EL 610, Waterhouse, Rum Jungle, Exploration of Waterhouse 2 and Mt Minza Prospects

Abstract

A four hole diamond drilling programme was undertaken during 1976 in EL 610. This followed the evaluation of geological mapping, geophysics and Track-Etch results from the 1975 exploration programme. Initially two diamond drill holes were designed:- DDWH4 to test for down dip extension of the 1974, DDWH3 intersection at the Waterhouse No. 2 Prospect; The other DDMM1 to evaluate surface indications of uranium mineralisation and a Track-Etch radon anomaly at the Mt. Minza Prospect. A further two holes DDWH5 and 6 were subsequently approved for drilling north and south along strike from 740DDWH3 of Waterhouse No. 2. The best intersection was DDWH4 from 299.3 metres to 299.9 metres where 7.01 kg/tonne U308 pver 0.4 metre was encountered. This included a spot high of 66.0 kg/tonne U308 over 0.04 metre. Uranium mineralisation consisted of coffinite with minor uraninite. It occurred dominantly in a one centimetre thick vein within dolomitic and chioritic siltstone of the Masson Group, 15.9 metres below the haematite-quartzite-breccia horizon. DDWH5 and 6 encountered only minor uranium mineralisation. The former at a depth of 93.0 metres, encountered 0.5 metres of 56 ppm U in graphitic shale of the Golden Dyke Group immediately above the upper contact of the haematite - quartzite-breccia. DDWH6, completed at 237.45 metres, intersected peak values of 675 ppm U over a one metre interval from 128.5 metres to 129.5 metres in a ferruginous dolomite lens within the haematite-quartzite-breccia of the Koolpin Formation. At the Mt. Minza Prospect, DDMM1 completed at 119.9 metres, encountered 0.5 metres of 3400ppm U (4.0kg/tonne U3O) and 3.6 ppm gold, between 52.5 and 53.5 metres in a bleached sericitic siltstone of the Golden Dyke Group, 4.35 metres above the haematite-quartzite-breccia horizon. A backhoe costeaning programme was carried out to test several radiometric, radon Track-Etch and soil geochemical anomalies within the E.L. At the Waterhouse No. 2 East Prospect, costeans revealed a discordant zone containing torbernite mineralisation. The zone consisted of altered micaceous sandstone and grey siltstone and contained an average value of 108 ppm U over a strike length of 15 metres and a width averaging 1.7 metres.