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Botswana
Ghaghoo (Gope) Mine

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 Location:
255 km SE from Gaborone, Botswana

  Regional Office:
Unit 4 Plot 20614 Block 3 Industrial
Gaborone
Botswana
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  • Overview
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  • Geology
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  • Processing
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  • Personnel
  • Filings & News

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Overview

StatusCare and Maintenance
Mine TypeUnderground
Commodities
  • Diamond
Mining Method
  • Sub-level caving
Processing
  • Spiral concentrator / separator
  • Dry Screening
  • Dense media separation
  • Magnetic separation
  • X-Ray sorting
Mine Life10 years (as of Jan 1, 2014)
The Ghaghoo mine was placed on care and maintenance on 31 March 2017.


Owners

Source: p. 3, 31
CompanyInterestOwnership
Gem Diamonds Ltd. 100 % Indirect
In June 2019, the Company entered into a binding agreement for the sale of 100% of the share capital of Gem Diamonds Botswana Proprietary Limited, which owns the Ghaghoo diamond mine, for US$5.4 million.

The process to sell the shares in the Ghaghoo mine is ongoing and remains subject to regulatory approvals in Botswana. The process has been delayed further due to COVID-19 related cross-border travel restrictions.

Deposit Type

  • Kimberlite


Summary:

The Central Kalahari region is covered by the vast expanse of unconsolidated to semi-consolidated Kalahari Bed sediments. The bedrock in the area of concern / interest (Gope) lies approximately 75 m below the topographic surface, and comprises a suite of rocks belonging to the Karoo Supergroup. The lithostratigraphy of the Karoo is complex but well known in Botswana (Smith, 1986), with the specifics of the lithologies underlying the site being no exception. The entire Karoo sedimentary sequence, inclusive of the basaltic lava cap is known to occur in the Central Kalahari region.

The Karoo Supergroup has been divided into several lithostratigraphic groups, including (in decreasing age) the Dwyka Group, the Ecca Group, Lebung and Stormberg Groups. For the GDMP only the Lebung and Stormberg Groups need to be considered. The Lebung Group comprises two lithostratigraphic units, referred to as the Mosolotshane and the Ntane Sandstone Formations, comprising intercalated reddish medium to fine grained sandstones, siltstone and mudstone (Mosolotshane Formation) having been laid down in a terrestrial fluvitile environment, while the Ntane Sandstone, which overlies the Mosolotshane Formation, comprises medium to fine grained Aeolian sandstones (wind derived).

Both of these formations are essentially sandstone units, although the transitional member is more silty, and has layers and streaks of mudstone and siltstone as distinguishing marker horizons.

The Stormberg lava that overlies the Ntane Formation is the top most unit of the Karoo Supergroup, and comprises tholeiitic basalt lava that has extruded over an undulating (disconformities) Ntane weathered surface.

The Kalahari Beds that occur in the vicinity of Gope Project Site are between 75 m and 80 m thick and overlie Karoo bedrock. Two broad units are recognised in the area, including the upper fine grained, unconsolidated Aeolian sand unit, and the lower, partially consolidated unit that is often calcified and/or silicified.

A total of five Kimberlite facies have been identified during the exploration undertaken at the Gope Project Site. These four facies make up the Kimberlite pipe that is proposed to be exploited at the GDMP.

The five facies include a tuffisitic Kimberlite, a hypabyssal Kimberlite, a basaltic breccia with tuffisitic Kimberlite, and a basaltic breccia hypabyssal Kimberlite.

In turn, the Gope pipe is one of pipes that make up the Kimberlite field in the Central Kalahari area.

Of significance to the area of concern is the abundance of large faults that transect the area. These are not apparent at surface due to the extremely thick sand cover. However, the exploration drilling has exposed a strong West-north-west—East-south east and North-north-east—South-south-west trend to the dominant fault zones. These are significant features in that the Kimberlite intrusions have taken advantage of these zones of weakness. The area is understood to be tectonically stable now, but would have shown movement along the fault and fracture zones in geological history.

Venmyn reported that “below the pre-Kalahari surface, the wall rocks of the kimberlite consist of Karoo basalt to 391 m and Ntane sandstone from 391 m to an unconfirmed depth. The surface topography is very flat with a maximum elevation difference over the kimberlite of ~5m. The sub-cropping area of the pipe is 10.8 ha. This area decreases to 6.3 ha at a depth of 500 m. The pipe has an almost elliptical shape in plan view. While the orebody has been defined to a depth of 524 m, Venmyn believes that the orebody extends well beneath this depth.”

