JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Aim- and BSE-listed Botswana Diamonds has recovered 223 microdiamonds from 160 kg of kimberlite drill core from the Frischgewaagt project, in South Africa.
The diamond grade is estimated to be in a range of 20 carats per hundred tons (cpht) to 270 cpht at a bottom cutoff of 0.6 mm, with the largest stone being a white transparent crystal diamond falling in the -1.18+0.85 mm sieve.
“This is an excellent result and shows the potential of Frischgewaagt. Earlier work indicated diamond values of over $200/ct. The geophysics work, which is almost complete, and the drilling to follow is targeted to produce an inferred resource by the end of the year,” said Botswana Diamonds chairperson John Teeling.
The kimberlite concentrate was recovered from nine core holes drilled at Frischgewaagt, where both magmatic kimberlite and volcanoclastic were recently discovered.
The modelling took cognisance of the results from the earlier bulk processing of surface and near-surface material. The range in the estimated grade reflects the small sample size, he added.
The group would now refine the grade estimate through more sample drilling over the next few months.
“40 km of detailed ground-based geophysics is nearing completion on both Frischgewaagt and the adjoining properties, with a second drill programme planned to commence next month,” he concluded.