core from one of the Gahcho Kué kimberlites, NWT; Top right: Drill core from one of the Chidliak kimberlites, Nunavut; Bottom right: Renard Mine Site, Quebec.