Alrosa Identifies Potential New Diamond Resources

RAPAPORT... Alrosa has identified three new exploration sites that couldpotentially yield 17.9 million carats of rough across their lifespan, according to preliminaryestimates.The sites are located close to Alrosa's Mir mine in the Yakutia region of Russia. "Detecting new diamond deposits in [the] Nizhne-Botuobinskaya area will make a significant contribution to the development of Alrosa's mineral resource base, and in the longer run, will support [the] financial, economic and social situation in the region," the company said last week.Geologists performed testing on the sites, which are locatedin the company's Malo-Botuobinksy license area, including magnetic and electricexploration and high-frequency seismic surveys. The teamstudied a total of 200,000 square meters. The Russian miner will perform a prospect evaluation surveythat will enable it to reach the kimberlite inside. That test will provide furtherinformation on the entirety of the deposit's contents, Konstantin Garanin,Alrosa's chief geologist, explained. Image: Rough diamonds. (Alrosa)