THE COMPANY exploring the possibility of diamond mining in Fermanagh has hailed ‘exciting’ results from sediment taken from the Colebrooke River.
Dublin company, Karelian Diamond Resources PLC, which was given the go-ahead in 2019 to start prospecting for diamonds and base metals in the Fermanagh countryside, last week released a report of its most recent findings which indicated the presence of minerals and metals of interest.
“These exciting results heighten the prospectivity of the company’s exploration programme in Northern Ireland and add an additional dimension to the company’s exploration interests,” said Karelian chairman, Prof Richard Conroy, in relation to the findings.
The report outlined how ten samples had been taken from stream sediment in the local river and sent to be analysed in Canada.
“The sampling programme was being carried out in relation to the reported discovery of a diamond in the Colebrooke River and previous reported recovery of chromite minerals which can be associated with the presence of diamondiferous kimberlites,” the report stated.
The results of this analysis proved the samples contained chromite, which often appears in diamond-bearing rocks. The samples also showed the presence of forsterite olivine and metamorphic massive sulphide indicator minerals, chalcopyrite and low chrome diopside.
The company said its initial interpretation of the results were suggestive of source rock which was “indicative of additional targets for mineralisation within Karelian’s licence area.”
“The Tellus project proved the presence of elevated levels of nickel, copper, chromium, platinum and palladium in the area of the Company’s licence,” the report stated.
“Interpretation suggests these geochemical enrichments are associated with Palaeocene dykes which crosscut the area.”
Diamond mining is rare in western Europe, but the most recent results from Karelian have further built on centuries-old tales of diamonds being discovered here in the county.
Indeed, the only gem-quality diamond ever to be found in Ireland was discovered in the Coolebrooke River in 1816, and became known as the Brookebrough Diamond as it was given to Lady Brookeborough at the time.
When Kalerian first applied for a licence to diamond prospect in the east of Fermanagh back in 2017, Prof Conroy said the company had always been intrigued by tales of the Brookeborough Diamond, and samples taken 20 years ago had also indicated the possibility of diamonds lurking beneath Fermanagh’s fields.
Prof Conroy had said if diamonds or base metals were found locally, it could create a significant number of jobs in the area.
However, there was significant opposition to the granting of the prospecting licence in the first place, with over 1,000 local people signing a petition asking for the licence not to be granted.
The prospecting licence was approved in 2019, and covers a large area of the east of the county, including Tempo, Maguiresbridge, Donagh, and Roslea, but mainly concentrating on the Brookebrough area.
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