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Trenching by Botswana Diamonds has identified a ‘hotspot' at Thorny River with a thick kimberlite intersection 4m wide, suggesting a ‘kimberlite blow'.
The Thorny River bulk sampling project is a joint venture between SouthernEra providing the processing (40%), Palaeo (40%), and Vutomi (20%).
Vutomi obtained permission to sell the diamonds from the bulk sampling.
"The bulk sampling programme will generate short-term cash flow, whilst building the mineral resource," Botswana Diamonds said in a statement.
Vutomi has obtained a Section 27 mining permit over a portion of the Marsfontein farm. Marsfontein is contiguous to, and an extension of, the Thorny River project. This portion of the farm is host to the rich M8 kimberlite dyke, bordering the great Marsfontein diamond mine, insitu gravels and dumps.
The project at Thorny River has had its ups and downs over the last two years; in 2017, an earlier round of discovery produced less promising results than expected. However, a subsequent bulk sample indicated diamond values of US$120-220 per carat and grades of 46-74 carats per hundred tonnes.
