Botswana Diamonds venture awarded six new prospecting licenses

Diamond explorer Botswana Diamonds announced the award of six new prospecting licenses in Botswana to Sunland Minerals on Tuesday -the company’s joint venture with Alrosa.

The AIM-traded firm said the prospecting licenses were issued for a period of three years ending on 30 March 2020.

Four were in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and covered 3,135 square kilometres, and two were in the Orapa kimberlite province covering 482 square kilometres.

The areas were selected following a detailed review of historical data by the BOD and Alrosa team, with the CKGR area selected as it was close to the Gem Diamonds Gope Mine as well as high interest projects held by the Maibwe Joint Venture, where BOD is a partner.

It said the Kalahari cover iwa thinner and there were unexplained geophysical and kimberlite indicator anomalies, some of which were contiguous with existing pipes.

The Orapa area, north east of Debswana's Letlhakane Mine, was selected as there were also unexplained anomalies.

There were 85 kimberlites in the Orapa kimberlite province, of which eight were current diamond mines, or had been active diamond mines previously.

The Orapa Mine was also the largest Tier 1 diamond mine by area in the world at 118 hectares.

In addition to the new PL's, the company also announced that an Alrosa team of geologists and mineralogists had arrived in Botswana to begin the 2017 field exploration programme.

As previously announced, that would focus on sampling and geophysical studies on four licences, PL 260 in Orapa and PL 135, 235 and 234 in the Gope area.

“I am delighted that we have been awarded this highly prospective ground in Botswana,” said chairman John Teeling.

“This will allow us to work with Alrosa to deploy advanced exploration technology to areas which have not been looked at through this lens before.”