Botswana Diamonds (BOD), a key player in the diamond mining industry, remains steadfast in its mining endeavors at the Marsfontein project’s waste heaps. This comes even as the firm vigorously pushes forward with its exploration and research activities in the same area.
While sharing insights about its dual projects – Marsfontein and Thorny River – both strategically located in the mineral-rich region of South Africa, the company emphasized the tangible progress they’ve been making. Detailed exploratory exercises, which include a combination of meticulous drilling and comprehensive geophysical studies, have led to a notable discovery.
They’ve identified a distinct section, often referred to as a “blow,” which spans a range of 5 m to 10 m. Interestingly, this section is nestled about 13 m below the earth’s surface. Further investigations have confirmed that this blow consists of fresh kimberlite – an igneous rock that often signals the presence of diamond deposits.
At present, BOD finds itself in an anticipatory phase, patiently waiting to secure the necessary permits to kickstart their operations at the Thorny River project. However, this hasn’t deterred their momentum at Marsfontein, where mining activities are progressing at an impressive pace.
John Teeling, the astute chairperson of BOD, radiated a sense of optimism when speaking about the company’s ongoing projects. “The Marsfontein project serves not just as a mining site, but as a tangible proof-of-concept. Its outputs, particularly in terms of diamond recoveries, have pleasantly surpassed our initial projections, a fact we were proud to share just last month. This certainly bodes well for our anticipated operations at Thorny River,” he remarked.
Delving deeper into their recent discoveries, Teeling shared, “The identification of an unexplored blow is indeed a silver lining. It solidifies our commitment and capability to uphold sustained production levels at Marsfontein, especially as we eagerly await official permissions to set our mining machinery in motion at Thorny River.”
