Project Summary
Australia and Canada two major uranium exporters
Northern Territory historically important uranium producer
Four uranium projects identified on part of license and explored
in 1950s
Disseminated mineralization over wide area
0.1-0.2% average surface grades
Recommended follow-up never carried out
High grade gold trenching and rock sampling results at different
prospects at Woolgni indicating up to 31 g/t gold
General
The Woolgni and Edith River project consists of the following
granted exploration licenses located some 220 km south east
of Darwin and 35 km south east of Pine Creek.
EL 23568 474.9 sq km
EL 23569 1,569 sq km (including MLA 24342 over 1.64 sq km)
At Edith River several uranium prospects were discovered in
1952 in an intrusion of Lower Proterozoic granite (the Cullen
granite) reported to be overlain to the west of the known
prospects by Cambrian sandstones. Disseminated uranium mineralisation
associated with hematite and apatites was identified at four
locations on shear zones and was then partially mapped by
Bureau of Mines and Resources geologists:
5) the YMCA prospects, 1 to 3 miles SE of the Edith River
siding;
6) the Tennysons prospects, 2 miles WSW of the Edith River
siding;
7) the Hore and O’Connor’s prospect, 5 miles WNW
of the Edith River siding; and
8) the Yenberrie prospect, 5 miles N of the Edith River siding.
The surface grade has been estimated as ranging from 0.1%
to 0.2% uranium. Two occurrences at the YMCA prospects were
drilled in 1954, with one drill hole each in the oxide layer
and one each drilled to intersect primary mineralisation,
which did not encounter significant increase in grade. United
Sales International Pty in 1971 noted that the disseminated
nature of the occurrences did not offer easy drill targets
and recommended a study to locate areas of intersecting shears,
the carrying out of low level radiometrics with ground follow-up,
and the identification of areas of Cambrian and late Proterozoic
sediments lying unconformably on the Cullen Granite and their
testing for sedimentary deposits of uranium.
Mining at Woolgni began in the late nineteenth century when
alluvial gold began to be extracted. In recent times, trenching
has been carried out, with results including 3m Au at 2.33
g/t, 10.7m at 4.44 g/t, and 4.3m at 5.18 g/t. Another highly
anomalous gold prospect 1.5 km to the west of the Woolgni
prospect has produced results in rock chip samples ranging
from 0.21 g/t to 31.1 g/t Au.
The licenses contain significant gold and uranium targets
and further exploration is considered likely to identify additional
prospect areas. The tenements lie on the Pine Creek Geosyncline
near the Stuart Highway, with a gold treatment plant nearby
and good infrastructure.
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