Field Trip 1 Desert Gems – Botswana’s Major Mines Trips/Updates/11IKC Field...Field Trip 1 . Desert Gems – Botswana’s Major Mines. ... • Visit Karowe Mine – Lucara Diamond

Field Trip 1

Desert Gems – Botswana’s Major Mines Pre- and Post-Conference

Organiser: Martin Roberts, Debswana

Leaders: Debswana and Lucara Diamond Corporation geologists

It is envisaged that, depending on delegate interest, for both the Field Trip 1 Pre-Conference and Field Trip 1 Post-Conference, there will be two buses travelling in opposite directions and starting at different mines:

• BUS A - Orapa Mine first • BUS B - Jwaneng Mine first.

Combined, the two buses can accommodate a total of 80 delegates on each of the Pre- and Post-Conference field trips (a total of 160 participants).

VERY IMPORTANT

• The Health and Safety Policy on the Botswana mines dictate that light-weight long-sleeve shirts and long trousers be worn on mine visits

• Delegates MUST bring own safety boots and safety vests. Hard hats will be provided. Safety goggles, ear gloves and safety gloves may be required.

• All travel bookings and formalities to and from Gaborone in Botswana are for your own arrangement and account

WARNING: There is alcohol testing on all mines to be visited. If you fail the breathalyser test you will be left outside the mine.

FIELD TRIP 1 - PRE-CONFERENCE BUS A – ORAPA MINE FIRST ITINERARY

Dates: Saturday 9th September to Saturday 16th September 2017 Saturday 9th September 2017

• Delegates arrive in Gaborone under their own arrangements • Accommodation with dinner at Metcourt Hotel, Grand Palm Resort,

Gaborone

Sunday 10th September 2017

• Drive Gaborone to Orapa Mine, Debswana (all day) • Accommodation with dinner at Seelo Guest House, Orapa Mine

Monday 11th September 2017

• Visit Orapa Mine - Debswana • Accommodation with dinner at Seelo Guest House, Orapa Mine

Tuesday 12th September 2017

• Visit Letlhakane and Damtshaa Mines - Debswana • Bush Night at Orapa Mine Game Reserve (with Bus B) • Accommodation at Thakadu Hotel, Letlhakane Town

Wednesday 13th September 2017

• Visit Karowe Mine – Lucara Diamond Corporation • Dinner - Lucara Diamond Corporation (with Bus B) • Accommodation at Thakadu Hotel, Letlhakane Town

Thursday 14th September 2017

• Drive Orapa to Jwaneng (all day) • Accommodation with dinner at Cresta Hotel, Jwaneng Town

Friday 15th September 2017

• Visit Jwaneng Mine - - Debswana • Bush Night at Jwaneng Mine Game Reserve • Accommodation at Cresta Hotel, Jwaneng Town

Saturday 16th September 2017

• Drive Jwaneng to Lobatse • Visit Botswana Geological Survey core store • Drive Lobatse to Gaborone • Accommodation in Gaborone under your own arrangement as for the

conference

FIELD TRIP 1 - PRE-CONFERENCE BUS B - JWANENG MINE FIRST ITINERARY

Dates: Saturday 9th September to Saturday 16th September 2017 Saturday 9th September 2017

• Delegates arrive in Gaborone under their own arrangements • Accommodation with dinner at Metcourt Hotel, Grand Palm Resort,

Gaborone


• Drive Gaborone to Jwaneng • Accommodation with dinner at Cresta Hotel, Jwaneng Town


• Visit Jwaneng Mine - Debswana • Bush Night at Jwaneng Mine Game Reserve • Accommodation at Cresta Hotel, Jwaneng Town


• Drive Jwaneng to Orapa (all day) • Bush Night at Orapa Mine Game Reserve (with Bus A) • Accommodation with dinner at Seelo Guest House, Orapa Mine


• Visit Orapa Mine - Debswana • Dinner – Lucara Diamond Corporation (with Bus A) • Accommodation at Seelo Guest House, Orapa Mine


• Visit Letlhakane and Damtshaa Mines - Debswana • Accommodation with dinner at Thakadu Hotel, Letlhakane Town


• Visit Karowe Mine – Lucara Diamond Corporation • Accommodation with dinner at Thakadu Hotel, Letlhakane Town


• Drive Letlhakane to Gaborone (all day) • Accommodation in Gaborone under own your arrangement as for the

conference

FIELD TRIP 1 - POST-CONFERENCE BUS A - ORAPA MINE FIRST ITINERARY

Dates: Sunday 24th September to Sunday 1st October 2017 Saturday 23rd September 2017 – Trip 1 Post-Conference

• Delegates are already in Gaborone following end of the conference • Accommodation in Gaborone under own your arrangement as for the

conference


• Drive Gaborone to Orapa Mine, Debswana (all day) • Accommodation with dinner at Seelo Guest House, Orapa Mine


