botswana drill program

These details are worth a second look. Once again, I'd would appreciate some analysis from those here with geological expertise.

From the Quarterly announcement (page 10):

During the Quarter the Company continued its diamond drilling exploration program on its Botswana Coal Exploration Projects.

The Company through its Botswana subsidiary, Weldon Investment (Pty) Ltd, holds three prospecting licenses covering an area of 964km2 in Botswana. The licenses, PL339/2008 and PL340/2008 are together known as the Serowe Project, and PL341/2008 is known as the Kweneng Project.

Consider Asenjo Energy's leases in Serowe:

Lechana resources & coal qualities
Tshimoyapula resources & coal qualities

LECHANA & TSHIMOYAPULA
Approximately 2.3 billion tons of good quality export thermal coal identified at Lechana and Tshimoyapula. Two main coal seam horizons defined, one suitable for high quality export thermal coal and the other suitable for high quality thermal coal (similar to Morupule Colliery). Area known to contain large resources of groundwater as well as two large seasonal rivers (from historical drilling). Located in close proximity to Morupule, allowing the potential sale of coal to the industry in the surrounding area. Potential for domestic and regional supply of coal. Suitable rail infrastructure in place as project located 10-20km west of the Francistown highway and the main rail line linking Zimbabwe to South Africa, which will facilitate domestic and regional supply of coal into Africa (Zambia, Angola and Malawi). Potential opencast block identified at Lechana, containing the Taukome Bright seam at relatively shallow depths. Could produce a high quality export product with high volatile content, as well as for regional and domestic supply of coal. Morupule Main seam is suitable for the production coal to be used in a domestic power plant, with the project tenements located within 30km of a 220 KVa transmission line.

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CCC ann. continued:

During the Quarter, Botswana drilling company Discovery Drilling continued exploration over both the Serowe and Kweneng Coal Projects with three drill rigs operating across the project sites.

A total of six diamond drill holes were completed during the Quarter on PL340/2008 - SRE02 to SRE04, SRE08 to SRE10 - and a further ten drill holes – SRW01 and SRW10 - completed on PL339/2008. This follows the four that were completed in the previous quarter on PL340/2008.

Drilling on PL340/2008 was completed in October 2011. Drilling on PL339/2008 commenced on 18 October and drilling on PL341/2008 commenced on 28 November with two holes (KW07 and KW08) completed during the Quarter.

The drilling program of wide spaced (4km) boreholes at the Serowe Project on PL339/2008 and Pl340/2008 has defined the presence of major coal bearing carbonaceous zones in the central and northern portions of PL339/2008 and in the western and northern portions of PL340/2008.These zones correlates to the main Tshimoyapula and Lechana Coal Basins and to a lesser extent to the Morupule Coalfield area. A number of diamond core boreholes were also drilled in the central and southern parts of PL339/2008 and eastern part of PL340/2008 as part of the Company’s requirement to relinquished part of the landholding as part of the renewal of the licenses.

The drilling program at the Kweneng Project PL341/2008 commenced late in the Quarter, with two rigs on site in late November. Drilling of KW07 and KW08 were completed during the Quarter before drilling works were stopped on 9 December, core logging and sampling continued until 15 December and sample despatch until 22 December. [so 22 holes drilled so far, across 3 leases with more to come ... M.]

Drilling activities re-commenced subsequent to the Quarters end with the mobilisation to site of five rigs.

Preliminary results from the exploration program have indicated that the diamond drilling has intersected major coal bearing carbonaceous zones. Drilling on PL340/2008 on the north-western boundary of the license has indicated a coal mineralised strike length of approx. 20km and confirms previous historical results from exploration programs completed in the 1980s. Drilling on PL339/2008 on the north-eastern boundary, closest to PL340/2008 has further intersected major coal horizons and indicated a continuation of the identified coal horizons across from PL340/2008.

Boreholes across PL339/2008 and PL340/2008 with coal were geophysically logged by Poseidon Geophysics and the following parameters recorded: natural gamma, density and calliper. Samples have been taken from all the major coal horizons including inter-bedded coals and carbonaceous mudstones. Individual seams >1.0m thickness were sampled separately and sent to an accredited laboratory in South Africa for quality determination. Analytical results for these are pending and scheduled to be received by the Company in the current quarter.

Images:

So, there are 5 drill rigs back at work in Botswana, as opposed to the 3 in operation last quarter, plus DT has mentioned "Consolidation Opportunities" in Botswana - I should imagine this would be with either Asenjo (Sir Sam Jonah of Jonah Capital is on the board of Range Resources ASX:RRS)/Aquila Resources &/or CIC Energy (run by Don's old BHP SA mates). Plenty to get excited about in Botswana in 2012 & beyond, methinks :)