The Fort à la Corne Diamond Camp

Fort à la Corne, Saskatchewan Location Map Click to Enlarge

The Fort à la Corne area, located 60 kilometres east of Prince Albert, has flat to gently rolling hills with an elevation of 428 metres above sea level. The land rises quickly from the Saskatchewan River into a plateau like terrain. The north half of the plain area is drained by the White Fox River through several small creeks and muskeg draws. The central and southern portions of the region drain into the Saskatchewan River. Fort à la Corne has a latitude of 53.13N and a longitude of 105.41W. Temperature ranges from a bitter cold mean of -19 Celsius in the winter, to a comfortable mean of 18 degrees Celsius in the summer. Precipitation is consistent through all months, with the highest levels being recorded in July with a 72mm average. The area is very accessible with a paved highway and gravel forestry roads, which allow for exploration properties to be reached at any time of the year.

Bayfield Ventures Corp. has recently acquired 5 claim blocks in the heart of the Fort à la Corne region of Central Saskatchewan. Diamond bearing kimberlite was first discovered in the region in 1989. Fort à la Corne is now well known for its substantial kimberlite bodies, which have been proven to be in excess of 70. Kimberlite is the parent rock of diamonds, and is considered the most important source of mined diamonds today. Bayfield Ventures is excited about the acquisition of these diamond exploration projects due to the proven potential of the area.

Classic Cut Diamond Click to Enlarge

The diamond industry is enormous; 50 million carats of diamonds are mined every year which result in an industry of over $5 billion per year. The Canadian diamond industry is worth more than 2 billion dollars annually, and is the 3rd largest in the world behind Botswana and Russia. Diamond production increased from 11.6 million carats to 12.6 million carats in 2003/2004 in Canada. Currently, Canada has 3 operating diamond mines, and more mines are under development. Diamonds are the hardest known mineral on earth, which are used in jewelry to drill bits.

Diamond Industry Outlook Click to Enlarge

The Fort à la Corne Regional Geology

The Fort à la Corne region of Central Saskatchewan is known as having one of the most extensive kimberlite fields in the world. 130 of the 2000 kimberlite pipes known worldwide are macro-diamond bearing. 23 of these kimberlite pipes are located in the Fort à la Corne district of Saskatchewan. Populated with companies such as Shore Gold Inc, De Beers, and Cameco Corporation, the area is well publicized for its diamond mining potential. In the Fort à la Corne region, it is estimated that over 70 percent of the 72 present known kimberlites have been shown to contain diamonds.

Geology Cross Section Click to Enlarge

Diamond in the Rough Click to Enlarge

Diamonds are the high pressure mineral form of the element carbon and generally forms in nature at depths greater than 150 kilometres and temperatures greater than 10000 degrees Celsius within the upper mantle of the earth. Diamonds are very old, with ages ranging from 1000 to 3300 million years. They are much older than their host volcanoes (kimberlites) and are carried to the surface as accidental fragments, called xenocrysts and xenoliths, from depth. Kimberlite is the rock formed by a kimberlite volcanic eruption or intrusion and is the result of processes that caused the mantle to melt at great depth. This melting has then intruded to the earth's surface. Generally, Kimberlite is only 90 million years old. Diamonds at depth are very patchy, and therefore kimberlite does not always contain diamonds. Kimberlites found within very old, (±2500 million yrs) cold continental crust that is underlain by relatively cold mantle, have the highest chance of containing diamonds. The Fort à la Corne diamond camp has all of these traits and therefore has been targeted for numerous diamond exploration programs.

About Shore Gold Inc.

Shore Gold Inc. (TSX: SGF) is considered the driving force in the Fort à la Corne region of Saskatchewan. To date, they have spent approximately $15,000,000 on their properties and they have completed $125,000,000 of financing. Their key project areas, staked in late 1995, consisted of 15 contiguous mineral claims totaling 4,608 hectares. After acquiring the key claims in late 1995, Shore Gold completed an airborne geophysical survey in the Spring of 1996 and followed up several magnetic anomalies with a ground magnetic survey. In the fall of 1996 three NQ (48mm diametre) core holes were drilled in an anomaly now known as the Star Kimberlite. These holes were followed up and confirmed by the results from two PQ (85mm diametre) core holes drilled in 1997. Encouraged by these results, Shore Gold has subsequently drilled an additional 29 NQ holes, one PQ hole and one large diameter (24") reverse circulation hole.

The major success of Fort à la Corne was established when Shore Gold Inc. located a root zone beneath the kimberlite crater when their drill hole #20 intersected 539 metres of continuous kimberlite. This is now the longest intersection of continuous kimberlite from a vertical drill hole ever reported in North America. The De Beers and Monopros Joint Venture has also added attention to the region by identifying 57 diamondiferous kimberlite pipes. Not only did these discoveries catch investor's attention, it has made the Fort à la Corne region one of the most appealing diamond regions in the world.

Shore Gold in Fort à la Corne, Central Saskatewan Click to Enlarge

On October 28th, 2005, Shore Gold merged with another large property owner in the Fort à la Corne region, Kensington Resources Ltd. By doing so, Shore Gold became 42.25% Joint Venture partners with De Beers Canada Inc. (42.25%), Cameco Corporation (5.5%), and UEM Inc.(10%). After completing the merger, Shore Gold has interest in an additional 348 claims covering 134,892 hectares in the Fort à la Corne region, for a total land position of 363 claims covering 139,500 hectares.

Click Here For Fort à la Corne Properties Claims Map

Shore Gold has recently shifted its attention from their very successful "Star kimberlite" to the Orion cluster, which is located just north-west of the Star property. The Orion cluster property is Joint Ventured with De Beers Canada. 58,000 metres of drilling is expected on kimberlite bodies 120, 133, 140, 141, 145, 147, 148, 219, and 220. An extra 5,000 metres of drilling is expected on kimberlites 118, 123, 152. Recent microdiamond results indicate that the kimberlites of the Orion cluster are highly prospective. By late July 2006, 5 rigs will be drilling on the property.

Bayfield's Fort à la Corne Diamond Properties

Bayfield Ventures 5 newly acquired claim blocks (1,568 hectares) are all located in the heart of the Fort à la Corne diamond discovery area. Two of the claim blocks are located very close to both Shore Gold Inc. and the Shore Gold - De Beers' recent diamond discoveries.

Bayfield's Fort à la Corne Properties Claims Map Click to Enlarge

The Company's "Bay #1" mineral claims (S-135005, S-135006) leases adjoin Shore Gold claims on the north, south and west. The block is located 6 km to the east north-east of the Shore Gold "Star" kimberlite body and 8 km to the east of the Shore Gold - De Beers' 140-141 kimberlite body. Ground magnetic surveys on the Bay #1 indicate two untested anomalies 230 x 400 metres in diametre and 600 x 400 metres in diametre.

The "Bay #2" minereal claim block (S-135007) is situated 4 km to the north of the Shore Gold - De Beers' 164 kimberlite body and 5 km to the east of the Shore Gold - De Beers' 326-168-167 kimberlite bodies. A detailed Ground magnetic survey on this property indicates two favorable anomalies 230 x 400 metres in diametre and 500 x 500 metres in diametre.

Bayfield's remaining 2 properties (S-135009, S-135033) are both ideally located, situated very close to Shore Gold and its recently discovered diamondiferous kimberlite occurences. S-135009 is found approximately 15 km to the north-west of Shore Gold/De Beers proven kimberlite Orion cluster property. The Company's S-135033 property is surrounded by Shore Gold properties and is on strike to the north-west of the Shore Gold/De Beers Joint Ventured properties.