Lucara Diamond
Encyclopedia
Lucara Diamond Corp. is a diamond
exploration and mining company, operating in southern Africa but established in Canada.
In March 2011, Lucara was reported to be discussing a merger with Gem Diamonds
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Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
exploration and mining company, operating in southern Africa but established in Canada.
In March 2011, Lucara was reported to be discussing a merger with Gem Diamonds
Gem Diamonds
Gem Diamonds is a leading British-based global diamond mining business. It is headquartered in London and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
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Operations
- Lucara owned a 40% share of the AK6 kimberliteKimberliteKimberlite is a type of potassic volcanic rock best known for sometimes containing diamonds. It is named after the town of Kimberley in South Africa, where the discovery of an diamond in 1871 spawned a diamond rush, eventually creating the Big Hole....
project in BotswanaBotswanaBotswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
. In October 2010, Lucara bought African Diamonds, giving it a 100% share in the mine. The mine has an estimated $2.2Bn of diamonds. AK6 is in the OrapaOrapaOrapa is a town located in the Central District of Botswana. It is the site of the Orapa diamond mine, one of the largest diamond mines in the world, and is considered to be the diamond capital of the country...
/LetlhakaneLetlhakaneLetlhakane is a village in the Central District of Botswana. It is located south of Mmatshumo and the population of the village was 14,962 in 2001 census....
district. - Mothae diamond project in LesothoLesothoLesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over in size with a population of approximately 2,067,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The name...
: Kimberlite processing began in June 2010; a 53.5 carat diamond has already been discovered. - KavangoKavangoThe Kavango people, also known as the vaKavango, reside on the Namibian side of the Namibian–Angolan border along the Kavango River. They are mainly riverine living people, but about 20% reside in the dry inland. Their livelihood is based on fishery, livestock-keeping and cropping...
project in Namibia - Planned mines, and applications for mining licenses, in Zimbabwe, Cameroon, and Botswana.