Within two areas located north-west of Cockburn, Honeymoon Project licensee Boss Energy (Boss) is targeting possible sandstone-hosted uranium mineralisation in primarily palaeochannel-hosted, redox-controlled type occurrences, similar to the...
Within two areas located north-west of Cockburn, Honeymoon Project licensee Boss Energy (Boss) is targeting possible sandstone-hosted uranium mineralisation in primarily palaeochannel-hosted, redox-controlled type occurrences, similar to the mineralisation existing in the Honeymoon uranium deposit. The primary focus of exploration activities is to define and characterise the extensions to the Honeymoon resource, and to develop mineralisation models and apply them to exploration for additional deposits within other sections of the Tertiary-aged Yarramba Palaeochannel. The company has received a grant of ADI Round 1 subsidy funds from DEM to assist it with conducting new innovative seismic surveys that should accelerate the chance of making new uranium discoveries in both the Eastern Region and Western Region tenements within the project. The first part of the 2021 Accelerated Discovery Initiative exploration program involved extensions of the Tromino® - based passive seismic surveys that were trialled at Honeymoon in 2019, which had successfully achieved the following: • mapped the base of the palaeovalley, confirming the current systems-style exploration model; • identified areas of shallow basement favourable for likely uranium accumulation; and • identified potential structural features and fault offsets. Over a period of about four months between April and September 2021, passive seismic recordings along 86 survey lines covering 356.2 km, for a total of 1680 stations, were collected by Boss staff using a combination of TE3 and TEB Tromino seismometers rented from Resource Potentials (ResPot). Preliminary data were processed in-house by Boss geologists, with ResPot contracted to provide feedback on data quality throughout the job and carry out final data processing to produce acoustic bedrock topography surfaces and images. The ADI project passive seismic data were collected from the Western Region (Billeroo Palaeovalley) tenements ELs 6020, 6511 and 6512, and as infill and extension coverage within the Eastern Region (Yarramba Palaeovalley) tenements ELs 6081 and 6510. Passive seismic surveying involves recording of ambient or naturally occurring seismic vibrations over a broad range of frequencies and a specific time period (e.g. 10-30 minutes). The Tromino seismometer records three orthogonal components of vibration: two horizontal (relative X and Y axes) and one vertical (Z axis) components. The recorded time-series vibration data are later transformed into frequency spectra by using a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), and are then presented as a frequency-power spectrum plot for all 3 receiver components. The HVSR passive seismic technique is based on horizontal and vertically travelling ambient shear waves (SH) which become trapped in softer, slow velocity sedimentary deposits overlying harder, higher velocity bedrock, as a form of seismic amplification at a local resonant frequency. An interface with a strong acoustic impedance contrast (the difference between the density multiplied by velocity for each layer) is required to generate this seismic trapping and resonance. SH wave resonance developed within a low velocity layer sitting over a higher velocity layer (e.g. regolith or sedimentary cover over hard and fresh bedrock) produces a local minimum in the vertical component frequency power spectrum, thereby creating an ‘eyelet’ shaped separation between the horizontal and vertical vibration components. Calculating the averaged X and Y horizontal (H) to vertical (V) spectral ratio (HVSR) will produce a peak at the resonant frequency of the cover deposit layers. Examples of HVSR spectral ratio amplitude-depth cross sections and depth to basement maps from the surveyed portions of the two subject regions are presented herein, and their interpretation is discussed. Knowledge so gained has enhanced the understanding of the palaeovalleys' finer scale geometry and how complex is their structure-controlled fill distribution, particularly for the Billeroo South and Billeroo North targets located ~20 km north of the Goulds Dam deposit, and also for the Eaglehawk Dam and Jasons South and North targets respectively located ~5 km and ~16 km down-channel in the Yarramba Palaeovalley from the Honeymoon deposit. Also, the locations of mineralised intercepts that were made in historic and recent drillholes, where such exist, are plotted on the depth to basement maps to confirm the accuracy of the passive seismic data interpretation, and to show where favourable depositional environments for sedimentary uranium are likely to be found. For the second phase of the ADI programme, modern high-reflection seismic surveys totalling 32 line km were completed along four lines in two stages during September 2021, as follows: o Stage 1 – orientation: Line 1 (across strike, East Kalkaroo); Line 2 (along strike, Honeymoon mining lease to East Kalkaroo); o Stage 2 – exploration: Line 3 (along strike, Jasons South through Eaglehawk Dam to Brooks Dam North); Line 4 (along strike through the centre of the Jasons deposit resource). These surveys were intended to complement the passive seismic coverage by providing further detail on the most favourable parts of the Eyre Formation channel fill which are likely to host uranium mineralisation. New South Wales - based geophysical contractors UltraMag Geophysics (UltraMag) were engaged to conduct the high-reflection seismic survey, with RockSolid Seismic and Dayboro Geophysical providing the processing and interpretation work for the resulting data. The seismic energy source vehicle utilised, known as the Lightning e-Vibe, is the commercial IP of Ultramag and was trialled in Australia for the first time on this ADI project. Specifications of the Lightning e-Vibe system are as follows: • 1.3 kN peak force (P wave mode) • ~800 m penetration • RM = 90 kg • width (20 cm) – 1.03 m (Toro) • length (40 cm) – 2.1 m Toro • turning radius 1.5 m (Toro) • fuel capacity - 45 l • GVW: 1400 kg (includes Lightning payload 160 kg). The survey acquisition source and receiver station spacings were a nominal 5 m respectively, being designed to maximise signal return from the shallow depth Eyre Formation target horizon (~120–130 m depth to base of the palaeovalley). STRYDE wireless nodes were used by Ultramag for survey data collection. These nodes are designed to deliver higher precision spatial sampling, which is key to improved subsurface imaging. The STRYDE node system also requires fewer field staff to conduct surveys, increasing productivity and reducing overall survey cost. The high-reflection seismic survey data, the preliminary interpretation of which is described herein, provided Boss with several valuable insights into the structural and fill characteristics of the Yarramba Palaeovalley. Subsequently, as part of the company's follow-up drilling programme which commenced in November 2021, a full-wave sonic tool will be included as part of the standard downhole logging suite for selected holes that are located on or within close proximity to a high-reflection seismic line. The resulting acoustic properties data, combined with the information from the remainder of the logging suite (induction, resistivity, formation density and neutron porosity), will be used to further constrain the geological modelling of the high-reflection seismic data. As such, the geological modelling and interpretation process for the high-reflection seismic data is still ongoing and will be further informed by the drilling information gathered over the next 4-6 months. The two-stage follow-up drilling program within the Eastern Region tenements has now commenced, with an initial 40-hole drilling campaign that is focussed mainly at Jasons South. This will be followed by a second phase of drilling that should start in March 2022 following the completion of heritage clearances, which is focussed on the Eaglehawk Dam, Jasons North and East Kalkaroo Extension areas.
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