JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – A pilot hole drill programme at TSX-V-listed Tsodilo Resources’ BK16 kimberlite project, in Botswana, is set to reach completion by month-end, when the last three holes are drilled.
The programme, which started in February, was designed to achieve about 50 m grid hole spacing for the first phase of large-diameter drilling (LDD) sampling at the 6 ha site.
One pilot hole is drilled immediately next to every planned LDD hole, which improves on and upgrades the knowledge of the internal geology of the kimberlite and optimises the kimberlite intersected by the LDD programme.
Geotechnical studies of the cores will allow for the selection of the appropriate LDD drill bits based on rock hardness and the pilot hole cores will also provide a reference once the diamond recovery results have been obtained from the LDD programme.
Fourteen holes totalling 3 100 m were planned with 11 completed to date. This will provide just under 2 000 t of kimberlite for processing.