Aileron Project EL 24955 Sandover Final report and annual report for period ending 6 September 2012

Abstract

NuPower completed airborne electromagnetic (AEM) surveys over Sandover in 2007 and 2008 totalling 1727 line kilometres at a nominal 120m flight height on lines spaced 1km apart that formed 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 Tertiary 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 are expected to assist with targeting potential sites of uranium accumulation within the palaeochannel systems. Results from the AEM surveys indicate that the technique was very successful in identifying the extent and previously unknown internal structure of the Ti-Tree Basin in the northern part of the tenement and a feeder palaeochannel in the south. Two drill holes totalling 202m of drilling, to test a northwards flowing palaeochannel from the Strangways Ranges and the deeper part of the basin north of the that palaeochannel, intersected relatively thin and oxidised Tertiary sediments lacking anomalous gamma radiation activity. No samples were collected for assay, although 100 samples were deposited with the NTGS core library. These holes failed to test the potential for reduced and therefore more prospective sediments in deeper parts of the Ti Tree Basin beneath Sandover and further scout drilling is warranted. Results from four groundwater samples from the exploration drill holes that were progressively sampled over time to provide additional data for the regional groundwater sampling program were reported previously. Results of the NTGS collaboration regional gravity survey over the Central Arunta region that included 377 stations spaced 2km apart on Sandover to provide data for basement structural interpretation were also received and reported and rehabilitation of the drill access tracks, drill sites, and drill holes was also completed in Year 3. During Year 4, NuPower completed the program of progressive groundwater sampling from the exploration drill holes. Reassay of these samples and the station bore groundwater samples reported previously, the results of which are given here, showing that the groundwaters contain elevated Al, As, Ce, Co, Cr, Er, F, Ge, La, Nd, Pb, Sm, Th, V and Y and Yb. This suite of elements suggests that the geochemistry of the groundwaters has been influenced by granites, the presence of monazite in Cainozoic sediments and/or mafic basement rocks. No fieldwork was completed in Year 5 or 6. The tenement is being relinquished because NuPower is now concentrating on phosphate exploration and does not have funding to explore this area for uranium..