Report on AP 1965 Mt. Bonner Year ended June 1969.

Abstract

Noranda Australia Limited on February 19, 1968, applied for a Prospecting Authority in north-eastern Arnhem Land to the west of Gove. Prospecting Authority No. 1965 was granted for a period of 12 months commencing June 11, 1968. It covers an area of approximately 385 square miles. The term has since been extended for a further 12 months concluding June 10, 1970. One of the conditions under which it was granted stipulated that 'within three months of the end of the term of this Prospecting Authority a final report and plan is to be submitted to the Director of Mines'. This report is for the 12 months ended June 10, 1969. Late in 1967 geologists of Noranda Australia Limited carried out a study to select areas within Australia which could possibly contain uranium mineraljsatjon. At that time most of the areas surrounding the known uranium occurrence and were already held by other companies. This area was selected after discussion with officers of the Bureau of Mineral Resources. The choice of this area is the result of the regional mapping programme which the Bureau of Mineral Resources has conducted in recent years. The area was chosen because the arenaceous sediments of the Mount Bonner Sandstone are regarded as time equivalents of the uranium-bearing Westmoreland Conglomerate which outcrops some 300 miles to the south. Moreover, the presence of the Fagan Volcanics was considered important because of the association of uranium mineralisation with similar volcanics in other areas within the Carpentaria Province. Work to date has established that the selection of this ground as a potential uranium-bearing area was a technical success but a great deal of work needs to be done to determine whether any commercial deposits of uranium exist.