Overview
| Stage | Production |
| Mine Type | Open Pit |
| Commodities |
|
| Mining Method |
|
| Production Start | ...  |
| Mine Life | 22 years (as of Jan 1, 2021) |
Orapa Operation includes Orapa, Letlhakane and Damtshaa (on care and maintenance) mines.
Orapa is one of the largest resources, in terms of total carats. |
Source:
Anglo American owns 85% of De Beers, the world’s leading diamond company. The remaining 15% of De Beers is owned by the Government of the Republic of Botswana (GRB).
Debswana is a joint venture between the government of Botswana and the South African diamond company De Beers; each party owns 50% of the company.
Contractors
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Summary:
All of the subject Properties lie within the Orapa kimberlite cluster on the southwestern edge of the Zimbabwe Craton of Southern Africa with a stable, cool cratonic setting favourable for the intrusion of diamondiferous kimberlite and associated alluvial deposits. The Orapa cluster, comprising approximately 60 known pipes and dykes is located in north-eastern Botswana, east of the Kalahari sub-basin. During the late-Cretaceous epoch (~93 Ma), the Orapa kimberlites were erupted through deformed Archaean basement overlain by volcanic and sedimentary rocks of the Karoo Supergroup. The pipes are located near to the contact between the Archaean Limpopo belt and Zimbabwe craton which forms the suture zone with the Kaapvaal craton. The Limpopo belt (3500 – 2500 Ma) consists of complex metamorphic terrains composed of gneissic, granitic and metasedimentary rocks.
The Orapa kimberlites are characterized by being high up in the volcanic crater area and having had to break through the extensive Karoo-aged basaltic lava flows to reach the surface. The kimberlites are often small in surface area but swell out below the basalts to be much larger than their surface expression suggests. The kimberlites often contain large quantities of fragmented basalt in their upper parts.
Summary:
First discovered in 1966, the Orapa Regime (cluster) consists of Orapa, Letlhakane and Damtshaa (the mine was placed on care and maintenance at the end of Q1 2021) Mines, which are open-pit operations using traditional truck and shovel methods.
The mine plan involves designing progressive “cuts” into the ground, which are developed in a series of “benches”, usually 12-16m in height.
The slope angle of the cut depends on the strength of the country rock mass – the stronger country rocks, e.g. basalt, at the Debswana northern mines, may have slopes of up to 60 degrees, whereas the weaker rocks, such as mudstones, have much gentler slopes, of the order of 30 – 45 degrees.
Today, the area of excavation at surface measures about 120 hectares and the 290m deep pit measures 1.25 by 1.8km.
Source:
Summary:
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Production:
| Commodity | Units | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
|
Diamond
|
k carats
| ...... | ...... | ...... | 12,236 | 10,185 | 7,931 |
All production numbers are expressed as mineral.
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Reserves at December 31, 2021:
Reported Diamond Reserves and Resources are based on a Bottom Cut-Off (BCO) which refers to the bottom screen size aperture and for Orapa Diamond Resources BCO 1.65 mm, Diamond Reserves BCO 1.65 mm.
| Category | OreType | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained carats |
|
Probable
|
|
102.8 Mt
|
Diamond
|
147.1 cpht
|
151.2 M carats
|
|
Probable
|
Tailings
|
26.8 Mt
|
Diamond
|
19.4 cpht
|
5.2 M carats
|
|
Indicated
|
|
327.9 Mt
|
Diamond
|
86.7 cpht
|
284.3 M carats
|
|
Indicated
|
Tailings
|
189.3 Mt
|
Diamond
|
67.4 cpht
|
127.7 M carats
|
|
Inferred
|
|
18.7 Mt
|
Diamond
|
27.8 cpht
|
5.2 M carats
|
|
Inferred
|
Tailings
|
52.7 Mt
|
Diamond
|
26.7 cpht
|
14 M carats
|
Corporate Filings & Presentations:
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