Mr. John Teeling

Botswana Diamonds, the listed explorer, said it has been granted a new prospecting licence in the Orapa area, near Debswana’s operating mines.

The licence, PL 085/2015, given by Botswana government has been awarded to Atlas Minerals, the BOD local subsidiary company.  According to the company, the licence will be explored as part of the ongoing 50/50 exploration joint venture between Botswana Diamonds and Alrosa, the Russian diamond major.

BOD Chairman, John Teeling said this is a small, but important step, adding that they feel that there is a very good chance that unknown kimberlites exist in the area covered by ‘our existing block PL 207 and the new block PL 085’.

“Ongoing extensive and detailed work on the ground, field analyses and laboratory analyses will estimate how far and from where certain Kimberlitic Indicator Minerals (KIMs), specifically garnets, have travelled,” Teeling stated, adding that the joint venture is now zeroing in on targets.”

According to BOD, the licence is 316 sq km directly north-west of PL 207 already held by the joint venture.  Work carried out and currently in progress by the joint venture team, on PL 207, has found heavy concentrations of Kimberlitic Indicator Minerals (KIMs), particularly pyropes, in the north west of the block.

Alrosa will estimate the distance these have travelled.  “It is possible that the kimberlites associated with the pyropes may be on the ground just awarded.  There is no record of kimberlites on either licence.  Pyropes are red garnet gemstones.”