Botswana Diamonds plc (BOD) said that Sunland Minerals Pty Ltd, its joint venture company with ALROSA, has been awarded six new Prospecting Licenses in Botswana covering a period of three years ending on March 30, 2020. 

Four off the licences are in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and cover 3,135 square kilometres and two are in the Orapa kimberlite province and cover 482 square kilometres, the Company said.

In a statement, Botswana Diamonds said that the areas were selected following a detailed review of historical data by the BOD and ALROSA teams. 

The choice of the CKGR area was based on its proimity to the Gem Diamonds Gope Mine as well as high interest projects held by the Maibwe Joint Venture, where BOD is a partner.  The miner also said that the Kalahari cover is thinner and there are unexplained geophysical and kimberlite indicator anomalies some of which are contiguous with existing pipes.  

Unexplained anomalies also led the Company to select the Orapa area, North-East of Debswana's Letlhakane Mine.  According to BOD, there are 85 kimberlites in the Orapa kimberlite province of which 8 are current diamond mines, or have been active diamond mines previously.  The Orapa Mine is also the largest Tier 1 diamond mine by area in the world at 118 hectares.

 BOD also said that an ALROSA team of geologists and mineralogists have arrived in Botswana to begin the 2017 field exploration programme. It added that, as previously announced, this will focus on sampling and geophysical studies on four licences, PL 260 in Orapa and PL 135, 235 and 234 in the Gope area.

John Teeling, Chairman, commented, "I am delighted that we have been awarded this highly prospective ground in Botswana.  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."