Dunnedin Begins Field Program at Kahuna and Provides Permitting Update
Dunnedin Ventures Inc. (the “Company” or “Dunnedin”) (TSX-V: DVI) is pleased to announce the start of field investigations and to provide permitting updates for its Kahuna project, located near Rankin Inlet, Nunavut. Field crews are currently collecting approximately 1,000 till samples across the Kahuna property. This is ten times the number of samples collected during Dunnedin’s 2015 program, which successfully applied exploration and diamond indicator mineral classification techniques pioneered by Dunnedin’s advisor Dr. Chuck Fipke to define a number of new potentially diamond-bearing kimberlite targets.
Chris Taylor, Dunnedin’s CEO stated, “Our 2015 till program was a highly successful but focused orientation survey of only 118 samples. That work identified several new targets consistent with our known diamond-bearing kimberlites, including both dike and pipe targets, and extensions to known diamond-bearing kimberlites. We anticipate that this summer’s 1000 sample program will define additional targets and will allow us to accurately prioritize sites for upcoming drilling and bulk sampling.”
The 2016 field program has an estimated budget of $350,000, which is kept low by infrastructure and service advantages associated with the project’s location near both Rankin Inlet and Chesterfield Inlet.
The Company is currently completing diamond recoveries from the Notch, PST and Kahuna kimberlites sampled in 2015, along with processing of the 2015 till samples for potential gold content. Results will be issued as received. It is anticipated that processing of the 2016 till samples will be completed in time to guide the upcoming winter program in 2016 – 2017.
Permitting Update
The Company is also pleased to report that Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) has endorsed modification and resubmission of the Company’s multi-year exploration permit application to the Nunavut Impact Review Board (NIRB). In a letter addressed to NIRB dated August 2016, INAC stated, “We are pleased to hear that Dunnedin Ventures Inc. has already taken steps to address the concerns raised by the Board in its Screening Decision Report, including engaging in community consultation activities, and that it plans to submit a revised Project proposal.”
In April 2016, NIRB recommended to INAC that the Company should either modify and resubmit, or alternatively abandon its multi-year exploration permit application, and provided a list of required steps to complete prior to resubmission. INAC’s decision to support resubmission rather than abandonment streamlines the permitting process and allows the Company to focus on implementing NIRB’s suggestions within the framework of the existing application. Dunnedin has recently completed all suggested steps, and plans to resubmit its application to the Nunavut Planning Commission over the coming weeks. Current permits allow the Company to continue sampling work through 2017 – 2018.
A full version of INAC’s decision can be accessed at:
About the Kahuna Project
Kahuna is an advanced stage diamond project located near Rankin Inlet, Nunavut. An Inferred Resource released by Dunnedin showed over 4 million carats of commercial-sized diamonds (+0.85 mm) at a grade of 1.01 carats per tonne had been defined along the partial strike length of the Kahuna and Notch kimberlite dikes through shallow drilling. The largest diamond recovered was a 5.43 carat stone from the Kahuna dike that had been broken during sample processing and was reconstructed as having an original size of 13.42 carats. Recent results include a 0.82 tonne sample of the PST kimberlite dike which returned 96 macrodiamonds totalling 5.34 carats (+0.85 mm) and a 1.02 tonne sample of the Notch kimberlite that returned 36 commercial-sized diamonds (+0.85 mm) totalling 0.66 carats (+0.85 mm). The Kahuna project is located adjacent to the development-stage Meliadine gold project of Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd.
Mr. R. Bob Singh, P.Geo., Exploration Manager, is the qualified person responsible for the technical content of this news release.
For further information please contact Mr. Chris Taylor, M.Sc., P.Geo, CEO, at 778-327-5799.
On behalf of the Board of Directors
Dunnedin Ventures Inc.
Chris Taylor
Chief Executive Officer
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Statements included in this announcement, including statements concerning our plans, intentions and expectations, which are not historical in nature are intended to be, and are hereby identified as, “forward-looking statements”. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words including “anticipates”, “believes”, “intends”, “estimates”, “expects” and similar expressions. The Company cautions readers that forward-looking statements, including without limitation those relating to the Company’s future operations and business prospects, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements.
