September 05, 20062006 Bulk Sample From Main Lobe Pyroclastic Kimberlite At DO-27 Averages 0.88 Carats Per Tonne
High-grade portion of pipe extends over an area three times larger than area tested in 2005
7.11, 3.91, 2.34, 2.11, 1.83, 1.56, and 1.55 carat diamonds recovered
Vancouver, British Columbia -- September 5, 2006 -- Peregrine Diamonds Ltd. ("Peregrine") is pleased to announce that the average grade of the 2006 bulk sample from the Main Lobe pyroclastic kimberlite of the DO-27 pipe is 0.88 carats per tonne. These results corroborate the bulk sample results from last year and confirm that the grade is consistent over an area three times larger than the area which was tested in 2005. Furthermore, the pyroclastic kimberlite collected from the North East Lobe portion of the DO-27 pipe returned an average grade of 0.85 carats per tonne which is significantly higher than previously reported. The DO-27 pipe, part of the WO Diamond Project, is located 23 kilometers southeast of the Diavik(tm) Diamond Mine, N.W.T., Canada, is over 9 hectares in size, and is comprised of a Main Lobe and a smaller contiguous North East Lobe.
Peregrine drilled a total of 12 large diameter, reverse circulation ("RC") drill holes to a maximum depth of 403 metres during the winter of 2006 which resulted in the collection of 548 dry tonnes of kimberlite material (566 wet tonnes). A total of 8855 diamonds were recovered using a 1mm sieve size cut-off. Of this total, 49 diamonds larger than one-half carat and 13 diamonds greater than 1 carat were recovered, including 7.11, 3.91, 2.34, 2.11, 1.83, 1.56, and 1.55 carat stones, confirming that DO-27 contains a significant population of larger diamonds. The diamonds recovered from the 2006 program included a 7.11 carat, light brown, slightly distorted octahedral gem; a 1.83 carat, near white, complex octahedral gem; and an irregular white, 1.55 carat gem.
This year's drill program was a follow up to an initial 6-hole, large diameter RC drill program, completed during the winter of 2005, which resulted in the collection of 151 dry tonnes of kimberlite. The initial 6 holes were drilled into the Main Lobe and the grades of these six holes ranged from 0.70 to 1.03 carats per tonne, averaging 0.90 carats per tonne. The average grade within the Main Lobe pyroclastic kimberlite that is Cr-diopside rich was 0.98 carats per tonne (see press release dated 14th June 2005).
The grades and tonnages were calculated using measured and estimated hole dimensions and measured specific gravities. All density measurements were performed at the Teck Cominco Global Discovery Laboratory in Vancouver. As with the 2005 sample, the 2006 sample was processed at the bulk sample test plant at BHP Billiton's Ekati(tm) Diamond Mine.
Of the twelve holes drilled during 2006, one hole (L0611) did not reach the target depth as it was stopped in overburden due to drilling complications. The remaining 11 holes reached depths ranging from 53 to 403 metres and all ended in kimberlite (see map showing drill hole locations below or on Peregrine's web site at www.pdiam.com under News---Press Releases).
The RC holes have been subdivided into three groups according to where they were drilled into the DO-27 pipe. These groups are: the Main Lobe-Pyroclastic Kimberlite, the North East Lobe-Pyroclastic Kimberlite and the North East Lobe-Other Lithologies (found below the pyroclastic kimberlite) which includes hypabyssal kimberlite and mixed lithologies. Despite the fact that these Other Lithologies form a volumetrically minor component at DO-27, diamonds weighing 2.34, 1.56, 0.81 and 0.51 carats were recovered from these lithologies.
The individual grades and specific diamond information for the 2006 and previously announced 2005 RC holes in both the Main Lobe and North East Lobe are summarized below:
Five of the eight 2006 RC holes drilled within the Main Lobe returned significant sections with grades above 1 carat per tonne, including hole L0602 that reached a depth of 403 metres (twice as deep as the deepest RC hole completed in 2005), which intersected 112 metres @ 1.02 carats per tonne, and hole L0606 which intersected 48 metres @ 1.38 carats per tonne.
In the North East Lobe, the three RC holes drilled within the pyroclastic kimberlite returned an average grade of 0.85 carats per tonne as compared to the grade of 0.36 carats per tonne Kennecott Canada Exploration Inc. obtained from their underground bulk sample of the North East Lobe in 1993. These new bulk sample grades from the North East Lobe are consistent with micro-diamond results obtained by Peregrine from core holes drilled into this part of the pipe (see press release dated 16th March 2006) and demonstrate that the higher grade pyroclastic kimberlite portion of DO-27 may be significantly larger than previously envisaged, as drilling has proven that it extends from the Main Lobe into the North East Lobe.
The diamonds have been sent to WWW International Diamond Consultants Ltd. in Antwerp, Belgium for complete valuations and diamond value/size distribution modeling work. The results of this work are expected during October, 2006.
Commenting on the results, Mr. Howard Coopersmith, an international diamond expert with over 30 years experience and the external Qualified Person to Peregrine said "The 2006 grade results are consistent with those obtained from the 2005 bulk sample and confirm that the grade and the diamonds themselves are substantially better than those from the previous 1993 Kennecott sample. The 2006 drilling covers a larger portion of the pipe, both laterally and at depth, than did the 2005 work, and, combined with the 2005 results, gives an understanding of the overall grade. The uniformity in average grade over a large portion of the pipe is very encouraging." Peregrine and its joint venture partners are currently drilling at DO-27 with two core rigs with the objective of testing the area between DO-27 and the nearby DO-18 kimberlite pipe where previous drill holes have intersected significant intervals of kimberlite. Drilling is also further defining the outer limits to the DO-27 pipe and completing pilot drill holes into the land-based portion of the North East Lobe of DO-27 and the DO-18 kimberlite, located approximately 700 metres north of DO-27, in preparation for large diameter RC drilling, mini-bulk sampling of both of these areas later this year.
Dr. Jennifer Pell, P.Geo., is the internal Qualified Person working on the DO-27 project. Mr. Howard Coopersmith, P.Geo., of Coopersmith & Associates, Colorado, USA, is the external Qualified Person.
Peregrine will conduct a teleconference regarding this release. The teleconference begins at 9 a.m. (Pacific Time) on Wednesday, September 6, 2006. Members of the news media, investors and the general public are invited to access
the conference call by dialing one of the following numbers and entering access code 55647# when prompted:
• North American Access: 1-888-458-1598
• Vancouver Access: 604-899-1159
• Toronto Access: 416-883-0139
• Overseas Access: 1-403-232-6311
This teleconference will be archived on Peregrine's web site until the end of September, 2006.
Peregrine is a well-funded Canadian diamond exploration/development company that is managed by experienced geoscientists. The company is taking the plus 9 hectare DO-27 diamondiferous kimberlite into pre-feasibility and is exploring for other diamondiferous kimberlites on its extensive land holdings in Canada. The company trades on the TSX Exchange under the symbol "PGD".
On behalf of the Board of Directors
Eric Friedland
President and CEO
Alan Carter
Chief Operating Officer
Forward-Looking Statements: This document includes forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to statements concerning Peregrine's projects, pre-feasibility studies, and other statements that are not historical facts. When used in this document, the words such as "could," "confident," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "anticipated," "intend," "may," "potential," "should," "scheduled," "significant," and similar expressions are forward-looking statements. Although Peregrine Diamonds Ltd. believes that its expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risk and uncertainties and no assurance can be given that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ from these forward-looking statements are disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in the corporation's periodic filings with Canadian regulators.
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