ASX-listed diamond miner Lucapa Diamond Company (ASX:LOM) reports it has recorded the ‘highest’ diamond recoveries from initial processing of Lulo kimberlite L164 bulk sample through the standalone kimberlite bulk sample plant, located at the Lulo Joint Venture Project in Angola.
The company says the Lulo kimberlite L164 bulk sample yielded 20 diamonds weighing 15.51 carats from the initial processing of around 630km of broken kimberlite material, representing a preliminary grade of around 2.5 carats per 100m (cphm).
It also states 5 diamonds greater than 1 carat have been recovered so far from the approximately 3.5ha kimberlite, with the largest stone weighing 1.95 carats.
The average size of the diamonds recovered so far is 0.78 carats, and a number of them are classified as Type IIa by the Yehuda Colorimeter.
Lucapa Diamond Company Managing Director Stephen Wetherall says: “This preliminary result is important in that it represents the best kimberlite diamond recoveries to date, confirms the existence of higher grade primary sources with commercial size diamonds and it bolsters our large geological database with confirmatory results for our teams to use to prioritise the other kimberlites and targets on the Lulo concession.
“We are beginning to see the desired outcome of the methodical exploration approach in a significant diamond province”
We are beginning to see the desired outcome of the methodical exploration approach in a significant diamond province which has been accelerated by the recent commissioning of the dedicated bulk sample plant.”
Lucapa reports while the processing of the kimberlite bulk sample is continuing, these initial diamond recoveries already represent the ‘highest’ diamond count and carat weight of diamonds recovered from any kimberlite bulk sample processed at Lulo to date.
The processing of the remainder of the approximately 3,200m-square broken kimberlite bulk sample is continuing and a full reconciliation of processed volumes back to in-situ volumes and tonnes will be undertaken when processing is complete.
Lucapa is an ASX-listed diamond miner and explorer with assets in Africa and Australia. The company has interests in 2 producing diamond mines in Africa consisting of Lulo in Angola which it holds a 40% interest in, and the Mothae Mine in Lesotho which it holds a 70% interest in.
The Lulo Mine has been in commercial production since 2015, while the Mothae Mine commenced commercial production in 2019.
In 2021, Lucapa through its wholly owned subsidiary Australian Natural Diamonds completed the strategic and transformative acquisition of the Merlin Diamond Project in the Northern Territory. The company expects the feasibility study to be completed in the first quarter of 2023.
Lucapa and its project partners are also exploring for potential primary source kimberlites or lamproites at the Lulo concession in Angola, the Brooking and Merlin projects in Australia, and the Orapa Area F Project in Botswana.
Images: Lucapa Diamond Co Ltd
