Gardner Range Project (Company 70%; Deep Yellow 30%)

The Gardner Range Project is located 150 kms south east of Halls Creek and some 130 kms north west of the Tanami Gold Mine. The project area is covered by two Exploration Licences, being Slatey Creek E80/1735 (36 km2), Mount Junction E80/3275 (164 km2) and two EL applications: Tent Hill E80/3817 (212 km2) and Watts North E80/4081 (130km2) for a total of 542 km2.

Uranio’s Gardner Range Project contains a discovery of the unconformity type geological setting at the Don Prospect, and anomalous radioactivity readings have been established at the Deva Prospect, also thought to be associated with a similar geological setting. This style of uranium mineralization, of unconformity related deposits, currently constitute approximately 33% of the world uranium resources and 20% of Australia’s total uranium resources, and predominantly occur in Australia and Canada. 

The three main criteria for forming these types of deposits are:

       1) Proximity to Archean – Palaeoproterozoic crystalline basement highs.

       2) Favorable Palaeoproterozoic host rock stratigraphy and lithofacies

       3) Proximity of the current land surface profile to the base of existing or previous overlying Mesoproterozoic sedimentary cover rocks.

The oldest rocks of basement in the region of the Gardner Range Project are comprised of Archean gneiss and schist of the Billabong complex and Browns Range Metamorphics, and a Palaeoproterozoic sequence comprising mafic volcanics, volcaniclastics and minor clastic sediments, and include turbiditic sediments of the Killi Killi Formation.

The Killi Killi Beds outcrop in a window of the unconformably overlying Mesoproterozoic Gardiner Sandstone in the Mount Junction tenement, E80/3275 and the. Slatey Creek tenement, E80/1735. The larger Tent Hill tenement, E803817, to the south covers the basement Killi Killi Beds and possibly some granitic phases to the west of the unconformity with the Gardiner Sandstone.

The unconformity surface is generally poorly exposed, being masked by extensive sandstone rubble down slope of the overlying gently dipping Gardiner Sandstone scarp.

First interest in the economic potential of the area for uranium was generated by reconnaissance Government (Bureau of Mineral Resources) mapping surveys in the late 1950’s. After limited exploration activity in ensuing years which resulted in nil success, major activity for uranium exploration was regenerated in the late 1970’s by the entry of Canadian interests specifically motivated by the unconformity model and the Athabascan discoveries in Canada. First success of significance in the Gardner Range region was at the graphite-related uranium discovery at the Don Prospect in 1980 - this prospect lies within the Uranio Mount Junction Exploration License.

The radiometric anomaly was outlined during follow-up of an airborne electromagnetic anomaly. Reconnaissance rock chipping and leaf geochemistry returned high uranium values and the uranium bearing mineral autunite was eventually exposed in chloritic Killi Killi Beds siltstone during trenching.

A series of six shallow percussion-diamond holes tested a 200 metre strike extent of the fault with which the autunite presence is associated. The first hole drilled under Trench 2, intersected 0.44m of 1.5% U3O8 and 1.7 g/t Au at 40.5 metres. Two shallow diamond holes tested the sub-unconformity stratigraphy 300 metres to 400 metres west of Trench 2.

Significant bleaching, hematite alteration and chloritisation are present in the vicinity of the trenches and associated uranium mineralisation.

Following on from this first success at the Don Prospect, investigations to the south consisted of airborne and ground electromagnetics and ground radiometric surveys, and leaf geochemical sampling, resulting in delineation of the Deva Prospect. This prospect lies within Uranio’s Slatey Creek Exploration License.

Percussion drilling intersected several beds of carbonaceous/graphitic,material which were the likely cause of the electromagnetic conductor. Background radioactivity in the holes was highest in one hole located closest to a major fault zone but no significant mineralisation was intercepted.

Subsequent exploration, including stream sediment sampling, in 1985 revealed potential for gold mineralisation in Uranio’s Mount Junction tenement area to the east of the Don Prospect at the Venus Prospect. Rock chip samples were collected from quartz veins and altered Killi Killi Beds with four samples returning gold values of interest, the best assaying 5.54 g/t Au from an anastomising quartz vein stockwork..

The Don Prospect uranium and gold occurrence within the Mount Junction area and the Deva anomaly within the Slatey Creek area confirms that the unconformity model is a prospective target for the Gardner Range region. Uranio’s extensive ground holding in the area and the large area of potential host rock basement lithologies in the Killi Killi Beds at or close to the unconformity with the Gardiner Sandstone providing the basis for a concerted exploration program.

In addition, the existence of gold mineralisation at the Venus Prospect in the Mount Junction area in a quartz vein stockwork suggests that follow up gold exploration is also warranted.

A detailed airborne magnetic and radiometric survey at 100m line spacing was flown in July 2008 and is currently undergoing detailed processing and interpretation. The interpretation will be focused on:

• Identifying lithological layering in the lithologies most favourable to hosting potential uranium and gold deposits.
• Identifying linear structures in those most favourable host lithologies, especially where they are close to the mesoproterozoic unconformity.
• Locating uranium gamma anomalies.

This airborne survey will be augmented by the acquisition and interpretation of digital aerial photography and satellite images, assisting in:

• Mapping the distribution of outcropping geology, litho-types and structure.
• Recognising and mapping regolith types.
• Determining access.

In addition, Uranio has given permission to Areva to fly an airborne VTEM survey over the Don prospect area in September 2008, in return for access to the geophysical results. Areva are actively exploring this region in their role as exploration manager for Northern Uranium's Gardiner-Tanami super project.

Successful targeting of favoured conductive structures and graphitic lithologies in the basement will be the subject of follow up drilling programmes to test for prospective uranium mineralization. 

A Program of Work for a first pass drill program has been submitted to the DOIR of Western Australia. In association with this, an environmental clearance survey was completed in June 2008 and a Heritage Impact Assessment notice has been lodged with the Kimberley Land Council.