(Sharecast News) - Botswana Diamonds announced on Monday that drilling has started on the recently-discovered high-grade geophysical anomalies on Thorny River.

The AIM-traded firm said a minimum of 10 reverse-circulation drill holes were planned on four high-grade gravity anomalies, and the most prospective target identified by Subterrane.

It said Subterrane, a UK-based specialist exploration research company, had developed a proprietary methodology to integrate detailed structural mapping with geophysics results, and had been working on the property with Botswana Diamonds for several years.

The aim of the drilling programme was to discover additional blows on the Thorny River property, in order to expand the resource and thus pave the way for a future mining licence or permit applications.

Drilling would take around two weeks to complete.

"This is an important next step in our drive to establish a commercial operation at Thorny River," said chairman John Teeling.

"We are hopeful that these additional holes will expand the resource base to allow a financial evaluation of greater potential for the Thorny River diamond project."

Reporting by Josh White at Sharecast.com.