Zeppelin seeks hidden diamons in Kalahari

JWANENG MINE – Moonlight glistens off a huge zeppelin airship as it glides over Botswana’s Kalahari Desert.

High-tech sensors on board probe the arid sands below, looking for buried diamonds. This is De Beers’ latest tool in its search for gems in Botswana, the world’s leading diamond producer by value.The rigid dirigible with a disaster-scarred history carries classified US technology, first developed for the military and still so sensitive that a photographer was warned not to film the equipment, provided and operated by US firm Bell Geospace.’This is the cutting edge.We’re pushing geophysics to the boundaries,” said Brad Pitts, who heads De Beers’ airship exploration programme, launched last November.”This is the only airship in the world being used for geophysical surveying.”The zeppelin, which has a metal frame unlike the non-rigid blimps, costs around seven million euros, but De Beers has leased this one.As the airship floats 80 metres above the desert, the equipment pinpoints rock formations with lower density – where “kimberlite pipes” with diamonds may be found.Botswana’s most obvious deposits of diamonds, where gems were thrust close to the surface, have already been uncovered and De Beers’ joint venture with the government – Debswana – is under heavy pressure to find new deposits.”It’s a big challenge facing all diamond exploration.We are now looking to discover the tougher ones,” Pitts said.Existing mines are yielding lower-grade ore with fewer diamonds, forcing workers to drill deeper.Miners are increasingly tapping science to help uncover diamonds buried hundreds of kilometres below the surface.Miners hunting for elusive diamonds seek traces of the volcanic rock that forged the gems millions of years ago.The huge Jwaneng open pit mine, about 200 km west of the capital Gaborone, was discovered after termites looking for water brought to the surface mineral grains from the massive diamond deposit, one of the world’s richest.The zeppelin is part of this process.The system on board the airship has also been used on small airplanes, but vibrations caused false readings, while using it on the ground limits the area covered, Pitts said.”A ground crew can cover five km a day while the airship can do 250-300 km,” he said.- Nampa-ReutersThis is De Beers’ latest tool in its search for gems in Botswana, the world’s leading diamond producer by value.The rigid dirigible with a disaster-scarred history carries classified US technology, first developed for the military and still so sensitive that a photographer was warned not to film the equipment, provided and operated by US firm Bell Geospace.’This is the cutting edge.We’re pushing geophysics to the boundaries,” said Brad Pitts, who heads De Beers’ airship exploration programme, launched last November.”This is the only airship in the world being used for geophysical surveying.”The zeppelin, which has a metal frame unlike the non-rigid blimps, costs around seven million euros, but De Beers has leased this one.As the airship floats 80 metres above the desert, the equipment pinpoints rock formations with lower density – where “kimberlite pipes” with diamonds may be found.Botswana’s most obvious deposits of diamonds, where gems were thrust close to the surface, have already been uncovered and De Beers’ joint venture with the government – Debswana – is under heavy pressure to find new deposits.”It’s a big challenge facing all diamond exploration.We are now looking to discover the tougher ones,” Pitts said.Existing mines are yielding lower-grade ore with fewer diamonds, forcing workers to drill deeper.Miners are increasingly tapping science to help uncover diamonds buried hundreds of kilometres below the surface.Miners hunting for elusive diamonds seek traces of the volcanic rock that forged the gems millions of years ago.The huge Jwaneng open pit mine, about 200 km west of the capital Gaborone, was discovered after termites looking for water brought to the surface mineral grains from the massive diamond deposit, one of the world’s richest.The zeppelin is part of this process.The system on board the airship has also been used on small airplanes, but vibrations caused false readings, while using it on the ground limits the area covered, Pitts said.”A ground crew can cover five km a day while the airship can do 250-300 km,” he said.- Nampa-Reuters