TORONTO, ONTARIO -- Tsodilo Resources Limited ("Tsodilo" or the "Company") (TSX Venture Exchange: TSD) is pleased to announce the discovery of two (2) new kimberlites on its Newdico (Pty) Limited license blocks in Botswana.
Anomaly 21512A
Ground magnetic surveys carried out over a "bulls-eye" airborne magnetic anomaly 21512A portray a dipolar and roughly circular body, indicative of pipe-like intrusive body with a magnetic signature measuring approximately 600 meters north-south and 700 meters east-west (42 hectares) The geophysical magnetic images can be viewed on the Company's website at
http://www.tsodiloresources.com/i/pdf/21512A-total-magnetic-Field-contoured.pdf.
Target 21512A is located approximately 35 kilometers east of the Namibia - Botswana border in the Company's Newdico license block and approximately 8 kilometers northeast from the small village of Nxau Nxau.
Drilling Results
After drilling through 47 meters of loose aeolian sand, a consolidated hard thick section of calcrete was encountered to the base of the Upper Kalahari sequence at 60 meters when very weathered hypabyssal kimberlite was intersected. The rock encountered is a highly altered, extensively carbonated, Group 1, coherent hypabyssal kimberlite. It consists of rare broken altered olivine macrocrysts up to 3mm in size, abundant extensively carbonated olivine phenocrysts and scattered altered country rock xenoliths (up to 10mm) set in a much finer groundmass. The groundmass containes relatively abundant, ragged opaque minerals up to 0.5mm in size, smaller euhedral crystals up to 0.13mm in size, altered perovskite and a very fine base now consisting mainly of calcite. Kimberlite was continuously intersected to 90 meters whereupon drilling intersected country rock outside of the main kimberlite body.
Anomaly 21641A
Ground magnetic surveys carried out over a circular airborne magnetic anomaly 21641A portray a dipolar and roughly circular body, indicative of pipe-like intrusive body with a magnetic signature measuring approximately 300 meters north-south and 400 meters east-west (12 hectares) The geophysical magnetic images can be viewed on the Company's website at
http://www.tsodiloresources.com/i/pdf/21641A-Total-Magnetic-Field-contoured.pdf.
Target 21641A is located approximately 40 kilometers east of the Namibia - Botswana border in the Company's Newdico license block and approximately 12 kilometers northeast from the small village of Nxau Nxau.
Drilling Results
After drilling through 30 meters of loose aeolian sand, a consolidated hard thick section of calcrete was encountered to the base of the Upper Kalahari sequence at 79 meters when a highly altered, Group 1, coherent hypabyssal kimberlite was intersected to a depth of 102 meters. The rock is extensively cut across by abundant veinlets of secondary calcite and consists of abundant small carbonated olivine phenocrysts (up to 1.4mm across) set in a dark fine grained groundmass of secondary minerals, carbonate, scattered opaque spinels (up to 0.13mm) and altered perovskite.
A detailed determination of the indicator mineral chemistry by micro-probe analysis will be carried out to determine the diamond bearing capacity of these kimberlites.
GENERAL
The Company's Botswana licenses are proximal to two major unexplained surface concentrations of diamonds and G10 garnets across the border in Namibia, one near the village of Tsumkwe and another in the area known as Omatako. The characteristics of these kimberlite pathfinder mineral anomalies indicate that they are secondary concentrations derived from respective primary high-grade kimberlite sources located elsewhere. The geomorphological model envisages that the Tsumkwe and Omatako pathfinder anomalies were formed by ancient rivers transporting diamonds and garnets derived from kimberlites located in the Company's license blocks. Prior to the deposition of the superficial Kalahari sand that covers much of Ngamiland, this area formed a topographic high. Rivers rising off this high ground flowed westward into a major inland sea located in the north of present-day Namibia. The Company's diamond targets cover former headwaters of this ancient river system and lie within the southern margin of the Congo craton.
Previous attempts to identify target anomalies outside of the main Nxau Nxau kimberlite field were virtually impossible in the past due to the highly magnetic dolerite dyke swarm which runs through the area. "The Company has developed proprietary techniques to compensate for this magnetic interference and the recent discovery of 21181A (April 30, 2009 -- press release) and now 21512A and 21641A are a direct result of this effort and we are very confident that these techniques will lead to further kimberlite discoveries", states James M. Bruchs, the Company's President and CEO. A description of these techniques can be viewed on the Company's website at
http://www.tsodiloresources.com/i/pdf/GISarticleIMJMB42709.pdf.
Electron microprobe analysis on over 4,000 kimberlite indicator minerals ("KIM") from kimberlites A41, C15, A36, 1821C16, PD07, PD25, B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6, B7, B8, B9 and A15 was completed in the first quarter of 2009. The KIM's chemical compositions are being examined to establish their suitability for the purpose of aiding the Company's decision in determining which if any kimberlites in the Nxau Nxau should be examined for diamond. The KIMs were probed at the Africa Earth Observatory Network ("AEON") EarthLab located at the University of Cape Town, South Africa under the direction of Dr. Anton le Roex. The review of the KIM's chemistry is being carried out by Dr. David R. Bell.
Tsodilo Resources Limited is an international diamond and metals exploration company engaged in the search for economic kimberlites and metal deposits at its Newdico (Pty) Limited ("Newdico') and Gcwihaba Resources (Pty) Limited ("Gcwihaba") projects in northwest Botswana. The Company has an 95% stake in Newdico (9,400 square kilometers under diamond license) while Trans Hex Group, a South African diamond mining and marketing company, holds the remaining 5%. The southern and northern Gcwihaba project area (6,856 square kilometers under diamond license and 13,400 square kilometers under base and precious metals licenses) is 100% held by the Company. Tsodilo manages the exploration of both the Newdico and Gcwihaba license areas. Overall field project supervision of the Company's exploration program is the responsibility of McDonald Kahari, Pr. Sci. Nat., B.Sc. (Physics and Geology), M.Sc. (Exploration Geophysics), a qualified professional registered with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions and a Qualified Person under NI 43-101 and he has reviewed and approved the contents of this release. The Company has offices in Toronto, Canada and Gaborone and Maun, Botswana. Please visit the Company's website,
www.TsodiloResources.com, for additional information and background on our projects.
The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. This news release may contain assumptions, estimates, and other forward-looking statements regarding future events. Such forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties and are subject to factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control, which may cause actual results or performance to differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
James M. Bruchs - President and Chief Executive Officer
E-Mail - JBruchs@TsodiloResources.com
Head Office - Telephone +1 416 572 2033 Facsimile + 1 416 987 4369
