Project Summary
 Known
niobium, thorium and uranium mineralization occurrences
Covers
two highly radioactive zones, recommended by PGW for follow-up
Chinduzi
Radioactive Zone has“strong uranium anomaly (U+ on the
ternary spectrometer map)” (PGW)
Machinga
Radioactive Zone has “highly anomalous radiometric responses”
(PGW)
General
The Machinga radioactive zone is located south of the town
of Liwonde and north of the “old” capital city
of Zomba, in south-central Malawi. The EPL application covers
the village of Machinga (formerly Kasupe) and is acquired
based on the recommendation from the “Interpretation
of Airborne Geophysical Survey Results” by Paterson,
Grant & Watson, October 1987 (PGW) , from a survey completed
by Hunting Geology and Geophysics flown in 1986. This report
recommended two areas for investigation for uranium exploration;
the Chinduzi Radioactive Zone, and the Machinga Radioactive
Zone.
The EPL application covers the “Chinduzi Radioactive
Zone” located at the southeastern edge of the Chinduzi
nepheline syenite. PGW indicates “The area immediately
underlying the strong uranium anomaly (U+ on the ternary spectrometer
map) has mapped exposures of pegmatite dikes along the contact
between the nepheline-syenite to the north and the interpreted
charnockitic gneiss to the south. This geological-spectrometric
correlation is similar to the Machinga TH-U prospect to the
east and therefore been selected as a new economic target
for uranium, thorium and rare earth mineralization”.
PGW recommended 45 lines km of detailed total field magnetic
and spectrometer surveying to be carried out over the anomalous
zone, along with geological mapping and prospecting of all
radioactive pegmatite dikes and/or calc/silicate granulite
inclusions.
The Machinga EPL application also covers the “Machinga
Radioactive Zone”, located 3-10 km east of the Chinduzi
Radioactive Zone, describes above. PGW describes the Machinga
radioactive zone as, “highly anomalous radiometric responses
in the Machinga Target area are associated with pegmatites,
granititic dikes and veins, intruding the Zomba-Chaone-Malasa
syenite complex and surrounding basement gneisses….Previous
work was successful in detecting sub-economic grades of niobium
and thorium and lesser amounts of uranium. Based on the results
of the present processing and interpretation, we believe that
the search radius for radioactive and rare minerals should
be extended within the target area.” PGW recommended
50 line km if detailed ground spectrometer survey.
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