Kenieba Diamond Concessions
Previous Exploration

The discovery of a 137.5 carat diamond near Sansanto on the Doundi River in 1954 by a local miner sparked the start of a series of intermittent exploration programs in the Kenieba region. Since this first recorded discovery, numerous other alluvial diamond occurrences have been reported including a cluster of large (50 to 232ct) diamonds in the Doundi valley at Sansanto, 6km downstream of Kenieba. A total of 29 kimberlite pipes and dikes have been identified within a radius of 25km from Sansanto. Eight of the pipes contain very low grade (<1ct/100t) to trace amounts of diamond. The Bilali Sud and Cirque (excluded) pipes have yield diamonds of 7.4 and 6.1 carats respectively, however no very large diamonds are known from the pipes.
The following organisations have explored for diamonds in the Kenieba region:
• Direction Federale des Mines et de la Geologie (DFMG) 1954-1957 (A French government agency during the period when Mali was part of French West Africa)
• Selection Trust Exploration Ltd. (Seltrust) 1963-1966 (An English diamond exploration company)
• Societe Nationale de Recherche et d’Exploration Minieres (SONAREM) 1963- 1966
(Malian government agency formed following independence from France and assisted by the USSR)
• Syndicat Diamant Mali (SDM) 1980-1984 (A joint venture between the Government of Mali (DNGM), the Bureau de Recherches Geologiques et Minieres (BRGM) and Mines et Ressources S.A. (MINERSA))
• Mali Diamond Exploration BV (MADE) 1995-1999 (A joint company of Mink International of Canada and Ashton Mining Ltd of Australia)

Previous exploration within the Kenieba concessions resulted in the discovery of 16 kimberlite pipes: Bilali Nord, Bilali Sud and Sounkorou. The two Bilali pipes have been bulk sampled and the details and results of the work are discussed below. The Sounkorou pipe has not been bulk sampled. MADE collected 30-100kg samples from Bilali Sud and Sounkorou for microdiamond analysis. No microdiamonds were reported.

Alluvial and eluvial exploration sampling has been conducted over selected parts of the concessions, however most of this was of a done at a fairly low density and very little follow-up work has been conducted. The most recent sampling in the area was conducted by MADE and was aimed at confirming previously reported diamond and indicator mineral occurrences. MADE collected 40kg of <1.2mm material from gravel trap sites in present day and palaeo drainages. No systematic regional sampling was undertaken by MADE in this area.

In 1997 Aerodat Inc. of Canada flew a multi-client airborne magnetic survey in the Kenieba region. The survey covered approximately 80% of the Kenieba Sud concession including all of the unresolved diamond and indicator mineral occurrences discussed below. Only a couple of the many prospective magnetic anomalies within the concession have been investigated and one of them led to the discovery of the Sounkorou pipe.