Dr. Willem Smuts and Dr. Leon Daniels's Pangolin Diamonds (PAN-V) drilling what could be the world's largest kimberlite at Tsabong North in Botswana. The discovery holes came several months ago but Pangolin originally thought it had two large pipes, Magi-1 and Magi-2. They now appear to be a "single intrusive complex" spanning 270 hectares. (A circular pipe of that size would be nearly two kilometres in diameter.) The find dwarfs even the mammoth kimberlites in the Fort a la Corne district of Saskatchewan. Those pipes lie beneath 150 metres of overburden and low-grade rock, but Magi is closer to surface, with kimberlite occurring at depths between 30 metres and 60 metres. Pangolin also touts two other targets that span 170 hectares apiece. What Dr. Smuts, president and CEO, and Dr. Daniels, chairman, do not have yet are diamonds, which limits the market's enthusiasm. In May, Dr. Daniels touted the recovery of high-pressure garnets recovered just above the surface of the pipe but there has been no word if the kimberlite contained any microdiamonds. Pangolin says it will drill anther seven holes into Magi to delineate the body and collect at least 100 metres of kimberlite per hole to recover "any additional indicator minerals, and any diamonds." It is not the most inspiring of work descriptions, but Dr. Smuts and Dr. Daniels are more comfortable wandering the halls of academia than prowling Howe Street.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Pangolin Diamonds Corp. has discovered one of the largest kimberlites in the world, modelled at 270 hectares (2.7 square kilometres), at its 100-per-cent-owned Tsabong North project in Botswana.
A number of the world's largest kimberlites include:
- Se251 in Angola, measuring 220 hectares (2.2 square kilometres);
- MK1 in Botswana, measuring 180 hectares (1.8 square kilometres);
- Mwadui in Tanzania, measuring 146 hectares (1.46 square kilometres).
Kimberlite discovery
The new discovery stems from Pangolin's discovery earlier this year of two kimberlites, Magi-01 and Magi-02, at its Tsabong North project.
Aeromagnetic data on those finds were submitted by Pangolin for independent review by Billy Steenkamp, of Xcalibur Airborne Geophysics of Pretoria, South Africa. Mr. Steenkamp is a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101 rules. His observations include the following:
- The previously reported Magi kimberlites are part of a single intrusive complex with a total surface area estimated at 270 hectares (2.7 square kilometres);
- Some of the selected intrusive kimberlite targets could be of syn- or pre-Karoo age;
- Two new kimberlite drill targets have been identified with total intrusive areas modelled at 170 hectares (1.7 square kilometres) and 175 hectares (1.75 square kilometres).
Based on these observations, Pangolin drilled a new hole between the Magi-01 and Magi-02 kimberlites. The new hole positively intersected the same sandy tuffs recognized in the two previous drill holes, confirming that the Magi kimberlite is a single large body and not two smaller kimberlites as previously believed.
The Magi kimberlite has now been confirmed over a distance of 1,200 metres in an east-west direction. The average depth of intersection of the crater facies sediments is approximately 35 metres. The depths of intersection of the sandy tuffs vary between 55.3 and 61.5 metres.
Further work will begin shortly; seven additional holes have been laid out for core drilling to determine the final size of the Magi kimberlite. These core holes will also be used toward modelling the complex geology of the crater sediments and kimberlitic sandy tuffs in preparation for future possible larger-diameter drilling. Each hole will intersect at least 100 metres of kimberlite to recover any additional indicator minerals, and any diamonds. One hole will be drilled to a minimum depth of 250 metres of kimberlite intersection.
Detailed logging of the core indicates that the Magi kimberlite is of syn-Karoo age. This makes it older than the Cretaceous diamondiferous kimberlites of the Tsabong kimberlite field farther to the south, dated at 78 million years, but potentially similar in age to the Jwaneng kimberlites, dated at 245 million years.
Core samples from all the holes are being submitted to independent laboratories to recover any additional indicator minerals, and any diamonds. High-pressure garnets originating deep in the earth's mantle have previously been recovered from the Magi-1/1 drill core, 14 metres above the surface of the Magi kimberlite.
Dr. Leon Daniels, PhD, chairman of the board of Pangolin, stated, "The geophysical models available to Pangolin strongly suggest the potential for discovering additional very large kimberlites in the Tsabong North project area."
About the Tsabong North project
The Tsabong North project, located approximately 100 kilometres north of the town of Tsabong in southwestern Botswana, is 1,545 square kilometres in size. It comprises anomalous concentrations of kimberlite indicators and has large geo-botanical features. Pangolin has identified more than 50 drill-ready aeromagnetic targets in the project area, several of which have surface areas exceeding 20 hectares (0.2 square kilometre).
The Tsabong North project is situated on the margin of the Archaean Kaapvaal craton in a similar tectonic environment to the Orapa kimberlite field. The 45 mantle-derived garnets inclusive of the high-pressure garnets were discovered in the drill core Magi-01/01. These garnets are very similar in chemical composition to the garnets from the Letlhakane mine in the Orapa area.
Pangolin's soil sampling has produced highly anomalous concentrations of kimberlite indicators within the project area. Microprobe analyses of indicator minerals have confirmed the presence of G10 garnets, indicating the presence of a mantle conducive to the crystallization of diamonds. A number of indicators occur, including remnants of kelyphite that indicate close proximity to kimberlite. Enzyme-leach trace element results are consistent with orientation trace element results over known kimberlites near the project.
The company cautions that information regarding the Se251, MK1, Mwadui and Orapa kimberlites, and Letlhakane mine or Orapa mine, are not necessarily indicative of the kimberlite or kimberlite targets being drilled by the company. The company further cautions that there is no guarantee that the kimberlite and/or kimberlite targets being drilled by the company will return diamond results of any economic significance.
The technical disclosure in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Leon Daniels, PhD, member of AIG, chairman of the board of Pangolin, and Manfred R. Marx, BSc, diploma environmental sciences. Both are qualified persons under National Instrument 43-101 rules. |
