EL 5890 Arnhem Land West JV Partial Surrender Report

Abstract

This report describes exploration work undertaken within the 73 surrendered blocks of EL 5890 over the five years of tenure between 1996 and 2001. The tenement is located in northwestern Arnhem Land and was granted in May 1996. Exploration was carried out by PNC Exploration (Australia) Pty Ltd on behalf of the Yok Joint Venture partners, PNC Exploration (Australia) Pty Ltd, Cameco Australia Pty Ltd, and the Yok Aboriginal Corporation. Cameco acquired management in 2000. The focus of the exploration strategy is the discovery of unconformity-related uranium deposits. The nearby economic deposits at Ranger, Jabiluka, Koongarra and the now depleted Nabarlek mine serve as models for this strategy. The presence of gold, palladium and platinum in these deposits plus the economic gold-platinum resource at Coronation Hill in the South Alligator Valley, indicates an additional potential for this deposit style. Exploration work undertaken over the period included an airborne survey, geological mapping and rock sampling, stream sediment sampling and ground follow-up of airborne radiometric anomalies. De Beers Australia Exploration Limited (DBAE), formerly Stockdale Prospecting Limited, entered into a farm-in arrangement with the AWJV and carried out reconnaissance exploration for diamonds in defined areas. There were no results of significance obtained from the work carried out. Geological interpretation has shown that most of the relinquished land is comprised of low prospectivity Nimbuwah Complex granitoids.