15th Nov 2016 11:25
LONDON (Alliance News) - Botswana Diamonds PLC Tuesday said it is making good progress at its joint venture programme in the Orapa and Gope regions of Botswana, as a second diamond was identified in samples from the PL 260 licence.
Botswana said that a second diamond has been recovered from the re-analysts of concentrate from holes drilled at AK 21 on PL 260. A total of 1,290 metres has been drilled on three licences.
Two drill holes on PL 085 in Orapa encountered a dolerite sill instead of kimberlite, and four holes were drilled on a "clearly defined anomaly" on prospecting licence 135 in the Gope region. Botswana said that, rather than the hoped for kimberlite, an intensively weathered part basalt dolerite rock was found. These results are being reviewed.
Kimberlite is an igneous rock known for sometimes containing diamonds.
"We are making good progress in Botswana. Visual analysis of the core from drilling the AK 22 kimberlite identified a small diamond. This is rare. The core is now in South Africa undergoing detailed microdiamond analysis. As previously reported, we are reworking the concentrate from drilling on AK 21 - on the same licence as AK 22. We have found a second diamond. The question now is to try to estimate whether the grade is good enough to continue exploration," said Chairman John Teeling in a statement.
Shares in Botswana Diamonds were up 5.0% at 1.68 pence Tuesday.
By Hana Stewart-Smith; [email protected]; @HanaSSAllNews
Copyright 2016 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Related Shares:
Botswana Diam