Gaborone: Botswana Diamonds said work is underway on three prospecting licenses in the Orapa region of Botswana, as part of a joint venture between the African exploration group and ALROSA.

Heavy concentrate sampling has started at PL 206, while on PL 085 reconnaissance work has started and will be followed by heavy concentrate sample to evaluate kimberlite indicator minerals and how close they are to potential primary sources.

Meanwhile, drilling is to commence soon on an anomaly, AN210-1, which is on license PL 210, and will be completed by the end of September, a Botswana Diamonds statement said. Core samples will then be analyzed for the presence of kimberlite. The on-site ALROSA mineralogists will perform an immediate visual inspection, which will be followed by in-depth laboratory analysis at ALROSA’s facility in St Petersburg, Russia.

Following this the venture will start exploring license areas PL 135, PL 136 and PL 137 in the Gope region of Botswana, all of which are small, measuring 46, 48 and 3.3 square kilometers, respectively. The team will carry out verification sampling with the aim of defining potential new drill targets, the statement said.