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Gold/Mining/Energy : SOUTHERNERA (t.SUF) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Valuepro who wrote (2282)	12/14/1998 2:59:00 PM
From: VAUGHN	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 7235

Hello Valuepro There has been no published petrographic data on these deposits, and I understand from conversations with SUF that opinions have changed as to probable age of them, but I suspect we are talking about kimberlites that are between 80 my old and 100 by old (Middle Cretaceous) like those of Kimberly, Lesotho and Botswana. There could well have been anywhere from 800m of pipe eroded off the top of the M-1 up to 2km; the Sugarbird and Leopard fissures probably represent deeper erosion areas or older kimberlites. The Klipspringer site appears to generally be very hilly, implying that mountains of some age have been deeply eroded and or the land uplifted in some geologic orogeny probably after emplacement but not necessarily. Current topography and climate without doubt bare little resemblance to what probably existed in various forms over that time frame. Dolomite is generally the predominant cover rock, but granite appears to be present not too far below surface. This implies that this area was submerged underwater in the not too distant past (Paleozoic?) and was highly eroded cratonic mountain basement before that. SA is known to have undergone ice ages over the millennia but whether these occurred before submersion or after I could not say as I do not have an in-depth paper on SA geologic history at my fingertips. Regardless, since the kimberlites intrude the dolomite you can get some idea of their age horizon, assuming that they were all emplaced in roughly the same time period. However, how much of the dolomite has been eroded is unknown beyond presumably the highest point of the surround hilltops, which are quite a bit higher than the M-1 site as I read the photos I have seen. Did the hills develop since emplacement? Possibly, but that does not appear to be the case from what meager evidence I have seen. Either way, wind, ice, rain and flood I am sure have all had opportunity to carry eroded stones over any number of directions, the paleo channel probably only represents the most recent. The majority are probably in the ocean by now and only the more recently liberated (last million years) are within a few kilometers of the site. It is my understanding that the existing downward slope is predominantly on SUF ground within the known claim area. Whether the paleochannel follows the existing ground slope or one or more slopes that varied throughout time has not been indicated however. While I doubt Klipspringer kimberlites are older than I have suggested above, it is worth keeping in mind that RSA diamondiferous kimberlites such as the Premier have been found over 1.1 billion years in age and Kuruman over 1.6 billion years old which represents an awful lot of erosion over a very considerable time frame.

To: Valuepro who wrote (2282)	12/14/1998 3:00:00 PM
From: PHILLIP FLOTOW	Respond to of 7235

This is from Fox News: LISBON — The Angolan rebel group UNITA is selling diamonds, in violation of a U.N. embargo, to finance its battles against government forces, a British human rights group said Monday. Global Witness published a report saying the international diamond trade had funded Angola's return to war. "Diamonds have been UNITA's major source of revenue during the 1990s — gaining an estimated $3.7 billion between 1992 and 1998 — which has enabled them to re-arm and maintain supplies despite the U.N.-sponsored peace process,'' Global Witness said. "UNITA has sold its diamonds on the unofficial, outside market and has found willing buyers within the diamond industry,'' the non-profit-making organization added. "Angola, as a major producer of high quality unworked diamonds, the majority originating from UNITA-held territory, has been a threat to market stability,'' the human rights group said. "There is an urgent need for the diamond business to fundamentally change the way in which it works, because it is clearly unacceptable for diamonds to be used as a major source of revenue in conflict,'' it added. The respected Portuguese newspaper Publico reported Monday that UNITA (National Union for the Total Independence of Angola) was trafficking diamonds from southeast Angola by land and air via Zambia. U.N. sanctions, including a freeze on bank accounts abroad and a ban on UNITA's diamond trade, went into force on July 1 after UNITA failed to comply with terms of 1994 peace accords signed in Lusaka that ended two decades of civil war. UNITA rebels shelled the airport of the central Angolan city of Cuito Monday as the south-west African country slipped deeper toward all-out civil war. Portuguese news media reported that rebels had already surrounded Cuito, a strategically important road and rail junction, and were now seeking to capture the airport. Fierce fighting between UNITA and government troops erupted on December 5 with regional security analysts confirming heavy battles taking place outside Cuito in Bie province. The sanctions, adopted by the Security Council on June 12, order the freezing of "financial resources'' or funds generated from property of UNITA as an organization, or of its leaders and their immediate families or anyone acting on their behalf. They ban anyone from buying diamond exports from Angola except those with a certificate of origin from the Luanda government. Mining and transport equipment is barred from areas UNITA controls. Global Witness said the international community had failed to enforce the U.N. embargo against Angola, and singled out Belgium as a serious offender. "The U.N. has failed to ensure that member states are rigorously implementing the embargo on unofficial diamond exports from Angola,'' it said. "Belgium, one of the key diamond centers, bears a particular responsibility to strive to meet the embargo, yet Global Witness investigations have revealed serious failings, and it is business as usual in Belgium's diamond capital Antwerp.'' The sad thing is that rebel groups probably can get less per carat for their efforts, but they find less. Commercial/government enterprises find more and better stones, and get more per carat. In an oversupply market (see my previous post), guess who DeBeers would rather buy from? PHIL