Pangolin Diamonds Corp. (CVE:PAN) has discovered an additional micro-diamond on another block of its Mmadinare diamond project in north-east Botswana, after uncovering the first one last week.
The company said Wednesday that the second micro-diamond and 281 ilmenite grains found from 33 soil samples are located within Block 2 of the project. This block is targeting kimberlites about 60 km east of the Block 1 area, where Pangolin reported earlier this month the discovery of the first micro-diamond in a soil sample.
Samples were processed by Pangolin through its dense media separation plant, and the diamond concentrates were evaluated by an independent diamond mineral specialist.
The project's Block 2 area is about 2 sq km in size, with the samples collected on a 200 m by 200 m grid spacing.
Pangolin said that the recovered diamond, sample MC30-63, has a maximum dimension of under 0.5 millimeters and is therefore defined as a micro-diamond.
Meanwhile, the 281 ilmenite grains, which Pangolin said is "an exceptional number" from so few samples, will be sent for analysis to characterize their provenance "as either crustal, kimberlitic or lower mantle in origin."
The results will be reported when received in the coming months, the company added.
The high concentration of ilmenites is considered to be significant and justifies additional sampling of the area, Pangolin said, which will begin shortly.
Pangolin, which has four exploration properties in the world’s leading country for diamond production by value, is focused on Tsabong North, which is about 100 km north of the town of Tsabong in southwestern Botswana. The diamond explorer has found more than 50 drill-ready targets in the area, several of which have surface areas greater than 20 hectares.
Currently, one diamond drill continues to test exploration targets at Tsabong North, including Magi, which was discovered last year after the company announced it modeled the structure at 270 hectares, making it one of the largest kimberlites in the world.