• Visit Orapa Mine - Debswana • Accommodation with dinner at Seelo Guest House, Orapa Mine


• Visit Letlhakane and Damtshaa Mines - Debswana • Bush Night at Orapa Mine Game Reserve (with Bus B) • Accommodation at Thakadu Hotel, Letlhakane Town


• Visit Karowe Mine – Lucara Diamond Corporation • Dinner - Lucara Diamond Corporation (with Bus B) • Accommodation at Thakadu Hotel, Letlhakane Town


• Drive Orapa to Jwaneng (all day) • Accommodation with dinner at Cresta Hotel, Jwaneng Town


• Visit Jwaneng Mine - Debswana • Bush Night at Jwaneng Mine Game Reserve • Accommodation at Cresta Hotel, Jwaneng Town


• Drive Jwaneng to Lobatse • Visit Botswana Geological Survey core store • Drive Lobatse to Gaborone • Accommodation with dinner at Metcourt Hotel, Grand Palm Resort,

Gaborone

Sunday 1st October 2017

• Delegates depart Gaborone for home under your own arrangements

FIELD TRIP 1 – POST-CONFERENCE BUS B – JWANENG MINE FIRST ITINERARY

Dates: Sunday 24th September to Sunday 1st October 2017 Saturday 23rd September 2017

• Delegates are already in Gaborone following end of the conference • Accommodation in Gaborone under own your arrangement as for the

conference


• Drive Gaborone to Jwaneng • Accommodation with dinner at Crest Hotel, Jwaneng Town


• Visit Jwaneng Mine - Debswana • Bush Night at Jwaneng Mine Game Reserve • Accommodation at Crest Hotel, Jwaneng Town


• Drive Jwaneng to Orapa (all day) • Bush Night at Orapa Game Reserve (with Bus A) • Accommodation at Seelo Guest House, Orapa Mine


• Visit Orapa Mine - Debswana • Dinner – Lucara Diamond Corporation (with Bus A) • Accommodation at Seelo Guest House, Orapa Mine


• Visit Letlhakane and Damtshaa Mines - Debswana • Accommodation with dinner at Thakadu Hotel, Letlhakane Town


• Visit Karowe Mine – Lucara Diamond Corporation • Accommodation with dinner at Thakadu Hotel, Letlhakane Town


• Drive Letlhakane to Gaborone • Accommodation with dinner at Metcourt Hotel, Grand Palm Resort,

Gaborone

Sunday 1st October 2017

• Delegates depart for home under your own arrangements

ORAPA MINE – DEBSWANA DIAMOND COMPANY Resting place for lions (in Sesarwa)

Orapa is a conventional open pit mine, situated 240 km west of Francistown. The Mine was discovered in 1967 by a team of De Beers geologists led by Manfred Marx. It became fully operational in July 1971 when it was officially opened by the then President of Botswana, His Excellency Sir Seretse Khama. The Orapa A/K1 pipe consists of two volcanic conduits that coalesced near the surface totalling 118 Ha before mining commenced. Each of these pipes represents a discrete batch of kimberlite magma that has resulted in a variation in the nature of the diamonds found within each pipe. The deposit was dated at 93.1 Ma using mantle zircon grains (Davis, 1977). The older North Pipe contains crudely layered pyroclastic kimberlite, not unlike those of the diatreme-facies “TKB” described by Clement (1982), with avalanched basalt breccia lenses around the periphery. Three major units have been modelled. The South Pipe has a far more complex geology. Three phases of intrusions have been modelled, each separated by a sequence of basalt-rich breccias. Massive, steeply dipping basalt breccias are present around the periphery of the western and eastern margins of the pipe. The upper portion of the pipe contains a sequence of epiclastic kimberlite composed of shales, grits, sandstones and debris flows that were formed in a crater-lake. These deposits contained a variety of Cretaceous fossil plants and insects (Rayner et al. 1991). Orapa town serves as the administrative centre for Orapa, Letlhakane and Damtshaa Mines. Orapa is still ISO 14001 accredited, which is the equivalent of an impeccable environmental management programme. Orapa town serves as the administrative centre for Orapa, Letlhakane and Damtshaa Mines. Orapa is a closed town with a population of over 12 000 people.

Orapa Mine with the open pit in the foreground with town behind. Debswana.

Orapa Mine open pit. Debswana.

Orapa Mine open pit. Debswana.

Orapa Mine plant. Debswana.

