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RAPAPORT... Botswana Diamonds completed its initial fieldwork on the PL 117 license, a 2.9-square-kilometer area in the Orapa region of Botswana. The explorer's joint-venture partner, ALROSA, identified PL 117 as a high-priority target and as expected, initial results scoped out new kimberlite pipes, particularly in the north of the block. Two drill targets have already been identified and Botswana Diamonds anticipated that further drill targets will be sought as the second batch of mineralogical samples is fully analyzed. A specific drilling program will then target areas of highest potential. A team of senior geologists and geophysicists from both companies identified drill targets on the license by conducting magnetic and electromagnetic geophysical surveys to reveal a new map of the magnetic field. In addition, heavy mineral sampling was carried out and some of those samples have been analyzed by ALROSA. A second, larger batch of samples is currently on its way to Russia for priority mineralogical analysis. John Teeling, the chairman of Botswana Diamonds, said, “This is great news. As we hoped, we have now got drill targets identified on PL 117. There may well be more to come. We shall await the conclusion of the ALROSA analysis on the second batch of samples and then we will launch our drill program. We are also becoming increasingly bullish on some areas apart from PL117. “We were confident that bringing ALROSA to Botswana would be a positive move, and I am delighted that this view is already being vindicated. Combining our knowledge on the ground and their world-class exploration skills is a major plus. ALROSA is bringing something new to the table and that is exactly what we hoped for. New thinking and new techniques suggest that there are undiscovered diamond-bearing kimberlites on or near our acreage. I look forward to announcing further developments in due course,” Teeling added.
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