WARE RANGE PROJECT
Uranium-Gold
- Prospective for gold, base metals and unconformity related uranium deposits, such as those of the Athabasca Basin in Canada which has produced a significant proportion of the world's uranium output.
- An unconformity exists between the early Proterozoic Killi Killi Beds, which are shallow marine deposits and the Mid-Proterozoic Gardner Formation, which is composed of course fluvial sandstones. The Gardner Formation is the lowermost unit of the Birrindudu Group. The Birrindudu Group overlies the Tanami Complex, which has been known to host gold mineralisation.
- Uranium exploration by Minerals Reserve Group in the early 1980's was based on the prospective lithology in the region. The early 1990's saw base metal and gold exploration in the region by Zapophan and diamond exploration by Stockdale Prospecting.
- Past exploration involved airborne Radiometric surveys and follow up using helicopter-supported sampling, aeromagnetics, stream and loam sampling and drilling of anomalies.
- Modern geochemical and airborne geophysical methods will now be employed to assess these areas.
The Ware Range project tenement has been granted. The proposed exploration activities are intended to investigate the nature of base metal mineralisation associated with the unconformity between the Killi Killi Beds and the Mid-Proterozoic Gardiner Sandstone. The Gardner Sandstone in the Birrindudu Group is folded into a large anticlinal structure with its eastern limb forming the Northern Ware Range and its western limb forming the Birrindudu Range. The Tanami Complex lies between them.
A Mine Management Plan covering the proposed exploration activities has been approved by the Department of Primary Industries, Fisheries and Mines in the Northern Territory. This programme will include a programme of loam sampling of targets over the defined region, stream sediment sampling of the sparce drainage in the region and drilling to define the nature of targets.
