(continued) During the fourth year of project activity, a second, more intensive vertical rotary mud drilling and wireline geophysical well logging campaign was carried out on all three subject licences in order to further test AEM and gravity targets. During the period May to October 2007, 56 holes for a total penetration of 9850 m were completed along 3 traverses on EL 3167, 27 holes for 4176 m were completed along 6 traverses on EL 3168, and 58 holes for 5733 m were completed along 11 traverses on EL 3169. Hole spacing on the roughly east-west orientated drilling traverses varied from 150 m to 2.5 km, with the closer-spaced holes put in where radiometric anomalies were detected by downhole gamma ray logging. Afmeco's systematic drilling along an east-west section (Line C) made it possible to identify one major Eyre Formation palaeochannel which crosses the south-western part of EL 3167, and contains sand intervals up to 45 m thick. In places, two superimposed channels could be distinguished. From the latest drilling intercepts, it appeared that this channel system could extend over several tens of km. However, its direction seemed to be at odds with that of the historically defined Erudina Palaeochannel. The TEMPEST AEM data conductivity depth slice at 160 m showed a north-south feature coinciding with the thicker drillhole sand intercepts, which could correspond to the orientation of the palaeochannel. This channel became a main target for exploration, since it hosts evidence of active redox processes and radiometric anomalies, and further drilling was planned to be done there during 2008. A buried redox front was clearly discerned to exist on the western end of line C, with major radiometric anomalies measured next to it, a sign of good uranium potential for this channel system. The best mineralisation so far indicated from downhole gamma ray logs was up to 3.4 m grading above 100 ppm U, with a peak value of 0.15% U over 10 cm. Conversely, no interesting radioactivity intercepts were observed in the upper Namba Formation, and all the sands encountered there were oxidised. However, some radiometric anomalies above 1000 cps were intersected at this level on line A. The anomalies are located in the reduced basal part of the regional carbonate-rich horizon. They correlate with an increase of gamma ray activity found in other holes at the same stratigraphic level. Afmeco regarded this occurrence as uranium enrichment in a palaeosol characterised by calcrete development and organic matter enrichment. Several Namba Formation palaeochannel segments were intersected by drilling on EL 3168, some of them showing correlation with residual ground gravity lows. The channel sands, which only rarely are up to a few metres thick, range in aspect from unaltered to strongly reduced with abundant organic matter and pyrite. A few minor radiometric anomalies were found in reduced sediments or at redox contacts. Toward the eastern part of the tenement, Eyre Formation sands were mostly represented by the regional “blanket sands”. Radioactivity anomalies (maximum 800 cps) were found to occur rarely at the contact between these sands and underlying Cretaceous clays. On EL 3169, the newly discovered ‘Coolibah Palaeochannel’ was the target of the 2007 drilling. Its basal channel sands, lying at around 80 m depth, were confirmed by two drill traverses as being the source of local TEMPEST AEM features. They are strongly reduced, with abundant pyrite. A few radiometric anomalies were recorded within these sands, or at their redox contacts with crystalline basement (oxidised rhyolite of the Mesoproterozoic Benagerie Volcanics). The best uranium intercept made had more than 300 ppm over 80 cm, with a maximum value of 440 ppm U, and was encountered at the contact between the Eyre Formation blanket sands and underlying clays in the Coolibah Paleochannel. Probable glacial Cretaceous strata were also recognised as being present underneath the Eyre Formation in some places, notably the northern, western and eastern parts of the tenement. They comprise dark organic matter - rich micaceous clays, reduced sands, and rounded quartz gravels overlying igneous basement. Toward the west, probable Cambrian psammites and siltstones were penetrated. During the fifth year of project activity, a VTEM airborne geophysical survey was carried out over the south-western portion of EL 3167, along with a third, comprehensive rotary mud drilling campaign plus a targeted core sampling diamond drilling campaign, in order to evaluate the encouraging signs of uranium mineralisation detected during 2007. A 700 line km airborne VTEM survey was flown over the known, TEMPEST AEM - delineated Eyre Formation Erudina Palaeochannel system during February 2008, along 43 east-west flight lines spaced 1 km apart, with a nominal 30 m sensor mean terrain clearance. Interpretation of the VTEM data in areas where near-surface saline sediments do not mask the deeper conductive response yielded an apparent good relationship between signal intensity and channel sand thickness. This relationship was put down to the high groundwater salinity in the area (up to 1% eq NaCl), which confers elevated conductivity values within the aquifers and therefore