News
RNS Announcements
Quarterly Activity Report Released By JV Partner Western Metals Ltd
01 May 2008
Uranium Resources plc, the AIM quoted uranium exploration and development company operating in Southern Africa, is pleased to provide a quarterly update released by its joint venture partner, Western Metals Ltd ('WMT'), on activities underway at its uranium projects in the prospective Karoo Basin in Southern Tanzania, where it currently has a land package in excess of 13,500 sq km.
Highlights
- Reverse Circulation ('RC') drilling scheduled to commence mid-May, initially aimed at evaluating the Grandfather prospect at Mtonya - previous trenching of airborne ground radiometric surveys and surface grab sampling returned significant results (4.64% U3O8, 0.02% U3O8)
- RC drilling campaigns are also scheduled to evaluate the recently defined Foxy and Eland prospects
- 2008 exploration programme at Mtonya, Ruhuhu and Ruvuma project areas includes airborne and ground geophysics, geological mapping, geochemical sampling, costeaning to generate new drill targets for 2009
- Continues to form strong relationships with the local communities, non-government and government organisations
Field work and preparation for 2008 programme
Planning and preparations for the 2008 exploration programme has progressed well, with all major contractors and consultants signed up. Drilling is expected to commence mid-May and a high-resolution airborne radiometric survey is scheduled to start in late May.
Field work continued during the March quarter with field trips in February, March and April. Work focused on re-establishing access into the Mtonya Corridor prospects after the monsoonal rains and also on establishing access to the Grandfather, Foxy, Eland, Ngaka, Pedro and Mad Fish Prospects. Work completed during the quarter included trenching and sampling at prospects within the Mtonya Corridor, ground scintillometers surveys at Eland, rock chip sampling and mapping at Eland, geophysical re-logging of holes previously drilled into the Mtonya Corridor prospects, hydro-geochemical base line and orientation studies in the Mtonya Corridor area and DGPS surveys at various prospects. Results of geochemical sampling will be available during the June quarter.
Collation and interpretation of geophysical, geological and geochemical data continues and significant progress has been made with respect to correlations between holes and sections and to the possible geometry and controls on mineralisation.
Community relations
The community relations programme continues to engage all stake holders and form strong relationships with the local communities, non-government and government organisations.
Negotiations with hunting licence owners have been successful and work programmes for 2008 have been endorsed. Mr George Bauk and Mr Moshin Adballah of Game Frontiers Ltd, local and neighbouring village residents, village leaders, district and regional government officials and representatives of the Mbarang'andu wildlife community met in Mchomoro in Southern Tanzania in January. The visit was a huge success and the community expressed support for joint venture activities in the area. The joint venture partners and Game Frontiers committed significant financial support to the community specifically to - support 250 orphans with schooling for one year, provide four high school scholarships to private schools and assistance to complete the district office building.
Exploration programme for 2008
An aggressive regional and prospect specific exploration effort consisting of airborne and ground geophysics, geological mapping, geochemical sampling, costeaning and RC drilling is planned for 2008. A dualistic approach to exploration will be adopted. The 2008 programme will continue to build on the successes of the 2007 exploration effort, focusing on evaluation of existing targets and will also aim to generate new targets that will feed the project "pipeline" and will deliver drill targets for 2009.
Mtonya Project Area - The focus of exploration during 2008 will be RC evaluation of prospects along the Mtonya corridor and in particular the Grandfather, Rufus, Para extension and Mad Fish. This includes 8,500m of RC drilling. Work will include geological mapping, costeaning, ground geochemical and geophysical surveys, RC drilling and rehabilitation. The discovery of the Eland anomaly/prospect in "basement" is considered to upgrade the prospectivity of both the Likuyu and Main blocks. Further work will be done to evaluate "basement areas" for similar styles of mineralisation.
RC drilling, scheduled to commence in mid-May, will initially be aimed at evaluating the Grandfather prospect where previous trenching of airborne ground radiometric surveys and surface grab sampling (4.64% U3O8, 0.02% U3O8) returned significant results from a series of 5 trenches excavated over a strike of 1.4 kilometres. Visual uranium mineralisation was identified in several trenches with:
- T25 giving a peak interval of 1.2 metres at 7,723ppm U3O8, including 0.4 metres at 2.13% U3O8;
- T27 giving a peak interval of 4,773 ppm U3O8 and 1.2 metres at 2,393ppm U3O8; and
- T28 giving a peak interval of 1.2 metres at 746ppm U3O8.
Ruhuhu Project Area - The focus of exploration during 2008 will be RC evaluation of regional potential and existing prospects in particular the Pedro anomaly and other airborne radiometric anomalies not yet assessed. This includes 1,000m of RC drilling to drill test the Pedro anomalies and environs. Work will include helicopter supported reconnaissance, geological mapping, costeaning, ground geochemical, geophysical surveys, RC drilling and rehabilitation.
Ruvuma Project Area - The focus of exploration during 2008 will be regional reconnaissance with a view to defining targets for follow-up in 2009 as well as a ground geophysical work, sampling and RC drilling campaigns to evaluate the recently defined Foxy and Eland prospects. This includes 3,000m of drilling. Work will include a helicopter supported reconnaissance, an airborne radiometric survey, geological mapping, costeaning, ground geochemical, geophysical surveys, RC drilling and rehabilitation.
Glossary
Costeaning: excavation of trenches to facilitate systematic sampling of the subsurface rock profile
Ground scintillometers surveys: hand and car-borne systematic surveys of the variation in various types of radiation emitted from rocks and soil using a scintillometer
DGPS surveys: differential global positioning system used to locate drillholes, costeans etc to a high degree of accuracy
| For further information please visit www.uraniumresources.co.uk or contact: | ||
| James Pratt | Uranium Resources plc | T: +61 412 743 382 |
| Ross Warner | Uranium Resources plc | T: 760 487 769 |
| Hugh Warner | Uranium Resources plc | T: +618 9217 3350 |
| Hugh Oram | Nabarro Wells & Co. Limited | T:020 7634 4705 |
| Hugo de Salis | St Brides Media & Finance Ltd | T: 020 7236 1177 |
| Felicity Edwards | St Brides Media & Finance Ltd | T: 020 7236 1177 |
Notes to editors
Uranium Resources plc is an AIM listed uranium exploration and development company focused in Southern Africa. The Company has primarily concentrated on expanding and developing its portfolio of uranium licences in the highly prospective Karoo Basin in Southern Tanzania where it currently has a land package in excess of 13,500 sq km