Modern Mining July 2019

COUNTRY FOCUS: BOTSWANA

Tsodilo to extract second bulk sample from BK16

Following positive results from the Phase I bulk sampling programme at its BK16 kimberlite project in the Orapa Kim- berlite Field of Botswana, Tsodilo Resources, listed on the TSX-V, is to undertake a second – and much bigger – phase of bulk sampling at the BK16 site.

value reports for the BK16 kimberlite from its Phase I sampling programme that consisted of a 2 077 tonne Large Diameter Drilling (LDD) bulk sample. Phase I sampling was designed to obtain an initial determination of the quality and value of the BK16 diamonds. The Phase I bulk sample successfully dem- onstrated the potential of the BK16 kimberlite to host high value diamonds between US$281 and US$792 per carat and also confirmed the presence of Type IIa diamonds consisting pre- dominantly of D colour stones. Moreover, it confirmed the potential of BK16 to host large special stones of +10,8 carats with size fre- quency distribution analysis indicating that 2 % to 5 % of the total carats might be greater than 10,8 carats (specials). According to Tsodilo, this size frequency distribution (SFD) compares favourably with Lucara’s Karowe mine (AK6) production of specials at 5,6 % and 6,8 % in 2017 and 2018 respectively. Tsodilo says the positive results from the Phase I programme justify moving on to Phase II. The objective of this is to increase the num- ber of carats significantly by processing a far larger sample which will lead to an increase in the certainty of the grade and diamond value. The Phase II programme will extract 20 000 tonnes of kimberlite to obtain 800 to 1 600 car- ats of diamonds and will significantly improve the understanding of the grade of the deposit in carats per hundred tonnes (cpht). It will solid- ify further the accuracy of the high diamond value in US$ per carat and further confirm the presence and quality of the Type IIa diamond population and the presence of larger stones. In addition, it will allow an inferred resource to be defined and further refine the accuracy of the economic fundamentals of the project to move towards detailed feasibility studies and ultimately mining. Since the completion of the Phase I pro- gramme, Tsodilo has been developing the Phase II programme with third parties to ensure that sufficient carats are obtained in the most cost effective and viable manner. Phase II will be optimised for size of sample over geographi- cal dispersion. To achieve this, Tsodilo has decided to move away from LDD bulk sampling

T he company reports that a re- newal application for Prospecting Licence 369/2014 has been filed with the Department of Mines (DOM) at the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Se- curity (MMGE) in Gaborone. The renewal ap- plication is for a two-year period and the area contains the company’s BK16 kimberlite proj- ect. The centerpiece of the renewal application is the Phase II surface bulk sampling. The BK16 pipe was discovered by De Beers in the 1970s using soil sampling techniques, airborne magnetics and ground magnetic sur- veys. Tsodilo’s involvement with the project dates back to 2014 when it acquired the pros- pecting licence over the kimberlite. In January this year, Tsodilo presented encouraging modelled grade and diamond

An Elephant rig from De Wet Drilling working on the Phase I sampling programme in 2017.

38  MODERN MINING  July 2019