Round 17 - Geophysics and Drilling Collaborations program Final Report Murphy West Magnetic and Radiometric Survey

Abstract

The project overlies strike extensions of key geological stratigraphy which hosts known uranium Mineral Resource estimates. Many of these uranium occurrences lie within the Westmoreland Conglomerate (see Figure 1) The mineralogy, age and geochemistry of these deposits are similar to that described for the uranium deposits in the Alligator Rivers Uranium Province (ARUP), which lies along the north-western margin of the McArthur Basin. Published papers suggest that similar processes were active in both areas and that potential also exists within the area for unconformity-type uranium mineralization similar to that seen in the ARUP. Despite the geological similarities with adjacent Westmoreland (50Mlbs Uranium), the Murphy West Uranium Project has undergone minimal systematic exploration for uranium due to the remoteness, limited understanding of stratigraphy within the survey area and amount of obscuring Phanerozoic cover which increases westward outside the survey area. A regional scale (3,300km2) airborne radiometric and magnetic survey was flown from 12th July to 25th August 2024 over the area where DevEx interpreted the most prospective geology to occur within the 10,000km2 of project tenure. The objective was to use the radiometric component for direct target definition for on-ground follow-up and to use magnetic data to create a detailed structural and geological interpretation to assist with target definition. A review of all historical open file and preexisting surveys found compromised radiometrics quality, patchy coverage and variable detail (400-200m lines spacings). The survey was planned to provide regional scale coverage at consistent line spacing of 100m and consistent quality of radiometric detection. The survey was successful in its stated objectives with 35,500km2 of survey lines being flown and targets for on-ground follow-up generated from the work.