The Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety has granted Gibb River Diamonds Limited’s (previously POZ Minerals Ltd) proposal to commence mining at its 100 per cent owned Blina Diamond Project, in the Ellendale Diamond Province of Western Australia’s Kimberley Region.
Gibb River Diamonds Limited (GIB) said the granting of the Mining Proposal and Project Management Plan is a major step forward for the Blina Project and provides certainty around future operations.
The project consists of four granted mining leases and several exploration leases within an area of 436 square kilometres, approximately 110 kilometres east of Derby.
An 8.43-carat Fancy Yellow diamond previously recovered from the Blina Project during Terrace 5 sampling (valued at US$44,482). Image courtesy of Gibb River Diamonds Limited.
A diamond bearing alluvial palaeochannel, named Terrace 5, extends over the roughly 40 kilometres of the GIB project area, with channel widths of 200m to 500m.
The largest diamond recovered from Terrace 5 to date weighed 8.43 carats, with higher quality stones larger than two carats also common within the area.
A recent trenching program by the company discovered extensive areas of unsampled, shallow and highly prospective alluvial gravels which will require testing.
GIB Executive Chairman, Jim Richards said the core focus of Gibb River Diamonds into the future is to initiate bulk sampling and to trail mining operations at Blina.
“With permitting to mine now in place, this next exciting phase of operations is now scheduled to commence at the end of the wet season early next year,” he announced.
More information on the project can be found here.
