- A Canadian mineral exploration firm, Mexivada Mining Corp, has reported the discovery of two large diamonds in its 100% controlled Malambani Permis de Recherche concession, located near Mayoko in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Mexivada described the first stone as a white, modified octahedron 7.5 milimetres in diameter while the second stone was a shiny 6 milimetre greenish-white coloured dodecahedral diamond. Each of them weighs 0.1 gram.
The government records showed that the mining of alluvial gold (+33,000 ounces) by the Avoine Company at Mayoko after World War II included their mining of a 22 milimetres, sharp-faced white gem octahedral diamond believed to weigh approximately 75 carats and a 7 milimetres blue-yellow colored diamond, during the gold dredging operations.
However, the source of these diamonds were never found.
The firm has been conducting systematic reconnaissance exploration mapping and sampling for gold and diamonds along the 8 by +23 km long Mayoko Greenstone Belt at Malambani from its Mayoko field office. It has linked the discovery of the stones to the heavy mineral pan-concentrate sampling in alluvium this past week.
They were discovered in pits PDM17 and PDM19 located 100 metres apart from each other in a new area near Mayoko, within the boundaries of Mexivada's Malambani concession.
"The diamond indicator mineral chromite, as well as purplish pink garnets (possibly pyropes), were also found at these two sampling sites in the pan concentrates," Mexivada President, Richard R. Redfern, said, in a statement.
Redfem said his company has applied for the necessary permits to send the precious stones to Gemological Institute of America laboratory in Califonia for examination, study and verification.
Mexivada will continue its sampling-mapping program at Mayoko, in search of kimberlitic pipes that could host the diamonds and indicator mineral(s). Photographs of these recovered minerals will be posted to the Mexivada website.
The company said although the Malambani property has had historic alluvial gold and diamond mining operations on it, the property is without a known body of "primary kimberlitic or lamproitic diamond ore" and Mexivada's activities to date have been exploratory in nature.
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