LETLHAKANE MINE - DEBSWANA DIAMOND COMPANY Little reed (in Setswana)

Letlhakane Mine is situated 50 km from Debswana's Orapa operation and 190 km West of Francistown, in Central Botswana. The mine, which was first discovered during the sampling and evaluation process at Orapa, became Debswana's second mine when it opened in 1975. 547 447 carats of diamonds were recovered in 2014. The mine is managed from the larger Orapa operation. Prospecting in the region of the Orapa Kimberlite pipe continues. Letlhakane Mine consists of 2 kimberlite pipes, DK1 and DK2. Mining commenced in at DK1 in 1975 and DK2 began to be mined in earnest in 2007. The DK1 consists of volcaniclastic kimberlite (VK), of which there are at least two main types (VK1, VK2,) and the Macrocrystic Kimberlite (MK). The kimberlite pipe is dominated by a mixture of massive volcaniclastic rocks, coherent (macrocrystic) rocks and associated breccias. The DK2 pipe comprises a complex association of massive volcaniclastic rocks (VK1, VK2, VK3, and VK5), coherent macrocrystic kimberlite (MK) and associated lithic rich breccias (BBR, CRB). The MK is the dominant pipe filling lithofacies observed, with the various volcaniclastic deposits forming marginal subordinate domains. A similar emplacement mechanism to that described for DK1 is invoked, with a complex series of volcanic eruptions resulting in pipe excavation and infill by rocks with a variety of textures.

Letlhakane Mine open pit. Debswana.

Letlhakane Mine open pit. Debswana.

DAMTSHAA MINE - DEBSWANA DIAMOND COMPANY Water for a tortoise Four small pipes (B/K1, B/K9, B/K12 and B/K15) were discovered between 1967 and 1972 in an area 20km east of the Orapa Kimberlite pipe. These pipes were grouped to form the Damtshaa Mine and are managed, along with Letlhakane Mine, from the Orapa operation. Damtshaa Mine was officially opened on the 25th October 2003 by the then Vice President of Botswana Lt. General Seretse Khama Ian Khama who stated, "The Damtshaa Mine is the latest addition to the strengthening and consolidation of our position as the leading nation in diamond production." Damtshaa has been forecast to yield 5 million carats from 39 million tons of ore that are to be mined over the 31 year projected life of mine. 303 319 carats were recovered at Damtshaa in 2014. The B/K9 kimberlite has been dated at 99 +/-3 Ma (Rb-Sr of mica, Barton & Smith, 1995; adjacent BK12 is assumed to be similar in age). This body consists of at least two coalesced kimberlite pipes totaling 10.3 ha at surface. Epiclastic kimberlite dominated the upper geology prior to the onset of mining activities which is underlain by a complex set of volcaniclastic and hypabyssal kimberlite units. The B/K12 Kimberlite is smaller, approximately 3.3 ha at surface. This pipe is broadly similar to B/K9 with the upper portions of the deposit being dominated by sedimentary kimberlite infill and the underlying material being volcaniclastic and pyroclastic kimberlite. The Mine has been incorporated into the Orapa and Letlhakane Mines safety and environmental programmes, and hence it is ISO14001 certified. It has thus far been audited twice by the SABS Surveillance Audit Team and confirmed to be compliant to ISO14001 requirements. An impressive feat for Damtshaa mine noted in 2004 is that in the two years that it has been operational, there have been no accidents involving employees being booked off sick

Damtshaa Mine. Debswana.

Damtshaa Mine. Debswana.

JWANENG MINE - DEBSWANA Where a small stone is found (in Setswana) The Jwaneng pipe was discovered in the Naledi River Valley ('Valley of the Stars'), Southern Botswana, in 1972. Jwaneng Mine (DK2) is located ~160km west of Gaborone and forms part of the Jwaneng Kimberlite cluster which includes 11 other kimberlite occurrences. Together the DK2 and DK7 kimberlites form part of Debswana’s Jwaneng Mining Lease Area. Jwaneng Mine is the richest diamond mine in the world by value. Construction of the mine and the township commenced rapidly, the former coming into full production in July 1982. The mine became fully operational in August 1982, when it was officially opened by the then President of Botswana, His Excellency Sir Ketumile Masire. Jwaneng Mine is the flagship of Debswana due to substantially higher dollar per carat obtained for its gems. Jwaneng Mine contributes about 60-70% of Debswana’s total revenue. The Jwaneng kimberlite intruded through Late Archean to Palaeoproterozoic Transvaal Supergroup carbonates and shales. These are overlain by some 50 m Kalahari Group sediments. The kimberlites were emplaced ~ 240 Ma (Burgess et al. 1992). The DK2 kimberlite resource comprises at least six kimberlites of which four have been modelled . The three primary pipes are Centre, South and North Pipes which combined give surface expression of 54 ha. The order of emplacement is believed to be South, Centre and then North. South and Centre pipes contain a core of massive Volcaniclastic Kimberlite (VK) that was overlain by re-sedimented volcaniclastic kimberlite. The rims of these two pipes are dominated by units that include localized country rock breccias and sheared kimberlite showing downward propagation along the kimberlite contact. These rim units also include many rafts and fragments of now eroded Karoo mudstone which were present during the emplacement. At depth,

