Thato Moseki
19 June 2009
One of the trailblazers in the 1970s discovery of Orapa Diamond Mine hopes to duplicate the historic feat with another huge find in western Ngamiland.
Manfred Marx was among the group of geologists who discovered Orapa and Letlhakane mines in the late 1960s after a decade long search. Led by Lamont and Gibson, Marx and several other geologists made the discovery that propelled Botswana into the economic sensation it has become and placed the country's name on the world map.
Thirty-eight years after Orapa's commissioning, Marx is confident that another 'Orapa' could be hidden in the sands of western Ngamiland. "Forty-three years ago, I was part of the geologists who first set foot on Orapa," Marx says.
"I have learnt that diamond mines are cyclical discoveries. Since Orapa, there have been many new discoveries in Russia, Australia and Canada, all usually coming in 10-year cycles. I have always felt that there's another Orapa to be found somewhere, and I hope to be part of that discovery," he said.
Recently, Marx's hopes of finding the next Orapa were boosted when his long and decorated experience in diamond geology was sought by Mount Burgess Mining. Mount Burgess is an Australian company presently developing diamond and base metal projects in Namibia and western Botswana. Marx has been engaged as a Consulting Geologist for Mount Burgess, which has eight exploration licences in Botswana covering 7, 000 square kilometres. Prior to his latest appointment, Marx had also worked for Tawana and as an independent consultant to the diamond industry for 10 years."I was happy when I was asked a few months ago to help Mount Burgess' exploration efforts in Namibia and Botswana," he says. "I accepted and I was very happy to do that."
Marx's delight comes from the promising nature of the known diamond resource in Ngamiland. According to reports from Mount Burgess, kimberlites detected thus far in Ngamiland compare favourably with those known to exist in African Diamonds' prospecting areas.
According to Mount Burgess, the western Ngamiland area is near known kimberlite fields in western Botswana, eastern Namibia and Angola. By the end of 2008, Mount Burgess had completed 18, 000 metres of drilling, with an indicated resource currently under assessment.
"The company believes that it is in an extremely advantageous position to have secured the grant of these prospecting licences in Botswana as, together with its adjoining ground holding in Namibia, it has consolidated a significant area, highly prospective for the discovery of diamondiferous kimberlites," Mount Burgess officials said.
The Department of Geological Survey (DGS) has identified Ngamiland as one of the fast growing mining areas in the country. Twelve companies, including Mount Burgess, currently hold prospecting licences for various minerals in Ngamiland, most of these involving diamonds.
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