March 18, 2011 Tsodilo Resources Limited Announces Positive Micro-Diamond Results
TORONTO, CANADA - Tsodilo Resources Limited (TSX Venture Exchange: TSD) ("Tsodilo" or the "Company") is pleased to announce positive results of caustic fusion analyses of micro-diamond samples by the Saskatchewan Research Council ("SRC") from kimberlites K4 and K10.
To date, 27 kimberlites that have been identified in the Nxau Nxau province which stretches over an area of some 40 by 25km oriented in a NW-SE orientation. An analysis of the technical characteristics of the known kimberlites in the Nxau Nxau field was initiated in 2010. Additional mineral chemistry and petrography work was necessary for some of the kimberlites and this was completed in late 2010. A review of this data resulted in the decision to submit samples from three kimberlites (K4, K10 and K20) for micro-diamond analysis, in order to conduct a first-pass evaluation for these bodies. Micro-diamond work had previously been conducted on six kimberlites in the Nxau Nxau field resulting in the recovery of a singleton diamond from three and two diamonds from one of them. A review of the methodology of this work was not regarding as qualitative.
Approximately 200kg of drill core from each of K4, K10 and K20 were submitted for analyses to the SRC laboratory in Canada in 2010 and results were recently provided. All holes were drilled using HQ size core utilizing synthetic diamond drill bits. Two of the three kimberlites submitted for analysis had positive micro-diamond recoveries as follows:
Number of Diamonds per Sieve Size (mm square Mesh sieve)
Kimberlite #
Sample ID
Total Sample
Weight (kg)
Total Number
of Diamonds
0.106
mm
0.150
mm
0.212
mm
0.300
mm
0.425
mm
K4 05/26
8
1
1
0
0
0
0
K4 18/26
8
1
0
0
0
0
1
2
K10 09/29
8
1
1
0
0
0
0
K10 15/29
8
2
0
1
1
0
0
K10 19/29
8
2
1
1
0
0
0
K10 20/29
8
1
1
0
0
0
0
K10 25/29
8
3
2
0
1
0
0
K10 26/29
8
3
2
1
0
0
0
K10 27/29
8
2
1
1
0
0
0
14
72
16
9
4
2
0
1
The most interesting result was obtained from kimberlite K10 which returned 14 stones from 221.2 kg or 63.3 stones per ton (SPT). This is the first time that such number of micro-diamonds had been returned from any of the kimberlites in Ngamiland. The recovered diamonds appear to be colorless and fragmented and can be viewed on the Company's website at: /s/K4andK10.asp.
Inclusive of this recent testing, seven kimberlites out of a cluster of 27 intrusions have been tested for micro-diamonds. Of these, four tested positive for micro-diamond with one, K10, significantly so. These recent results in combination with previous micro-diamond analyses, indicates that the province is clearly diamondiferous. Kimberlite K10 has been classified as poorly sorted coarse-grained re-sedimented volcaniclastic (RVK) kimberlite and is interpreted as a bedded crater-facies kimberlite. Although the crater has not been well-defined, the more magmatic part or feeder underneath the crater has been modeled geophysically to be 2.5 ha in size. The mineral chemistry of the garnets reflect a typically lherzolitic trend very close to the lherzolite Cr203/CaO line.
It should also be noted that one of the micro-diamond recovered from K4 is a 0.425mm stone. Similar micro-diamond analyses performed in 1999 on this kimberlite recovered a 0.85mm macro-diamond.
The recently released geological interpretation of the Southern African Magnetotelluric Experiment (SAMTEX) project data produced the first pseudo 3-dimensional electrical resistivity map of the crustal and mantle lithosphere beneath the Damara-Ghanzi-Chobe belt and its surrounding Kalahari and Congo tectonic blocks. The Congo and Kalahari Cratons are characterised by very thick and resistive lithosphere, approximately 220km and 240km respectively, which from a diamond perspective is encouraging. The results of this program has, among others, shown that the Company's northern licences are underlain by the Angolan Craton (Khoza et al in press, Muller and Jones 2007) and this means that kimberlites occurring in the most northern licences would be the most interesting from a diamond perspective.
The micro-diamond results and the tectonic reconstruction studies continue to enhance the potential of the Ngamiland diamond project. The diamond exploration program for 2011 will focus on kimberlites K17, K18, and K19 which are the most northerly bodies so far discovered in the Nxau Nxau cluster but for which the Company has very little information. In addition, some kimberlite targets that have been identified further to the north will be scheduled for drilling once the Company's second drill rig arrives on site. Finally, the K10 micro-diamond results are sufficiently encouraging to warrant the sampling of kimberlite K11, which is proximate to K10 and has a similar 2.5ha feeder, for micro-diamond content.
About Tsodilo Resources Limited: 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 96% stake in Newdico (3,949 km² under Precious Stone - diamond licenses) while Trans Hex Group, a South African diamond mining and marketing company, holds the remaining 4%. The Gcwihaba project area: 3,728 km² under Precious Stone - diamond licenses; 12,096 km² Metal (base, precious, platinum group, and rare earth) licenses; and, 6,925 km² under Radioactive Minerals licenses is 100% held by the Company. Tsodilo manages the exploration of both the Newdico and Gcwihaba license areas. Overall supervision of the Company's exploration program is the responsibility of Dr. Mike de Wit, President and COO of the Company and a "qualified person" as such term is defined in National Instrument 43-101. Dr. de Wit has reviewed the information contained herein and approved the contents of this Press 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.
National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, Form 43-101F1 and Companion Policy 43-101CP requires that the following disclosure be made: All references contained herein with respect to the potential quantity and grade derived by any method is at this stage of development conceptual in nature. At the present time, there has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the target being delineated as a mineral resource.
This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including, without limitation, statements relating to the development of the Company's projects) are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect the current expectations or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on the Company. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, changes in equity markets, political developments in Botswana and surrounding countries, changes to regulations affecting the Company's activities, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, the uncertainties involved in interpreting exploration results and the other risks involved in the mineral exploration business. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein.
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