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Orapa Ak1

Producer in Central, Botswana with commodity Diamond
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Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Host and associated rocks
  8. Nearby scientific data
  9. Ore body information
  10. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  11. Mining district
  12. Ownership information
  13. Production statistics
  14. Links to other databases
  15. Bibliographic references
  16. General comments
  17. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10084821
MRDS ID W700034
Record type Site
Current site name Orapa Ak1
Alternate or previous names 2125 Ak1

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: 25.35143, -21.2802 (WGS84)
Location accuracy 10000(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Central(province)

Botswana(country)

Africa(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Botswana Central

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Diamond Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Ilmenite Gangue
Phlogopite Gangue

Analytical data

Result INDUSTRIAL DIAMONDS - 80% (85% IN 1984)
Result 10% GEM. 50% ARE BOART AND DRILLING GRADE, 40% ARE INDIAN GOODS (1985).

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock > Peridotite > Kimberlite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock > Peridotite > Kimberlite

Nearby scientific data

(1) 25.35143, -21.2802
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • General form PIPE, IRREGULAR OVAL SURFACE
    Length 1560M
    Width 950M
    Depth to top 85M
    Depth to bottom 300M

Comments on the geologic information

  • KIMBERLITE PIPE INTRUDES KARROO BASALTS.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Non-metallic
Deposit size Large
Significant No
Discovery year 1967
Discoverer De Beer; Selection Trust
Year of first production 1971

Mining district

District name Orapa Kimberlite District; Kalahari Region

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Debswana
  • Type Owner
    Owner Debswana (De Beers Botswana Mining Co. (50-50 De Beers, Government)

Production statistics

  • Year 1971
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^1.07 Ct/Tonne
  • Year 1972
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.89 Ct/Tonne
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Ore Gold Gold 10g/mt
  • Year 1973
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.86 Ct/Tonne
  • Year 1974
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.92 Ct/Tonne
  • Year 1975
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.79 Ct/Tonne
  • Year 1976
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.68 Ct/Tonne
  • Year 1977
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.68 Ct/Tonne
  • Year 1978
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.6845 Ct/Tonne
  • Year 1979
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.6664 Ct/Tonne
  • Year 1980
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.6412 Ct/Tonne
  • Year 1981
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.6121 Ct/Tonne
  • Year 1982
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.6034 Ct/Tonne
  • Year 1983
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.5640 Ct/Tonne
  • Year 1984
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.61 Ct/Tonne
  • Year 1985
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.5835 Ct/Tonne
  • Year 1986
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Ap_Grade: ^0.6544 Ct/Tonne
  • Year 1986
    Period 1971-1986
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Accurate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^0.66 Ct/Tonne

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • ESTIMATE ONE FROM 37 TO 85 M DEPTH; ESTIMATE TWO FROM 85 TO 120 M DEPTH; ESTIMATE THREE IS A COMPOSITE. THE GRADE IN ESTIMATE TWO IS THE MEDIAN GRADE FOR THE DEPOSIT TYPE.
  • SEDIMENTARY KIMBERLITE TO 37 M DEPTH.

Comments on the workings information

  • OPEN PIT MINE.

Comments on development

  • 3 SMALL DIAMONDS WERE FOUND NEAR FOLEY IN 1959. SOIL SAMPLING BETWEEN LETLHAKANE AND MOPIPI FOUND ABUNDANT ILMENITE, PYROPE AND, OCCASIONALLY, CR DIOPSIDE (MID-1966). A DETAILED EXPLORATION PROGRAM STARTED IN EARLY 1967; THE FIRST KIMBERELY PIPE (2125 BK1) WAS DISCOVERED IN 1967. A MONTH LATER THE ORAPA PIPE WAS DISCOVERED. DE BEER EXPLORATION TECHNIC INCLUDES: 1) SOIL SAMPLING FOR INDICATOR MINERALS; 2) PITTING AND DRILLING; 3) AIRBORNE AND GROUND MAGNETIC AND ELECTROMAGNETIC SURVEYS.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    BALDOCK, J.W., HEPWORTH, J.V., AND MARENGWA, B.S.I., 1977, RESOURCE INVENTORY OF BOTSWANA: METALLIC MINERALS, MINERAL FUELS AND DIAMONDS: BOTSWANA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY MINERAL RESOURCES REPORT 4, 69 P.

  • Deposit

    ALLEN, H.E.K., 1985, INTRODUCTION OF MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES AT ORAPA AND LETLHAKANE DIAMOND MINES, BOTSWANA: THE TRANSITION FROM PROJECT TO OPERATIONS: INSTITUTION OF MINING AND METALLURGY TRANSACTIONS, SECTION A, MINING INDUSTRY, V. 94, NO. 4, P. A195-A203.

  • Production

    MINING ANNUAL REVIEW, 1972-1987.

  • Reserve-Resource

    BALDOCK AND OTHERS, 1977

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THE SURFACE AREA OF THE DEPOSIT IS ESTIMATED TO BE 110.6 HECTARES; THE CROSS SECTIONAL AREA 120 M DEEP IS 88 HECTARES AND MORE ELONGATED THAN THE SURFACE EXPRESSION. THE SEDIMENTARY KIMBERLITE CAP IS DIAMOND BEARING. THE DEPOSIT IS IN A CLUSTER OF 23 KIMBERLITE DIATREMES. THE DEPTH TO BOTTOM IS A MINIMUM VALUE.
Deposit ABOUT 6 MILLION CARATS OF DIAMONDS ARE ESTIMATED TO BE IN SAND AND GRAVELS SURROUNDING THE DEPOSIT. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JAN-88 Bliss, James D. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

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