In the reporting period to 30th June 1995 for Exploration Licence 1944, Heathgate Pty Ltd completed no fieldwork, however geological evaluation work was undertaken. This work consisted of laboratory testing of drill core from a 1991 drilling...
In the reporting period to 30th June 1995 for Exploration Licence 1944, Heathgate Pty Ltd completed no fieldwork, however geological evaluation work was undertaken. This work consisted of laboratory testing of drill core from a 1991 drilling program stored frozen, the testing comprised porosity and permeability testing of mineralised and non-mineralised cores, particle size distribution and size determination. In the reporting period to 30th June 1996, no field work was undertaken other than site visits to determine access and logistics for the purpose of planning future work. In addition to this the geological setting and stratigraphy of the Beverley area was re evaluated to determine a preliminary framework for hydrogeological assessment. Results are included in the attached reports. In the reporting period to 30th June 1997, saw further continuation of the planning, budgeting and operation of a technical program necessary to bring the Beverley project to production. This is noted to have included drilling, geological and resource assessment, hydrogeological studies and environmental programs. It is noted that a 10-hole core drilling program was underway with open hole/well drilling and pump testing been undertaken. In the reporting period to 30th June 1998, saw Heathgate continue with the technical program to bring Beverley project to production. This included the operation of a 10 l/s field leach trail plant, pond, pipelines and wellfields for the continuous assessment of in-situ leaching. In the period covering 27th August 1999 to 27th August 2001, on replacement tenement EL 2633 which surrounds ML 6036 and MPL 57, 58 and 59, saw Heathgate involved in corporate issues, having time commitments to the Beverley Uranium Mine and the planning and evaluation of existing work for the planning of ongoing exploration work. No new technical data was generated and therefore no technical report was submitted. During licence Year 3 for EL 2633 to 27th August 2002, Heathgate undertook work to map the subsurface palaeochannel from historical drillholes along with the undertaking of a regional airborne geophysical TEMPEST EM survey. Mapping of the palaeochannel within the Namba Formation has identified several north-south and east-west trending channels within the tenement as well as further delineating the channel that host the Beverley deposit. Heathgate commissioned Fugro Airborne Surveys Pty Ltd to fly the airborne TEMPEST EM Survey in May 2002, it covered 177 square-km with 151 line-km of data collected on a 1 km line spacing. The survey identified a linear north-south trending conductivity high in the southwest of the tenement that Heathgate consider to the subsurface expression of the local Poontana Fault, which is considered to have played an integral role in the architecture of the Beverley palaeochannel. During licence Year 4, Heathgate undertook rotary mud drilling and wireline logging, 2 ground magnetic surveys and aboriginal Heritage clearance surveys. Twenty-nine vertical holes were drilled for 5060 m to test the extension of the Beverley palaeochannel trend as well as offsetting historical drillholes where anomalous gamma was detected in sands. All holes were wireline logged, with resistivity, SP, point neutron, 16-inch neutron and gamma recorded. All holes with intersects in sand returning >0.05% eU3O8 were also logged using the Prompt Focus Neutron (PFN) tool to measure the in-situ U3O8 grade. Five holes intersected mineralisation and of that 3 reported ore grade mineralisation. A linear aeromagnetic feature associated with the inferred position of the Poontana Fault was investigated via two ground magnetic travers on EL 2633 and adjoining EL 3012, with 11.71 line-km of data collected across both tenements with 7.74 line-km collected over EL 2633. Dyke-style bodies within the line of the fault or a topographic valley of weakly magnetic material are two models, which fit the ground magnetic signatures obtained. Drilling which is planned for the following reporting period will test these models. During licence Year 5, Heathgate undertook a rotary mud drilling program and wireline logging and aboriginal Heritage clearance surveys of areas identified for drilling. The location of the drill collars for the drilling program were determined from enhanced stratigraphic and structural understanding from detailed interpretation of conductivity data from Tempest Airborne EM data, detailed knowledge of the geology of the Beverley deposit and analysis of drilling undertaken by previous explorers in the 1970s. A total of 141 drillholes totalling 27,601 m were drilled. Of the 141 holes, 15 intersected mineralisation that occurred in sand within the Beverley Sequence. The results of the drilling confirm the presence 3 potentially significant uranium mineralised trends within EL 2633; proximal to the “Russell Structure”, extending from the easter margin of the Central Orebody in the Beverley Deposit, and on the western up-thrown side of the Poontana Fault where newly discovered area of ore-grade uranium mineralisation at relatively shallow depths. During the period to 26th August 2005, on renewed licence EL 3251, Heathgate drilled 121 rotary mid holes and conducted further aboriginal Heritage clearance surveys, along with several geophysical surveys. The 121 holes were drilled for a total of 19,287 m with each hole wireline logged. Thirty-five holes intersected mineralisation of which 25 was within sands of the Beverley Sequence. In early 2005 a gravity survey was completed over the licence area with 4512 gravity stations read on a 200 m x 200 m