Lucapa has intensified its search for the primary source of rough diamonds that supply the Lulo mine in Angola by sampling kimberlites from the nearby Cacuilo River.
The miner has identified the area beneath and near the Cacuilo River as a key priority for sampling, believing that the water body carried diamonds from a nearby “mother lode” into Lulo’s alluvial pit. However, severe flooding of the river has previously limited access to this area for sampling, Lucapa said on Monday.
In the meantime, sample drilling in another area has uncovered 97 diamonds totaling 110.7 carats. An additional 4.6 carats were recovered after reprocessing ore. The company currently has 26 kimberlites selected for bulk sampling.
“We are excited to be back in full flow with the exploration program and gaining access to areas that were previously inaccessible,” said Lucapa Managing Director Nick Selby.
“The preparation work is well underway for accessing kimberlite L014, from which we will be conducting delineation drilling and bulk sampling.
Road construction and sample planning are progressing for other priority targets close to the Cacuilo River.
We look forward to providing further updates to the market as the sampling results become available.”
