https://www.miningweekly.com

Six new prospecting licences awarded to Botswana Diamonds

Botswana Diamonds chairperson John Teeling

Botswana Diamonds chairperson John Teeling

25th April 2017

By: Martin Creamer

Creamer Media Editor

     

Font size: - +

JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – London Aim-listed Botswana Diamonds on Tuesday announced that its joint venture (JV) with the large Russian diamond company, Alrosa, had been awarded six new prospecting licences in Botswana.
 
Four are in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) and two are in the Orapa kimberlite province, and they extend to the end of March 2020.

Those in the CKGR cover 3 135 km2 and those in the Orapa area cover 482 km2, localities selected after a review of historical data. 

The CKGR area selected is close to Gem Diamonds’ Gope mine, as well as projects held by the Maibwe JV, in which Botswana Diamonds is a partner.

Unexplained geophysical and kimberlite indicator anomalies in the CKGR’s thinner Kalahari are close to existing pipes, while anomalies in the chosen Orapa area are northeast of Debswana’s Letlhakane diamond mine. 

Of the 85 kimberlites in the Orapa area, eight are current diamond mines or have been active diamond mines in the past. 

Debswana’s Orapa mine is the world’s largest tier-one diamond mine by area at 118 ha.
 
Alrosa geologists and mineralogists have arrived in Botswana to begin the 2017 field exploration programme, which will focus on sampling and geophysical studies at prospect licence 260 in the Orapa area and prospect licences 135, 235 and 234 in the Gope area.

Botswana Diamonds chairperson John Teeling said in a release to Creamer Media’s Mining Weekly Online that the awards would allow Botswana Diamonds to work with Alrosa to deploy advanced exploration technology to areas that “haven’t been looked at through this lens before”.

In partnering Botswana Diamonds on several programmes, Alrosa has been using technology that helped it to discover 19 diamond mines in Siberia.

It centres on the use of electrical impulses rather than magnetics and speeds up exploration by bringing mobile mineral-analysis laboratories to site.

Botswana Diamonds last year appointed as its MD former De Beers exploration GM James Campbell, who has more than 30 years' experience of working with exploration, development and production companies, including African Diamonds, where he was key to the discovery and development of the Karowe mine, known for its large diamonds.

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

Comments

Showroom

Booyco Electronics
Booyco Electronics

Booyco Electronics, South African pioneer of Proximity Detection Systems, offers safety solutions for underground and surface mining, quarrying,...

VISIT SHOWROOM 
Flameblock
Flameblock

FlameBlock is a proudly South African company that engineers, manufactures and supplies fire intumescent and retardant products to the fire...

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Hyphen, Eva mine, ferrochrome price make headlines
Hyphen, Eva mine, ferrochrome price make headlines
27th March 2024
Resources Watch
Resources Watch
27th March 2024

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.14 0.174s - 90pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now