Botswana Diamonds said it is conducting high-resolution geophysics and soil sampling to identify drilling targets within its new “highly prospective” 262 km2 prospecting licence in the Kaapvaal craton area, in eastern Botswana.
The company’s wholly owned subsidiary, Atlas Minerals was awarded the licence in May this year for an initial period of three years after which it can be renewed for two additional periods of two years each.
Company chairperson John Teeling was quoted by Mining Weekly as saying that De Beers, which held the licence for more than 20 years, did little exploration on the ground owing, in part, to geological conditions.
He said although the area was regarded as prospective, the thick Kalahari sands made historic exploration difficult.
Meanwhile, in Cameroon an initial exploration programme, in 2011, identified several outcrops of palaeoconglomerate in the Libongo area.
Three 100 t bulk samples had been collected and were being analysed to confirm the presence of diamonds.
Teeling, however, said crushing had been slow, owing to equipment problems, but the results were expected in a month.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished
