Locality Map

Investment Highlights

AusIMM Presentation
20th June 2008
AusIMM presentation by Andrew Bisset, U3O8's Chief Geophysicist - "High Resolution Radiometric Surveying in the East Kimberley Region of Western Australia".
Boardroom Radio Broadcast - Tempest Survey highlights coincident EM & Uranium anomalies
20th May 2008
Listen to an audio broadcast with Stephen Mann, Managing Director in a presentation entitled "U3O8 Limited (UTO) - Tempest Survey Identifies Major Coincident Uranium Anomalies - Mr Stephen Mann, MD".
U3O8 Limited's Regional Ashburton Joint Venture with Cameco
3rd October 2007
The Directors of U3O8 Limited are pleased to announce the U3O8 - Cameco Regional Ashburton Uranium Joint Venture.

Wabli Creek

(U3O8 Limited 100%)

  • Significant grades of uranium identified through U3O8's rock chip sampling and drilling programme
The Wabli Creek project is located in the Gascoyne province of Western Australia, approximately 300 kilometres east of Carnarvon. Carnotite bearing valley calcrete deposits overly Lower Proterozoic metamorphic and intrusive rocks. Previous exploration in the 1970s and 1980s, involving auger drilling and costeaning at Minindi Creek in the north of the tenement defined an area of carnotite bearing valley calcretes returning assays up to 0.93% U3O8 (9300 ppm U3O8).

At the Wabli Creek prospect similar work defined a small calcrete hosted deposit. Trench samples of calcrete at this locality averaged 0.156% U3O8. The zone of calcrete mineralisation remained open in most directions. Nearby pegmatite outcrops contain pitchblende, with assays up to 0.105% U3O8. There has been no recorded drilling on the Wabli Creek project area.

Wabli Creek Project

Minindi and Wabli Creek location plan

U3O8 Limited collected 19 rock chip samples from the two separate prospects (Minindi Creek and Wabli Creek). Samples were collected from shallow pits and costeans dug by previous explorers. The area sampled at Minindi Creek extended over an area of approximately 1800 metres x 300 metres. 8 samples (prefixed MC) were collected from Minindi Creek.

The Wabli Creek prospect is located a further 10 km upstream along the Gascoyne River and following the same access track. It drains a catchment area hosting multiple uranium occurrences associated with uranium-rich granites, microgranites and pegmatites.

The samples collected from the Wabli Creek prospect (prefixed WB) focused on a small area incised on the eastern bank of the Wabli Creek that shows economic grades in a terrace deposits draining a nearby granodiorite. Given the nature and thickness of the alluvial cover in adjacent areas, it is anticipated that the overall size of the calcrete significantly exceeds the area tested.

Geochemical results of the 19 rock chip samples collected from this programme are included in the table below.


Prospect
 Sample Easting Northing U3O8 ppm
MININDI CREEK MC1 421593 7254153 307
  MC2 421686 7254195 424
  MC3-1 421685 7254190 413
  MC3-2 421685 7254192 212
  MC4-1 422025 7254169 1038
  MC4-2 422025 7254175 849
  MC5-1 421997 7254258 1155
  MC5-2 421997 7254254 590
WABLI CREEK WB1-1 429102 7247186 837
  WB1-1 429102 7247184 531
  WB2-1 429110 7247167 495
  WB2-2 429109 7247165 295
  WB3-1 429134 7247202 283
  WB3-2 429136 7247203 106
  WB4-1 429152 7247203 342
  WB4-2 429152 7247201 248
  WB5 429152 7247202 931
  WB6-1 429021 7247131 814
  WB6-2 429020 7247130 896

Results of rock chip samples

A drilling programme was planned to target the Minindi Creek mineralisation as well as the smaller Wabli Creek zone of mineralisation. All holes were drilled vertically by reverse circulation drilling to an average depth of 10 metres.

Prospect Number of holes Average Depth Drill Spacing Total Metres
Minindi 167 9.68 100 x 100m to 300 x 100m 1617
Minindi South 23 9.48 100 x 100m 218.50
Wabli Creek 33 8.92 400 x 100m 294.50
Total 223 9.55   213

Details of drilling programme

The table below summarises the most significant drill intersections.

Hole Easting Northing From (m) To (m) Thickness (m) eU3O8 (ppm)
MCRC112 422200 7254680 0.50 2.20 1.70 242
MCRC114 422200 7254480 0.99 2.55 1.56 232
MCRC116 422200 7254280 1.76 2.66 0.90 402
MCRC122 422300 7254340 0.65 1.75 1.10 358
MCRC123 422300 7254240 0.74 2.30 1.56 343
    and 2.34 2.94 0.60 434
MCRC127 422400 7254600 2.12 4.66 2.54 431
MCRC168 422054 7253640 1.17 3.51 2.34 301
MCRC180 422457 7253850 1.65 3.03 1.38 245
MCRC079 421600 7254165 1.11 3.47 2.36 425
MCRC086 421700 7254093 3.71 5.05 1.34 697
MCRC092 421796 7254230 2.12 4.70 2.58 877
MCRC098 421900 7254260 3.26 4.08 0.82 376
MCRC103 422000 7254380 1.19 2.95 1.76 322
MCRC104 422000 7254280 1.55 4.41 2.86 393
MCRC105 422000 7254180 0.13 1.43 1.30 450

Most significant intercepts for the Minindi prospect

eU3O8 refers to the equivalent grade as estimated from downhole gamma logging and provides a more representative sample than chemical assays due to a much larger volume of rock being measured. This method is commonly used to estimate uranium grade where the radiation contribution from thorium and potassium is neglible, such as in calcrete-type uranium deposits. Compared to chemical assays, gamma logging also offers a vastly superior resolution, increased precision and does not suffer from contamination.

Extensive quality control was undertaken during the downhole logging, with daily calibration on a reference drill hole, duplicates on 5% of the holes, and other checks on depth accuracy (2cm resolution).

The data has been corrected for hole diameter and readings taken below the water table.

Checks of drill cuttings using an Exploranium GR 135 portable spectrometer showed thorium values at or below background values (<10ppm eTh), showing that the radioactivity measured is associated with uranium. Approximately 10% of the drill cuttings were sampled for chemical analysis at ALS Perth.