Pangolin Diamonds Corp. (CVE:PAN) says it has recovered two additional diamonds at its Malatswae project in east-central Botswana.
The diamonds will now be viewed with a scanning electron microscope to characterize the surface textures and features, with the work to help in finding out the proximity to the source of the two stones, after which size determinations will be made.
The company told investors Thursday that samples MSCd067B and MCDd095A were collected during a close-spaced follow-up sampling program of an earlier macro-diamond discovery in July. Each 20kg sample was collected in an area of approximately 3 sq km, Pangolin said.
In total, 244 samples were collected, with a number of them also reporting ilmenite, a common indicator mineral of kimberlite.
The samples were processed through a lab in Botswana, with a concentrate later examined by a specialist and the stones sent to MCC Geoscience in Canada, which confirmed the two diamonds, according to the Toronto, Ontario-based diamonds explorer.
The three diamonds recovered to date within the area of detailed sampling are found within one sq km, Pangolin said. A sub-set of soil samples collected together with the close-spaced samples are now being submitted for analysis, which is expected to further refine magnetic targets in the area.
The Malatswae kimberlite project covers 1,058 sq km and is located 70km southeast of the Orapa Mine. Previous work by Pangolin has showed that the chemical compositions of garnets recovered in soil samples are "distinctly different" from the garnets at the Orapa kimberlite field, suggesting that an undiscovered kimberlite may be found within the project area, the company said.
Pangolin has four exploration properties in the world’s leading country for diamond production by value, including Tsabong North, which is about 100 km north of the town of Tsabong in southwestern Botswana. The Tsabong North project is 1,546 square kilometres in size, with the company having tested a series of airborne geophysical targets, the most significant of which is the Magi area where an extensive kimberlitic tuff was intersected in six drill holes.
Magi 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.