Lucapa Diamond Company Limited which is currently involved in exploration and development of diamond mines in Angola, Australia, Botswana and Lesotho, provided an update on its activities at the first three sites.

The Lulo Diamond Mine in Angola,  the Company’s flagship project operated with two other partners, has, so far, provided a  rich  yield through  alluvial mining. Now, the Company and its partners are involved in a programme to assess potential kimberlites and analyse material samples recovered from them.

“Drilling continues to focus on the cluster of kimberlite targets located along tributaries draining from the south-west into, and around, the valuable Mining Blocks 8, 6 and 28 areas,” Lucapa reported. “Significantly, the Lulo partners have to date recovered and sold alluvial diamonds from these areas worth approximately US$ 85 million. A total of 503 of the 574 Specials (diamonds with a weight >10.8 carats) sold to date and averaging 26 carats per Special, have originated from these three areas.”

Since the last update from the Company in early November 2017, drilling has successfully intersected kimberlite in a further two targets within this Zavige cluster  at Lulo, Lucapa said, taking the number of kimberlites defined in the area to date, to seven. 

Also, the Lulo partners have completed two deep holes to a maximum depth of 225 metres at target L259 on the eastern side of the Cacuilo River.   

“Deep drilling at L259 target intersects primarily Calonda and Karoo material at depth,” Lucapa reported. 

The kimberlite core from the drilling programme  is being progressively sent to Cape Town, South Africa, “for petrographic analysis, indicator mineral recovery and mineral chemistry analysis”.

The second batch of drill core samples from 10 kimberlites have also been sent to Cape Town for laboratory analysis.

Lucapa also reported that it has completed a  lamproite drilling programme undertaken at its 80% owned Brooking Project in Western Australia; and the drill core has been “logged, packed and transported to Perth”, to undergo petrographic and mineral chemistry analysis.

However, about its activities in Botswana, Lucapa said that due to “delays in processing the required approvals by the authorities, drilling at Orapa Area F in Botswana will now only proceed in 2018, following the wet season”.