Botswana Diamonds starts drilling
Botswana Diamonds has started planning the drill phase of two anomalies discovered in the Kalahari desert next to its kx36 project.
The company announced that an Environmental Impact Assessment ( EIA) has commenced, as a prelude to drilling. “It is anticipated that ve holes will be drilled on the two anomalies.”
Botswana Diamonds Chairman, John Teeling stated that the new kimberlite targets have the potential to upgrade the existing resources in the area, including at the Ghaghoo Mine, which is currently under care and maintenance only 60 km away from the KX36 project. “e discovery of a second anomaly, which we believe is about six hectares in size, adjacent to that previously announced, is further good news. Additional work indicates that the first anomaly could be 12 hectares in size.”
He highlighted that both anomalies are close to the company’s KX36 diamond discovery, which is 3.5 hectares in size and contains an indicated and inferred estimate of 8.70 million carats. “e anomalies need to be drilled.” e company owns the largest diamond data set in Botswana, including the 375,000km of airborne geophysical data, 228,000km of soil sample results, 606 ground geophysical surveys and 32,000km of drill logs. Over the years, the company has spent £ 3.2 million ( P54, 3 million) in exploration but did not nd commercial deposits. KX36 is a 3.5 hectare kimberlite pipe, discovered by Sekaka, in the Kalahari. e kimberlite is situated approximately 70 km from Gem Diamonds’ Ghaghoo Mine.