The Lake Blanche Project lies on the western edge of the Eromanga Basin in South Australia to the north Frome Embayment. The Eromanga Basin of central Australia is a major oil-producing, sedimentary basin of Mesozoic age. Sediments in this basin include an Early Jurassic fluvial sequence, an Early Cretaceous marine incursion, followed by the deposition of a further sequence of fluvial sediments after marine regression in the Late Cretaceous. This depositional environment mirrors the depositional cycle observed at the Kazakhstan, uranium bearing, Mesozoic basins. During the first year of combined reporting for the Lake Blanch Project to 16th December 2008, GE Resources undertook a historical data compilation of petroleum and ware bore geophysical/sample logs, and a desktop study. Drill program scoping and site planning was undertaken, and heritage clearance surveys were completed for planned drill sites. Negotiations and Work Area Clarence Agreements with the Yandruwandha/Yawarrawarrka Native Title Claim Group was undertaken. As there was no new technical data generated, a formal annual technical report was not submitted. During the second year of the project, eight rotary mud holes were drilled for a total length of 2776 m on EL 4007 & EL 4008, to identify favourable alteration and anomalous radioactivity within the Eromanga Tertiary and Mesozoic sand sequences which may host roll-front uranium mineralisation. Two holes (LB002 & LB007) returned anomalous gamma counts (200cps) in regionally correlatable Tertiary Eyre Formation sands in addition to a redox cell possibly developed in sands between LB007 & LB008. The drilling was completed with the assistance of PACE 2020 Targeting Initiative Funding – project code PT1-14 [ENV12370 CNO:2035523]. Downhole wireline logging was completed for each hole, and provided good control for uranium analyses, lithological control, and groundwater salinity estimations. A total of 509 samples were analysed in-field utilising the Niton portable XRF device to provide multi-element spectral data, while 269 drill samples were lad assayed to confirm pXRF data and to attain Pb isotope data. Drilling has revealed widespread medium – coarse grained sandstone horizons in the Tertiary with good continuity between widely spaced drillholes. The Mesozoic Winton Formation was found generally to consist of reduced fine-grained siltstones and minor fine sandstone units and appears to lack the presence of oxidation fronts within interbedded siltstone and sandstone horizons. Trace uranium recorded in LB002 indicates that it is likely uranium is present in the system and additional drilling will be required to establish possible economic concentrations. ASTER and ALOS data was purchased covering the project area, the data package was still undergoing additional processing at the time of reporting. A Joint Venture Agreement was commenced with Cameco (Aust) Pty Ltd. Under the terms of the Joint Venture Agreement, Cameco can earn 51% interest through exploration expenditure of $3,500,00 over 4 years. A further 9% interest can be earned through additional expenditure of $1,000,000. A new agreement has recently been reached with Cameco, whereby Cameco will take over management of the exploration licence area in the 2010 period. During the third year of the project, exploration activities undertaken by Cameco included: two ground based Moving Loop Electro-magnetic (MLEM) surveys, the re-interpretation of the 2009 drilling data and existing regional magnetic and gravity data, collaborative interpretation of existing seismic data with Strike Energy Pty Ltd (coal seam gas explorer), and the analysis of surfaces developed from the Australian SEEBASE compilation. An exploration targeting model was developed, with drill sites selected and visited. No drilling could be completed in 2010 due to abnormally high rainfall throughout the latter half of the year rendering the ground inaccessible to all vehicles. The re-interpretations of geology from historical drilling and geophysics has culminated in a new exploration targeting model and drill plan for the area, which includes 20 mud-rotary drill holes. Palynological investigations for dating and environmental interpretations were completed on 10 drill samples from the 2009 drilling program was completed by Mike MacPhail. The aim of the geophysical survey was to determine if EM methods were capable of mapping palaeodrainage channels within Cainozoic aged fluvial and lacustrine sediments of the Namba and Eyre Formations, despite the 100 m of overlying Namba muds. A test survey was completed over known geology, and then the parameters learnt from this were applied to a second survey that was conducted over other areas of interest. The MLEM testing and surveys have shown that MLEM can be used as a tool to image differences in conductivity in the Eyre Formation, however, to visualise this from the data an optimized one dimensional geophysical inversion would have to be used. The interpretation of 2009 drill chips in co-ordination with palynological dating has confirmed that the Namba and Lake Eyre Formations are present at Lake Blanche and although thicker, are not dissimilar to the same packages hosting uranium in the Frome further south. During the fourth year of the project, exploration activities completed by Cameco included the drilling of 43 holes for 9057 m, downhole geochemical sampling, and a ground gravity survey. The 2011 drilling program was designed to test target areas for several parameters. - The presence and location of channel systems within upper Eyre Formation and incising into the lower Eyre Formation interpreted from a combination of the geological interpretation of 2009 drilling and existing seismic data. - Evidence of hydrocarbons in the Eyre Formation above an interpreted deep-seated fault coincident with the Lake Blanche Lineament. - The lateral extent and potential for upgrade of small intersects of uranium mineralisation at the interface between lignite/lignitic muds of the top of the Lower Eyre Formation and oxidised sands at the base of the Upper Eyre Formation discovered from 2009 drilling. - Key night-time thermal imagery targets produced from a study commissioned by UEL and completed in 2009\2010. - Ground-truth for and aid into geological interpretation from ground EM surveys completed in 2010, existing seismic data and proposed SKYTEM surveys. All holes were surveyed downhole for Gamma, Spontaneous Potential (SP), Resistivity (64”N and 16”N), Point Resistance (PR), Neutron Porosity, Deviation, Fluid Temperature, Density, Induction/Magnetic Susceptibility and Full Wave Sonic (FWS). All down-hole surveys were performed by Geoscience Associates (GAA). Several samples were sent for geochemical analysis, mostly for U and Th only for both confirmation of gamma anomalies and to see if geochemistry could pick up U anomalies where the gamma probe could not. Approximately 0.02% U3O8 was intersected over 0.8 m (PFN) in LB023 and follow up hole LB040 starting at approximately 122 m at a redox boundary in the top of the Lower Eyre Formation. Anomalous gamma was intersected at the base of the Upper Eyre Formation (interpreted) in LB009, 010, 011, 013, 018, 019, 020, 021, 022, 027, 038, 039, 044, 046, and 49 and at the base of channel sands in the Namba Formation in holes LB024 and 027. Small ground scale gravity surveys were completed by Atlas Geophysics Pty Ltd, to determine if this method could be used to target paleochannels and any structural features that may be associated with hydrocarbon migration. A total of 1071 stations were recorded over three grids and one line profile, with grids being either in a 200 m x 200 m or 200 m x 100 m configuration and line profile with 100 m station spacing. Drilling results are highly encouraging, indicating that uranium bearing groundwater has moved through the formation and that the mechanisms required to precipitate uranium out of solution are in operation. With the assistance of the SA Government's PACE 2020 Targeting Initiative, Cameco Australia acquired an airborne electromagnetic (AEM) survey to look for possible buried sedimentary uranium mineralisation on the western edge of the Eromanga Basin in South Australia in March 2012. [See separately indexed record ENV12370 CNO:2035523]