31 / 68
May 2016
MODERN MINING
29
COUNTRY FOCUS:
BOTSWANA
on
Botswana’s mining industry
Above:
The process plant
(seen here) of the now
closed Boseto copper mine
is to be incorporated into
Cupric Canyon’s Zone 5
(Khoemacau) project
(photo: Arthur Tassell).
The processing facility of the Ghaghoo underground mine showing the sort house (photo: Gem Diamonds).
the second largest gem quality diamond ever
recovered anywhere in the world and the larg-
est in more than 100 years. The second biggest
diamond produced by the mine, a 813-carat
stone (also recovered in November last year
and since named
The Constellation
) recently
sold for US$63 million, the highest price ever
achieved for a rough diamond.
The mine’s excellent performance has con-
tinued into the first quarter of this year with
165 diamonds larger than 10,8 carats (including
eight that exceeded 100 carats) being recovered