Uranium Soil Geochemistry
Perth, Mar 25, 2009 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Soil and auger sampling over a radiometric anomaly at Magnetic Resources (ASX:MAU) Lake Seabrook uranium project has identified a 2km-long uranium anomaly with values up to 293ppm (0.03%) U3O8 in shallow salt lake sediments.
This sampling is in addition to that reported in Magnetic's December 2008 quarterly report where scout surface sampling of a radiometric anomaly some 8km further south identified values up to 47ppm U3O8 in lake sediments. The Lake Seabrook project comprises two exploration licences totalling 95sq km in which Magnetic has earned an 80% interest, with the right to earn up to a 100% interest. The tenements cover airborne radiometric anomalies associated with the Lake Seabrook and Lake Eva drainage systems.
Soil sampling and a ground radiometric survey were carried out over a 1.4km-long radiometric anomaly associated with an arm of Lake Seabrook, a dry salt lake. On completion of the ground radiometric survey, areas of strong uranium response were auger sampled to obtain shallow subsurface samples.
The soil sampling traversed the lake edges and across the dry lake bed with the maximum result being 32.8ppm U. Using a 20ppm U threshold, the sampling defines an anomalous zone up to 350m wide and 2km long following the drainage pattern.
A single hand auger hole within this anomalous zone averaged 179ppm U (211ppm U3O8) from four samples over a 1.5m depth, with a maximum sample result of 249ppm U (293ppm U3O8). The samples were taken from a grey-brown silty clay.
The hand auger hole is adjacent to a soil sample containing 28.8ppm U collected at a depth of 20-30cm, indicating a degree of stratification of the uranium values within the lake sediments.
Associated elements showing elevated responses include Cu, Co, Pb and Ce. This suggests that uranium and base metals may have been precipitated from oxidised groundwater by a reducing environment within the lake system drainage channels in a setting similar to the high grade Mulga Rock uranium deposits in the Officer Basin north east of Kalgoorlie.
Further exploration is being planned in order to test the extent and thickness of the uranium mineralisation within the extensive Lake Seabrook drainage system.
Contact
George Sakalidis
Managing Director
Tel: +61-8-9485-2410
Mob: +61-411-640-337
Roger Thomson
Executive Director
Tel: +61-8-9485-2410
Mob: +61-419-969-183
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