Alrosa Technology Discovers Ultramafic Rock In Orapa

Spread the love
Exploration activity by Botswana Diamonds

Exploration activity by Botswana Diamonds

Botswana Diamonds (BOD) said a three hole drilling programme has been completed on licence PL 210 in the Orapa region of Botswana. The programme is part of a 50/ 50 joint venture with Russian major, Alrosa.

According to BOD, the programme targeted an anomaly discovered by Alrosa using their Transient Electromagnetic Method (TEM) reinforced by soil sampling which had earlier discovered significant Kimberlite Indicator Minerals (KIMs).

It said two of the three holes intersected the anomaly. The holes intersected intensively altered ultramafic rock. While kimberlite is an ultramafic rock initial field analysis suggests this rock is older than the kimberlites found in the Orapa area.

Chrome spinellids and olivines which are significant KIMs are in the core. Detailed petrographic analysis of the drill core will take place in St Petersburg Russia to identify what is in the rock.

“The good news is that the techniques used by our partners Alrosa have worked in this instance by delineating ultramafic rock, of which kimberlite is one type  buried under 90 meters of sand,” John Teeling, Chairman of BOD said.

“The rock discovered is not Orapa kimberlite but appears to be another older ultramafic rock. The core is now being processed to identify what it contains. Exploration on this block continues to identify the source of the two small diamonds we discovered in earlier work”

 

error: Content is protected !!