BSE- and Aim-listed Botswana Diamonds has discovered two new blows at its Thorny River diamond project in South Africa, which will increase the mineable kimberlite.
The mine plan is now being finalised and the mining permit application being prepared.
This discovery comes from the company’s latest drilling campaign at the project, where 12 reverse circulation holes were completed. The objective of this drilling campaign was to expand the mineable kimberlite for the purpose of mine planning.
There were 52 m of kimberlite found, with the largest intersection being 22 m.
Analysis of raw data shows that two of the targets resulted in the discovery of new sub-surface blows, which will be added to the inventory, Botswana Diamonds says.
“We have finished exploration and now move toward mine development. We already have a good understanding of how the mine will look. The recent drilling identified the entry point for a mine. The next stage is to refine the mine model and to apply for a mining permit,” says chairperson John Teeling.