Published on Wednesday December 08 2010
Australian based uranium exploration and development company Uranex NL (ASX: UNX) is pleased to announce a high grade primary uranium discovery at the Likuyu North Prospect, part of its 100% owned Mkuju Project, in southern Tanzania.
Core samples from identified uranium bearing zones in five diamond holes have been cut, pulverised and analysed with a Niton portable XRF analyser, with a peak intersection of 10m @ 1,038 ppm encountered in MKDD0009 at a depth of 75m.
Significant Niton results returned from the program to date. Samples from the five holes analysed to date containing significant uranium are being prepared for dispatch to the SGS laboratories in South Africa for formal assaying by pressed pellet XRF.
The Mkuju Uranium project adjoins Mantra Resources' Mkuju River Project, where a Mineral Resource of 101.4 million pounds @ 422ppm has been defined at the Nyota prospect, located 30km NE of the current drilling program at Likuyu North.
The intersection in MKDD0009 is significant for the Company as it is the first primary mineralisation drilled with a thickness of at least 10m @ >1,000ppm. Whilst similar secondary mineral assemblages to the nearby Mkuju River (Nyota) Project (Mantra Resources) had been identified earlier in the program, the presence of primary uranium mineralization, identified on-site to be uraninite, this discovery is an exciting development for the Company. It is noted that uraninite
is part of the mineral assemblage at the nearby Kayelekera Mine in Malawi (Paladin). Formal identification of this primary uranium mineral will be conducted at SGS laboratories in South Africa.
The current drilling program will be concluded in the next 2-3 weeks, with another 3 or 4 diamond holes to be completed during this time. The remaining holes will attempt to extend the primary uranium mineralization intersected in MKDD0009. Formal laboratory assays and identification of the mineral assemblages are expected early in the New Year.
An airborne geophysics program is planned for early 2011 to assist in planning for the 2011 field season, scheduled to commence in February.
The Mkuju and Songea projects are located in the south-west of Tanzania close to the country boarders of Mozambique and Malawi. The project areas comprise 8 granted/offered tenements and 3 applications covering a total area of about 8,000km2.
Project Overview
Mkuju and Songea (Uranex 100%)
The Mkuju and Songea projects are located in the south-west of Tanzania close to the country boarders of Mozambique and Malawi. The project areas comprise 8 granted/offered tenements and 3 applications covering a total area of about 8,000km2.
The areas incorporate exposure of the uranium prospective of the Karoo basin sediments. Most of the known uranium mineralisation in southern Africa are hosted by similar Karoo sandstones.
Uranium mineralisation was first evidenced in this geological region as a result of exploration during the period 1978-1982. Assessment of airborne radiometric anomalies during the period led to the discovery of two uranium deposits at Mkuju and Mdaba. These deposits were not quantified but record uranium values up to 6.16kg/t U3O8. These deposits are now largely contained within the world heritage listed Selous Game Reserve. The Kayelekera uranium deposit occurs in similar rocks 300km to the south-west in Malawi. These deposits though not in Uranex’s tenements provide the target exploration model for similar prospective Karoo sediments within Uranex’s extensive land holding.
Auger drill sampling that occurred at Mkuju in late 2006 revealed near surface results of 1.4m at 1,824ppm U3O8, 0.5m at 5,338ppm U3O8 and 0.25m at 9,803ppm U3O8. These results demonstrate the potential for sandstone hosted mineralisation within the company’s tenements and a robust exploration program is now proceeding.
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