Centre Pipe contains a broad wedge of country rock breccia that formed during deep level explosions in the latter stages of the kimberlite emplacement. North Pipe is different compared to South and Centre Pipes, as the central core is mainly pyroclastic units that are thickly bedded and includes interbeds of finer volcaniclastic and in places ashy kimberlite. The rim unit is dominated by bedded volcaniclastic kimberlite with steep dips indicating a downward movement along the pipe margins. The 4th pipe consists of highly diluted volcaniclastic kimberlite and represents a vent that did not develop as fully as the three main pipes. In addition to achieving its annual production targets, Jwaneng Mine maintains an excellent safety record. Since 1984, the Mine has achieved one of the lowest disabling injury incident rates in Botswana. This year, the Mine underwent an external OHSAS/ISO audit and the Auditors recommended re-certification. Within the Jwaneng mining lease area, the Jwana Game Park measures 15 669 ha and accommodates approximately 1 700 animals including white rhino. The park also hosts a field unit of Cheetah Conservation Botswana. Current development projects include the expansion project called Cut 8 for which Debswana embarked on a major investment of BWP24 billion over the next 14 years. Cut 8 will ensure continuous production until at least 2024 and extends the life of Jwaneng Mine by an additional 7 years. The Jwaneng Resource Extension Project (JREP) involves the delivery of an indicated resource estimate down to 850m below surface. This will support mining operations for the next 20 years including all key expansion activities such as the Cut 8 and Cut 9 projects. The Jwaneng mine Aquarium plant is the first of its kind in the diamond mining industry. It has the completely automated recovery plant (CARP) and the fully integrated sort house (FISH).

Jwaneng Mine. Debswana.

Jwaneng Mine. Debswana.

Jwaneng Mine plant. Debswana.

KAROWE MINE – LUCARA DIAMOND CORPORATION

The Karowe Mine is based on the AK6 kimberlite pipe, which is part of the Orapa - Letlhakane Kimberlite Field in Botswana. The bedrock of the region is covered by a thin veneer of wind-blown Kalahari sand and exposure is very poor. Rocks close to surface are often extensively calcretised and silcretised due to prolonged exposure on a late Tertiary erosion surface (the African Surface) which approximates to the present day land surface.

AK6 is a roughly north-south elongate kimberlite body with a near surface expression of ~3.3 ha and a maximum area of approximately 7 ha at ~120 m below surface. The body comprises three geologically distinct, coalescing pipes that taper with depth. These pipes are referred to as the North Lobe, Centre Lobe, and South Lobe.

The AK6 kimberlite is an opaque-mineral-rich monticellite kimberlite, texturally classified primarily as volcaniclastic kimberlite with lesser macrocrystic hypabyssal kimberlite. The nature of the kimberlite differs between each lobe, with distinctions apparent in the textural characteristics, relative proportion of internal country-rock dilution, and degree or extent of weathering. The South Lobe is considered to be distinctly different from the North and Centre Lobes which are similar to each other in terms of their geological characteristics. The North and Centre Lobes exhibit internal textural complexity (reflected in apparent variations in degree of fragmentation and proportions of country-rock xenoliths) whereas the bulk of the South Lobe is more massive and internally homogeneous.

Construction of the Karowe Mine was substantively completed by the end of March 2012 and commissioning activities were completed during April 2012. The commencement of commercial production at the Karowe Mine was declared

as of July 1, 2012. In November 2012 a 9.46 carat rare Type II blue diamond was recovered which it sold for US$4.5 million during a diamond sale in late 2012. In January, 2013 Lucara recovered a further two rare Type II blue diamonds and in March 2013, a 239 carat gem quality diamond was recovered at the Karowe Mine. This was the first of a population of large diamonds recovered from the Centre and South lobes of the Karowe Mine. Since that time 9 diamonds in excess of 200 carats have been recovered and the mine has become an important source of high quality large gem-quality diamonds. During 2014 the +10.8ct diamond population represented over 5wt% of the total production.

In early 2014, the Company initiated a plant optimization project, to be completed in 2015, at its Karowe Mine to modify the process plant to treat harder material at depth and improve the recovery of exceptional diamonds. The Karowe Mine will employ XRT bulk sorters for primary ROM diamond recovery.

Karowe Mine. Lucara Diamond Corporation.

Karowe Mine. Lucara Diamond Corporation.

Diamond from Karowe Mine. Lucara Diamond Corporation.

Documents

Field Trip 1 Desert Gems – Botswana’s Major Mines Trips/Updates/11IKC Field...Field Trip 1 . Desert Gems – Botswana’s Major Mines. ... • Visit Karowe Mine – Lucara Diamond