Aielron Project EL 24956 Burt Plain Final report and annual report for period ending 7 September 2012

Abstract

NuPower carried out an airborne electromagnetic (AEM) survey in June-July 2007 over the entire area as part of a larger survey of NuPower?s tenements in the Aileron region, designed to explore for buried palaeochannels at the base of and within the Cainozoic sedimentary package as potential hosts for secondary uranium. Concurrently, water from station stock water bores was sampled and assayed for a suite of major and trace elements the results of which were expected to assist with targeting potential sites of uranium accumulation within the palaeochannel systems. AEM survey results indicated that the technique was very successful, revealing that the Tertiary palaeodrainage beneath Burt Plain is far more extensive and better developed than previously thought and forms part of an extensive regional palaeodrainage system, bounded by basement highs of the Hann Range to the north, the Strangways Ranges to the east and the MacDonnell Ranges to the south. Palaeochannels are shallow in the southeast and eastern portions of the tenement and the Sixteen Mile Basin may be entirely separate from the Burt Basin. The western part of the tenement however overlies the deeper regions of the Burt Basin which continues to deepen to the west as was supported by the results of six scout drill holes by NuPower in 2008. Tertiary sediments were intersected in all holes, with reduced horizons in the deeper portions of the Burt Basin to the west with indications of anomalous gamma radiation activity. Burt Plain was also included in the NTGS collaboration regional gravity survey over the Central Arunta region to provide data for baement structural interpretation. Exploration in 2009 consisted of progressive sampling of groundwaters from the exploration drill holes, some results of which were previously reported, and rehabilitation of the drill access tracks, drill sites, and drill holes. Results of an orientation study of the use of uranium biogeochemistry to express underlying mineralisation particulary in the absence of access to ground waters were also reported in 2009 and showed the potential of this as an exploration tool but required further validation. There was no on-ground exploration carried out in year 4, 5 or 6. The tenement has been relinquished because NuPower is focussing on phosphate exploration and does not have the funds to explore this area for uranium.