good EM signal response. Between March and October 2008, drilling of 157 vertical rotary mud open holes for 31,693 m were completed along 15 east-west drill traverses, with holes at an initial 800 m spacing being closed in at 400 m, 200 m, 100 m and 50 m spacings where necessary to confirm mineralised occurrences. Overall, the third drilling campaign successfully intersected many buried elements of a Tertiary braided fluviatile palaeochannel system having complex relationships between sand, silt and clay bodies. The channel fill sediments can be broadly subdivided into an upper oxidised sequence that is separated from a lower reduced sequence by discontinuous organic clayey sediments. The Eyre sediments are up to 100 m thick, containing multiple thin sand unit intersections which cumulatively total about 60 m. This sedimentary succession was interpreted by Afmeco as having been deposited in a fluvio-lacustrine environment, with variations of the base level of the lake causing fluvial transgression and regression. A total of 56 radiometric anomalies (over 100 ppm eqU or 118 ppm eqU3O8) were encountered within the Eyre Formation sediments, with maximum logged grades of 1500 ppm eqU and a thickest mineralised interval of 1.7 m. However, continuity of the mineralisation could not be demonstrated, due to rapid lateral variations of facies and the attendant uranium precipitation - controlling redox conditions that are dependent on types of lithological contact. 7 diamond cored open holes for 433 m were also completed during September-October 2008, after the drilling of vertical rotary mud precollars that were taken to depths of between 120 and 175 m. These cored holes were located on five previously drilled traverses, at sites which Afmeco had selected according to earlier drilling results. The diamond drilling was conducted using the triple tube coring method, with wireline retrieval of the newly cut core in sections once it had been trapped within a 3-metre long inner core barrel. 6 of the cored holes yielded >100 ppm eqU gamma ray logged anomalies, with 2 of these holes (ER0206_C and ER0211_C) exhibiting multiple radioactivity peaks; a maximum reading of 974 ppm eqU was recorded from 165.5 m depth in hole ER0222_C, and a lesser high reading of 282 ppm eqU was recorded from 186.6 m depth in hole ER0211_C. During May 2008, a ground magnetic survey was acquired in three areas to try to level and calibrate the two detailed aeromagnetic datasets recorded by the TEMPEST and VTEM airborne surveys. Magnetic measurements were made at 25 m station intervals along 47 lines, over a total survey length of 81 line km. Processing of the magnetic data was undertaken in France, but it was impossible to derive an unambiguous data interpretation, when interpolation between the line profiles proved overly difficult as it appeared that the lines were spaced too far apart. For strategic reasons, no field work was done on ELs 3168 and 3169. Tenure of the Curnamona Project acreage was renewed by Afmeco early in 2009. No work took place there, however, during the succeeding licence Years 6 to 8. During 2009, the company was instead compiling the results of all its earlier work, and writing status reports. More than A$11 million had been spent on the work completed prior to 2009. The project ground was regarded as prospective still, but there was a pressing need to focus on understanding the mineralisation controls that might have formed economic palaeochannel uranium deposits in the region. In September 2009 and in April and December 2010, Afmeco took up four additional small licence areas in the south-western part of the region to consolidate its position, should it make a sedimentary uranium discovery as a result of planned further drilling, thus adding value to the entire tenement package. From 2009 into 2011, the impact on the mineral industry of the Global Financial Crisis stalled the commencement of new work, and forced Afmeco to try to attract a joint venture risk partner, but this wish did not materialise. During 2012, Afmeco conducted a fourth exploratory drilling campaign spread over five of its seven Curnamona Project tenements, which was designed to test the extensions of the Erudina and Coolibah Palaeochannels, as well as probing in basin margin areas proximal to source rocks, and likewise investigating the potential of remaining untested areas. 12 vertical rotary mud open holes for a total penetration of 1738 m were drilled on renewed Erudina EL 4234, and similarly, another 30 such holes for 2561 m were drilled on renewed Lake Namba EL 4236, 13 holes for 2021 m were drilled on Round Hill EL 4317, 17 holes for 1885 m were drilled on Nillinghoo EL 4318, and 29 holes for 5313 m were drilled on Drennans Hut EL 4623 (see Env 12352). Results were unfortunately disappointing, since a hoped-for northwards extension to the Erudina Palaeochannel was shown to be absent, while drilling done at the Nillinghoo proximal target did not intersect significant fluvial sands, and the distal sand intervals tested within the Coolibah Palaeochannel were found to be barren and fully reduced. No other exploratory works were performed during 2013 and 2014, before the decision was made to surrender the project ground.