Highlights
– Positive new drill results join together the two “blows” discovered in earlier drilling
– Extensive kimberlite zones of 19.1m and 13.5m in two holes drilled into the River Blow from the north
– The size of the combined blows is being analysed and estimated
– Potential commercial mining options are being evaluated
Botswana Diamonds (‘BOD’), has successfully completed its nine-hole drilling programme on the Thorny River property in South Africa.
The objective was to see if two kimberlite blows (the River and River Extension blows were one contiguous orebody, thus increasing the overall resource and improving the commercial prospects of the project.
Nine percussion holes totalling 483 metres, were drilled. One hole intersected 19.1 metres of kimberlite zone, which is encouragingly the biggest thickness found in all three drilling programmes to date. Another hole intersected a thickness of 13.5m of kimberlite zone. These two intersections came from extending the River Blow toward the Extension Blow. The average kimberlite zone intersection was between 1.5 and 5 metres.
Work has now begun to create a model of the combined blows to estimate the potential resource with plans for a possible open cast mining.
Two new additional targets have been identified close to the current area. These could also be blows, thus increasing resources. They will be drilled.
John Teeling, Chairman, commented, “This is an excellent set of results. The two blows are, as we hoped, connected – thus increasing the resource. The two thickest intersections close to the River Blow are particularly exciting. Given these results, we are now examining commercial mine alternatives”.
The person who arranged the release of this announcement on behalf of the Company was James Campbell.
A copy of this announcement is available on the Company’s website, at www.botswanadiamonds.co.uk
Enquiries:
Botswana Diamonds PLC
John Teeling, Chairman
James Campbell, Managing Director
Jim Finn, Director
+353 1 833 2833
+27 83 457 3724
+353 1 833 2833
