Welverdient 151 HO

The above area will be mined through opencast excavations. The vegetation cover and topsoil layer will be stripped separately and stored on the side of the excavation. Overburden will be stripped and placed on the side of the excavation. The diamond bearing gravel is then removed with a 30-ton excavator and placed next to the excavation. A Front-end Loader takes the gravel to the 14 feet washing pan which for processing. All the rough (over size stones) are first placed back into the bottom of the excavation, hereafter the puddle out of the pan is pumped directly back into the open excavation. After the puddle dried off, the topsoil is put back on top again. The excavations will be 60m in length 10m wide and ±2 meters deep on average. Only four excavations will be opened at a time.
Rough out of the process and over size stones will be taken back to the excavation for backfilling and the puddle will be pumped back to the open excavations. Overburden will be pushed back after puddle is dried enough and lastly topsoil will be replaced after finale sloping has occurred.
At the processing area: A Front-end Loader takes the gravel to the 14 feet washing pan which is fed at a rate of ‎‎8m³ (9 ton) an hour and 4’800m3 (5’438.4 ton) a month. Daimond gravel is separated through gravitation for other stones. Diamond gravel will be sorted and recovered by hand.
The total estimated reserve of gravel is 50’000m³ taken at a production rate of 4’800m³ a month it will take 24 months to work the estimated reserve of ±50’000m³ and do final rehabilitation. The gravel which is relatively shallow and with the low production rate these 5 hectares to be worked sustainable over a period of two years.
Province(s): North West