Gaborone: Botswana Diamonds, which had been using Alrosa technology to discover new kimberlites in the southern African country’s region of Orapa, said a new diamondiferous kimberlite will likely be discovered by year-end.

“They (Alrosa) believe explicitly that they can find a diamondiferous kimberlite and their analysis indicates that they will find a diamondiferous kimberlite by Christmas,” company chairperson John Teeling told the Botswana Resource Sector Conference in Gaborone. He spoke highly of the work ethic of Alrosa geologists.

Teeling said the Russians’ “unique” exploration technology was used to explore up to 100m beneath the Kalahari sand, swamps and basalt in Botswana. He said Alrosa used electrical impulses instead of magnetics. Botswana Diamonds and Alrosa’s joint venture had a budget of $1 million this year.

A detailed fieldwork on three licences was ongoing. Results indicate drill target on PL210 and anomalies needed further work on PL206 and PL207. Area PL206 was prospective for discovery of kimberlites according to earlier soil sample data.

Kimberlite indicator minerals were found in nearly all samples and these included pyropes, picroilmenites, chrome-spinellides and chrome-diopsides.

Teeling said the 2015 exploration suggest most kimberlite indicators were from Orapa cluster, with some “good” indications in the northeast of the block.