“The three volcaniclastic kimberlite (VK) facies types are distinguished essentially by differences in grade and, to a lesser extent, by density. The BXVK facies represents a VK facies type with a high (average of 44 %) basalt breccia content. The BXVK facies consequently has the lowest diamond grade of the VK facies rocks. The VKSE and VKMain facies appear to contain similar kimberlite components but different quantities and distributions of basalt, and therefore grade. The coherent magmatic kimberlite (CK) facies types are more variable, harder, have a higher density and are more resistant to weathering than the VK facies types. The BXCK facies is differentiated from the CK facies type by its high (average of 48 %) basalt breccia content and consequent lower diamond grade.”

VKSE is the mine’s first target. Thus far this is the highest grade portion of the orebody at 28.45 ct/ 100 t (cpht).


Mining Methods

  • Sub-level caving


Summary:

The mine design includes three phases of mining. Phase 1 was designed in order to provide valuable information and data with regards to grade and revenue and the planned sub-level caving (SLC) mining method. Phase 1 commenced production in the higher-grade VKSE facies and is intended to go to a depth of 175 m. Ore is being drilled, blasted and loaded in the production tunnels using mechanised drill rigs and LHDs. Dump trucks haul ore to surface via the decline. The subsequent phases of the project development, which includes Phase 2 and Phase 3, will be mined by SLC (and possibly block cave in the future) mining. The current LoM plan (just mining the VKSE) is for about 10 years.


Crushing and Grinding
Crusher / Mill TypeModelSizePowerQuantity
AG mill 1

Summary:

The primary crushing section consists of the following major items of equipment:
• Tipping bin: 300 t capacity;
• Apron feeder;
• Mineral sizer;
• Mineral sizer ore conveyor;
• Stockpile feed conveyor and weightometer, and
• Magnetic tramp material removal system.

The Autogenous Milling section will consist of the following major items of equipment:
• Stockpile tunnel;
• Two apron feeders: variable speed;
• Mill feed conveyor and weightometer;
• Metal detection;
• Autogenous mill;
• Trommel screen;
• Spiral classifiers;
• Classifier product screens;
• Pebble discharge conveyors and weightometer, and
• DMS feed conveyor and weightometer.


Processing

  • Spiral concentrator / separator
  • Dry Screening
  • Dense media separation
  • Magnetic separation
  • X-Ray sorting

Source: Subscription required

Summary:

The mineral processing plant includes:
• Tipping bin area and primary crushing;
• Ore stockpile;
• Autogenous Milling;
• Classification and screening;
• Dense Medium Separator (DMS);
• Tailings disposal;
• Slimes disposal;
• Process water reticulation, and
• Recovery and sorthouse.

The DMS section consists of the following major items of equipment:
• DMS feed bins;
• Three DMS weighfeeders;
• Three DMS modules, and
• Three concentrate transfer systems.

Recovery Building
A 25 m high, multi level structural steel building, will accommodate the diamond recovery equipment. This building will contain the following equipment:
• X-ray machines;
• Magnetic sorting machines;
• Grease tables;
• Sort house, and
• Acidising plant.

Recoveries & Grades:

CommodityParameter2017201620152014
Diamond Head Grade, carats/t 0.180.190.280.21

Production:

CommodityUnits2017201620152014
Diamond carats 8,08440,97691,49910,167

Operational Metrics:

Metrics2017201620152014
Ore tonnes mined  ......  Subscription required231,099 t320,630 t
Tonnes processed  ......  Subscription required217,372 t326,922 t48,023 t

Reserves at January 1, 2014:
The Mineral Resources and Reserves as at 31th December 2019 at Ghaghoo mine are unchanged from Jan 1, 2014.

CategoryTonnage CommodityGradeContained carats
Probable 7.5 Mt Diamond 27.81 cpht 2.08 M carats
Indicated 79.4 Mt Diamond 19.51 cpht 15.49 M carats
Inferred 28.8 Mt Diamond 17.52 cpht 5.04 M carats
Total Resource 108.2 Mt Diamond 18.98 cpht 20.53 M carats

Financials:

Units2017201620152013
Capital expenditures M USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required 34.1  
Revenue M USD  ......  Subscription required
Operating Income M USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required -1.86  
Pre-tax Income M USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required


Heavy Mobile Equipment:

Mine Management:

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Nov 26, 2020
Subscription required - Subscription is required.


Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
................................... Subscription required 2020
Annual Report 2017
Annual Report 2016
Annual Report 2014
Press Release 2014
Other 2011
Environmental Impact Statement 2008
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Aerial view:

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