Botswana Diamonds kicks off drilling at Thorny River’s high-grade area

Botswana Diamonds (LON: BOD) has begun drilling at the recently discovered high-grade geophysical area of the Thorny River project in South Africa.

The company said in January that following a preliminary assessment of Thorny River’s kimberlite potential, it was estimated the asset hosted about 2 million tonnes of kimberlitic material, up from the 1.2 million previously determined.

The exploration program comprises at least ten reverse circulation (RC) drill holes and will take two weeks, the company said.

Chairman John Teeling noted the drilling campaign was an important step in the company’s drive to establish a commercial operation at the diamond project.

“We are hopeful that these additional holes will expand the resource base to allow a financial evaluation of greater potential for the Thorny River diamond project”, Teeling said. Drilling results may pave the way for a future mining licence or permit applications for the project which the company has fully owned since last year.