uranium

This is another sector begining to heat up.....


Uranium

Gondwana Resources Limited holds a number of exploration licences in the Gascoyne/Ashburton region of Western Australia which have been selected for uranium exploration using regional airborne radiometric surveys and the Mindex database of uranium occurrences. An intensive exploration program is planned for the current quarter to include drilling, geochemistry and geophysics.

Red Rock Bore (E08/1968, 2049)-Horse Well (E08/1966)-Mt Padbury (E08/1967)-Horse Well South (ELA08/2410)

These five tenements have been combined into a contiguous block covering 441km2 (see Figure 5 below). The most prospective is Red Rock Bore where airborne radiometric anomalies are associated with a uraniferous granite at or adjacent to a Lower Proterozoic unconformity. Two sampling campaigns confirm surficial uranium anomalism attributed to supergene enrichment.

This anomalism will be assessed by a 1,000m reverse circulation drilling programme as soon as the radiation management plan and POW have been completed. A heritage survey over the proposed drill sites has already been completed.


Red Rock Bore Discovery

The Red Rock Bore exploration licence is located on Maroonah station, 320 kilometres south of the port of Dampier. The principal feature of Red Rock is an inselberg or exfoliating granite dome that stands 35 metres above the surrounding sand plain (Figure 6).

Three uranium-biased airborne radiometric anomalies were identified within the GSWA 400m line spaced radiometric data. A strong airborne radiometric anomaly (Figure 7) is coincident with Red Rock which extends approximately 900 metres by 500 metres in area.

Field investigations were carried out by the Company’s uranium-specialist geologist, Syd Morete, and included footborne scintillometry and rock chip sampling. The strongest ground radiometric anomaly was located on top of the rock.

Figure 6: Red Rock, a granite inselberg, contains surface rock chip assays up to 946ppm Uranium

Four samples were collected and submitted to Genalysis Laboratory Services for assay using a 4-acid digest and analysis via ICPMS for uranium and certain other elements. Rock chip sample 09RRRK003 returned 946ppm uranium and 15ppm thorium (U:Th=63), located at 361153mE-7408776mN (MGA Zone 50). This result suggests the presence of uraninite. No secondary uranium minerals were observed. Three other rock chips within the radiometric anomaly returned less than 37ppm uranium.

Geological exposures on Red Rock show shadowy ghost-like features indicating granitisation of a previous sedimentary regime. Mapping by GSWA indicates Red Rock (sample 169092 at 361240mE-7409000mN) as being a medium and even-grained biotite-muscovite monzogranite (Nelson, 2004).

The Company has since completed a low level detailed airborne radiometric survey at 20m height and 20m line spacing, carried out by UTS Aeroquest.

The survey was designed to map the area of surface radiometric response and has located an extensive uranium channel anomaly where expected around the 946ppm U geochemical anomaly discovered in August 2009. In addition, a new and stronger uranium channel anomaly has been identified 550m to the north east (figure 7).

The uranium channel has been processed and ground stripping calibrations have been applied. Planned follow-up ground work will ascertain whether the rock chip represents a small enriched zone near the surface or is representative of the fresh rock in the whole of the inselberg shown in the photograph above in figure 6.

Detailed radiometric survey uranium channel image showing location of 946ppm U rock chip at the peak of the radiometric anomaly

Ted Well & Mick Well (E09/1614-1615)

These two tenements cover ground prospective for uranium and specialty metals such as tungsten. A reconnaissance trip has been made to the area which is characterized by poor access. The Company is now undertaking a detailed airborne geophysical survey which is expected to identify various targets associated with the elements described above.

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