Modern Mining November 2015

MINING News

Potential for diamond-bearing alluvial deposits at Lerala lag containing occasional sub-rounded pebbles and boulders was identified on top of the gneissic bedrock and below 1,5 m of soil on the eastern to north-east­ ern wall of the K3 pit.

has been designed and has already com­ menced in the high priority target areas to gain information that will increase under­ standing of the extent of the suspected paleochannel deposit in strategic areas. The results of this programme and the potential impact on the project will be evaluated and a decision made on how best to proceed. Possible options include a decision to abandon these potential resources, or, alternatively, to mine and stockpile these deposits prior to construc­ tion of the tailings dam, or, potentially, to relocate the tailings dam. Accordingly, the scheduled develop­ ment of the new tailings dam, which is situated on two of the higher priority target areas has been delayed while the investigation is undertaken. KDL says while the delay to the con­ struction of the tailings dam will impact the timeline for re-commissioning of the Lerala mine, the delay is unlikely to exceed three months. 

ASX-listed Kimberley Diamonds Ltd (KDL), which is working to re-open Botswana’s Lerala diamond mine near Martin’s Drift, reports that its geological team at the Lerala site has found evidence for buried alluvial channels immediately adjacent to the diamond-bearing kimberlite pipes that host the Lerala diamond resource. If the alluvial channels are confirmed to exist and found to contain significant quantities of diamonds, the life and over­ all value of the project may be increased, says KDL. The on-site team has commenced further investigations using mechanised equipment to dig pits in order to establish the overall extent and significance of the deposits. Explaining the background to the pos­ sible alluvial discovery, KDL says that as part of preparation for re-commencement of mining at Lerala, detailed mapping was undertaken in and around the K3 pit. A continuous layer up to 1,5 m thick of gravel

Similar gravel layers containing sub- rounded pebbles and boulders were also identified at the K5 and K6 pipes. The rounded pebbles of orange quartz and red-brown quartzite and other rock types within the gravel layer are unrelated to the gneissic basement in the vicinity and suggest the layer is alluvial in origin. The interpreted alluvial deposits under­ lie, in part, the area currently allocated to the proposed tailings dam. In order to avoid sterilising or reducing any potential future alluvial diamond resource within the proposed tailings dam footprint, KDL says it considers it prudent to thoroughly investigate the potential for an alluvial dia­ mond deposit prior to the commencement of the construction of the tailings dam. An exploration pitting programme

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November 2015  MODERN MINING  11