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Sunrise Diamonds plc is exploring for diamonds in the Karelian Craton in Finland a geological block that is host to a number of world-class diamondiferous kimberlites (Grib, Lomonosova) in the Arkhangelsk region of neighbouring Russia.
The Company was formed in 2005 to continue the diamond exploration activities of its parent, Tertiary Minerals plc. A pre-IPO fundraising was completed as an entitlement issue to the shareholders of Tertiary Minerals and was followed with a placing on AIM admission on 6 June 2005.
In May 2008 Sunrise Diamonds signed a Letter of Agreement with Mantle Diamonds, a private UK registered diamond exploration company, giving Sunrise a 20% free-carried interest in two kimberlite targets located close to the Lahtojoki kimberlite pioe in the Kaavi regin of central Finland.
Sunrise Diamonds projects are located in the centre of the Karelian Craton (a part of the Fenno- Scandian Shield), which extends from Sweden, through Finland and eastwards into Russia. It comprises generally north to north-east/north-west trending Archaean greenstone belts in granitoid basement.
Kimberlites are widely distributed in the Karelian Craton and a higher-than-average percentage of these kimberlites contain diamonds. These have a broad spectrum of compositions including Group I and II and various hybrids of the kimberlite clan. In the Russian part of the Craton, large economic diamond deposits have been discovered in the Arkhangelsk region, including the Lomonosov diamond project run by Alrosa and the highly diamondiferous Grib pipe.
At Kostamuksha, 100km east of the Finnish/Russian border a cluster of lamproites (50 dykes and 2 diatremes), including olivine lamproites are diamond bearing and developed within a major westnorth- west trending shear zone. Similarly oriented fractures in northern Finland are recognised as deep-seated mantle-taping structures that have been active over long periods of geological time.
Known kimberlite intrusion in Finland and Russia has extended from the Proterozoic – e.g. Kostamuksha (1120-1320 Ma) and Lentiira (1200Ma) – through to the Devonian – e.g. Arkhangelsk (365 Ma), Terskii (404 Ma) and Kaavi-Kuopio (430-590 Ma). The Kuusamo project area is located in east central Finland close to the Russian border and close to the geographic centre of the Karelian Craton. The Kuusamo kimberlites are located some 120 km north of the Group II kimberlites/olivine lamproites reported from the Lentiira area of eastern Finland and about 300 km NE from the Group I kimberlites discovered in the 1980's and 90's in the Kaavi- Kuopio region at the southwestern edge of the craton.
The Kuusamo project area sits on the southern margin of a broad WNW trending alkaline province “the Kola Alkaline province” which stretches for over 1,000 km from Northern Finland through the diamond bearing regions of Kandalaksha, Terskii Bereg, Arkhangelsk and Central Timan in NW Russia.
Within the prospective parts of the Karelian Craton, the Company considers the extension of the Kola alkaline province into Northern Finland particularly prospective. Within this area, the Kuusamo district stands out as a major centre of earthquake activity in Finland. This may also reflect a higher concentration of deep fractures active over a long period of geological time, and therefore a favourable region for repeated kimberlite intrusion.
Finland
| Patrick Cheetham | Executive Chairman |
| Francis Johnstone | (Senior) Non-Executive Director |
| Neil Herbert | Non-Executive Director |
| Company Secretary | Colin Fitch |
| Project Manager, New Business Development | Andrew Dixon |
Company AddressSunrise House
|
Capital139,221,794 issue share capital as at July 2008 |
Annual General MeetingEnd January | Year End30th September |
Nominated BrokersRuegg & Co. Ltd | Nominated AdvisorsRuegg & Co. Ltd |
02/08/07 - Hardman & Co.
| Pershing Keen Nominees Limited GWCLT | 22,564,849 | 16.2% |
| Tertiary Minerals plc | 22,899,990 | 16.4% |
| Starvest Plc | 14,183,333 | 10.2% |
| Patrick L Cheetham | 6,200,000 | 4.5% |
| Robert Parsons & Mrs Deborah Parsons | 5,820,000 | 4.2% |