Overview
| Stage | Production |
| Mine Type | Tailings |
| Commodities |
|
| Production Start | ...  |
| Mine Life | 22 years (as of Jan 1, 2021) |
Open-pit operations at Letlhakane Mine ceased as planned in 2017. The plant for processing of tailings has been completed and is now operational. |
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:
The Letlhakane mine consists of two kimberlite pipes and is one of a cluster of three kimberlite mines in central Botswana. Core logging and additional petrographic study classifies this deposit as a Group I, opaque-mineral and perovskite -rich altered probable monticellite kimberlite. Most of the kimberlite examined is massive volcaniclastic kimberlite, whilst rare layered volcaniclastic and magmatic kimberlite is also present.
Spinels are a ubiquitous component of kimberlites and their compositions are frequently used as petrogenetic indicators. The compositions of Letlhakane groundmass spinels will be used to fingerprint kimberlite facies by identifying the presence of several discrete batches of magma with unique evolution trends. The spinels are excellent indicators of these trends and are apparently immune to the affects of hydrothermal and subsequent alteration. Analysis has revealed that the Letlhakane spinel are unusually titanium-rich (TiO2 from 4.93 to 17.91 wt%), which correlates with other titanium-rich textural indicators such as the presence of prograde overgrowths of sphene around atolled-textured spinels and an unusually high proportion of perovskite to spinel of around 10:1, which is the inverse of a typical kimberlite.
Source:
Summary:
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Production:
| Commodity | Units | 2020 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
|
Diamond
|
carats
| ...... | 607,000 | 595,000 | 506,000 | 548,000 |
All production numbers are expressed as mineral.
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Operational Metrics:
| Metrics | 2020 | 2017 | 2015 |
|
Total tonnes mined
| ...... | | 2,162,664 t |
|
Tonnes processed
| ...... | | 2,386,741 t |
|
Plant annual capacity
| ...... | 3.6 Mt | |
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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 Letlhakane Diamond Resources BCO 1.65 mm (for Kimberlite) and 1.15 mm (for tailings), Diamond Reserves BCO 1.15 mm.
| Category | OreType | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained carats |
|
Probable
|
Tailings
|
26.8 Mt
|
Diamond
|
19.4 cpht
|
5.2 M carats
|
|
Indicated
|
In-Situ (OP)
|
22.3 Mt
|
Diamond
|
31.7 cpht
|
7.1 M carats
|
|
Inferred
|
Tailings
|
52.7 Mt
|
Diamond
|
26.7 cpht
|
14 M carats
|
|
Inferred
|
In-Situ (OP)
|
18.7 Mt
|
Diamond
|
27.8 cpht
|
5.2 M carats
|
Corporate Filings & Presentations:
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