Australian exploration company Meteoric Resources, in conjunction with its joint venture partner GeoCrystal, has announced the discovery of a new kimberlite field in the West Arunta region of the Gibson Desert in Western Australia.

The new kimberlite field potentially some 400km² is located near the remote Western Australian aboriginal community of Kiwirrkurra.

Five of the seven targets in the first pass aircore drilling conducted in June 2013 intersecting weathered olivine-bearing ultramafic volcanic rocks.

In addition, mineralogical testing of the drill samples validates the presence of chrome diopside, pyrope garnet and chromite diamond indicator minerals.

The company is planning further drilling to examine certain number of the rest of the untested magnetic targets, with the drilling program expected to restart in the September quarter this year.

The exploration property in the Gibson, called the Webb project area, has never been explored for diamonds earlier.

Meteoric Resources had originally commenced exploring for Olympic Dam-style iron oxide copper-gold deposits and was unsuccessful. It then realized the magnetic anomalies observed by aerial surveys can be kimberlites that could carry diamonds.