Botswana Diamonds Hopes to Find More Kimberlites
December 19, 23
(IDEX Online) - Botswana Diamonds says it has identified anomalies within 6km of its existing KX36 project that could indicate new diamond reserves.
KX36, about 260km north west of Gaborone, in the Kalahari Desert, has been described as the most significant diamond discovery in Botswana since the huge Debswana-owned Orapa and Jwaneng mines.
"Kimberlites occur in clusters, currently only KX36 has been discovered in this particular kimberlite field in the Kalahari so there should be more kimberlites waiting to be discovered," said John Teeling, chairman of UK and Botswana-registered Botswana Diamonds.
"This work forms part of our emerging Kalahari strategy which could lead to this area being a major diamond producer ".
The newly-discovered anomalies were identified by the heavy mineral train flowing from KX36 where it is thought likely that there are undiscovered buried kimberlites in the vicinity of KX36. Kimberlites generally occur in clusters, not in isolation.
The KX36 kimberlite pipe has resources of 17.9Mt at 35 carats per hundred tonnes ("cpht") (indicated) and 6.7Mt at 36 cpht (inferred) at $65/ct. The modelled grade range is 57-76 cpht at an estimated diamond value of up to $107/ct.
Pic courtesy Botswana Diamonds