Report on exploration work carried out. Alice Springs area, NT 07/07/1974 - 06/07/1975.

Abstract

In the period under review, exploration work on the adjoining EL's 979 and 1001 was carried out as an integrated project and part of a major exploration programme in the Alice Springs region. Work began in both EL's with the setting up of regional grid to provide control in the various phases of investigations. Approximately 700km of grid lines were established. On EL 979, regional airborne and carborne spectrometer surveys were carried out, coverage being 640 and 289 line km respectively. To supplement the earlier results, additional carborne traverses have been carried out and this work Is continuing. One or two small areas of interest have also been checked in this programme. On EL 1001, a regional carborne spectrometer survey extended over approximately 150 line km. Regional geological mapping, accompanied by footborne scintillometer surveying was carried out on both EL's and the results of this work assisted greatly in the clarification of the controls in mineralization and in defining the target zones. In a regional Track-Etch survey on EL 979, 339 cups were positioned in auger drillholes located at 1km centres of the grid system. This was followed up by a more detailed survey of 365 cups at l00m spacing in the Mitimba area. A regional Radon Monitor (emanometer) survey has also been carried out and this work is continuing. So far, on EL's 979, 723 readings have been taken at intervals of l00m on lines spaced 500m and 1km apart; results show good sensitivity and have delineated some areas of interest. A similar regional survey of 150 readings was carried out on EL 1001. A number of areas of interest have been covered by more detailed surveys. A shallow vacuum drilling programme, to obtain geological and radiometric information is under way on EL 979, with holes spaced at 250m on lines 1km apart. Total drilling to the end of the term was 3281.5m in 654 holes averaging about 3m depth. Results have defined the position of a regionally deve]opnd reduced zone within the generally oxidized Undandita sandstone, a zone which elsewhere in areas held by the Company has proved to be a locus for the occurrence of uranium mineralization. As yet no concentrations of mineralization similar to those on EL 845 to the east have been discovered in the arease However, many interesting anomalies have yet to be investigated and exploration work is still in progress.