The permits lie in the Kasai-Oriental province, an area that has produced two of the 10 largest gem-quality diamonds in the world.
Over the past two years, SouthernEra has studied historical diamond data and kimberlitic indicator minerals obtained from tailings at artisanal workings. It used this information to select permits.
In the mid-1980s, Kasai province produced about 20 million carats of diamonds per year. It was estimated that 19.6 million carats were produced from the entire country in 2001. About 20% of the diamonds produced are of gem quality.
The investment climate in the DRC has improved since June 2003, when the Ministry of Mines began implementing the Mining Registry under a new Mining Code.
Most of the prospective portions of Kasai province are underlain by an Archean granite-gneiss craton, and are covered by exploration permits.
SouthernEra is beginning a 43,000-line-km airborne magnetic-radiometric survey.
Be the first to comment on "SouthernEra explores in the DRC"