grid, the data delineated the faulting throughout the tenement along with several discrete gravity anomalies. In August of 2005, 170 line-km heliborne electromagnetic data (HoistTEM) was collected over the tenement area, with magnetic data collected simultaneously. Preliminary analysis of the data indicates that the alpha mudstone (principle responsive unit) continues at depth below the extent of the survey. During the reporting period to 28th September 2006, Heathgate undertook rotary mud drilling, diamond core drilling, downhole geophysical logging, IP surveys and palynological studies. A total of 233 rotary mud holes were drilled for 39,132 m and produced some encouraging results including 10 m @ 0.2% eU3O8, 5 m @ 0.76% eU3O8 and 3 m @ 0.69% eU3O8. Three diamond cored/ rotary mud pre-collar holes were drilled with a total of 37.75 m of core recovered at the Beverley East prospect with the intention of furthering the company’s knowledge of the tenement’s geology. A single 3 km line of Induced Polarization (IP)/Resistivity data was collected across the tenement, early interpretation of the results suggest that it can locate the surface of the Alpha Mud along as assist in the locating of faults. Discreate IP anomalies are thought to be related to sulphides and potential uranium mineralisation. Heathgate believe that the information collected in the reporting period has highlighted several “areas of interest” that warrant further exploration and that the tenement retains the potential to support the Beverley mine operations. Thirty-nine samples from 10 drill holes were collected for palynological studies to date the Namba Formation. During the reporting period to 28th September 2007, work on the tenement included rotary mud drilling, down hole geophysical logging, ground gravity survey, airborne DTM and a photography survey. A total of 915 rotary mud holes were drilled a total length of 146,533 m, of which 898 were wireline logged. The drilling continued to define mineralisation within the tenement with results that included 5.4 m @ 0.543% pU3O8, 3.5 m @ 0.695% pU3O8 and 3.4 m @ 0.427% pU3O8. A ground gravity survey consisting of 4460 stations on 100 x 50 m spacing was completed over portions of the tenement, while it was found useful for identifying basement structures, its ability to interpret unconsolidated sediments within the Beverley system is still being assessed. Digital imagery and LiDAR imagery was collected on the western portion of the tenement, with the LiDAR data used to create the DTM with a horizontal resolution of 2 m and vertical accuracy of +/-0.1 m. Aerial imagery was collected for the whole of the tenement and used to create a DTM with a horizontal resolution of 10 m and vertical accuracy of 0.85 m. During the reporting period to 28th September 2008, Heathgate undertook further rotary mud drilling, RAB/Aircore drilling, downhole geophysical logging and the completion of airborne magnetic and electromagnetic survey. A total of 629 rotary mud holes for 103,856 m were drilled along with 84 RAB/Aircore holes for 2490 m. Rotary mud drilling produced some encouraging results which included 6.9m @ 0.33% eU3O8 (PR938), 2.4m @ 0.357% eU3O8 (PR942) and 8.1m @ 0.186% pU3O8 (PR932). Two airborne geophysical surveys were flown over the exploration licence during the reporting period, as part of a wider survey which incorporated areas within adjacent EL’s (North Mulga, Wooltana and Arkaroola). A magnetic and radiometric survey incorporating some 4124 line-km was carried out over some portion of the tenement. A subsequent aerial Electro-magnetic (EM) survey (818 line-km) was also flown over the tenement. The usefulness of using such techniques to assist in the discovery of uranium mineralisation within unconsolidated sediments within the Beverley system and surrounding areas is continuing to be assessed. The Aircore/RAB drilling program was drilled to test calcrete hosted uranium as part of a PACE funded initiative (DPY4-13) [ENV11577 CNO:2026126], from the 84 holes drilled, 69 samples were collected for geochemical analysis for a suite of elements which included, U, Th, Cu, Pb, Ag, Sc, Se, Zn, V, Mn, K, Na, Ca, Fe, Mg and Au. Interpretation of the results found no significant anomalies of any element was intercepted. Some associations between calcium and uranium were noted in areas close to mound springs. Higher calcium results were noted to occur below uranium highs. In the reporting period to 28th September 2009, Heathgate completed a rotary mud drilling program, diamond core drilling, and downhole geophysical logging. A total of 144 rotary mud holes were drilled for 18,755 m and 3 cored holes for 720 m. range front programmed discovered the Pepegoona deposit. The drilling programmes were designed to test areas considered to have high exploration potential, based on: proximity to uraniferous source rocks in outcrop of the Mount Painter Domain and correlated rocks lying in basement to the prospective Tertiary sequences; proximity to reductant fluid pathways; a basement rock structural architecture that is similar to that of Four Mile East; proximity to the Yadglin mineralised system located on the northeast portion of the tenement, adjacent HGR/Giralia North Mulga tenement; discontinuities in the Bulldog shale sequence with NNW-SSE trends. A significant zone of uranium mineralisation was intersected by 12 holes covering an area of 500 x 140m. This area is now named the Pepegoona Deposit. Pepegoona remains open in all directions with further work planned to define extents, grade and continuity. Exploration drilling had success with intersecting uranium mineralisation within both the Namba Formation (Miocene age) near the Beverley mine and Eyre Formation (Eocene age) sediments at Pepegoona. Palynological analysis was completed on 5 samples from a singe drillhole by Rodger Morgan.