Significant Drill Intersection at Adelaide River Uranium Prospect
Thursday, 12 July, 2007
Market Wire
Ian Faris, Aldershot's VP Exploration and a Qualified Person, comments, "The first hole (ARDDH001) was designed to undercut the southern extension of the old workings where there is a reported historical resource of 6,350t @ 0.32% U3O8 and to confirm the orientation of the host structure at depth. Drilling intersected an anomalous zone at 193.7m where a downhole scintillometer detected significant radioactivity with readings of up to 34 times the background radioactivity above the anomalous zone. The Adelaide River Mine was mined in the 1950s to about 50 metres below surface. Mining had been planned to extend to about 100m below surface but ceased abruptly when the existing contract was fulfilled.
"The second hole (ARDDH002) was designed to intersect the known uranium mineralisation below the old workings and confirm its extension at depth. This hole intersected a significant radioactive zone about 2m wide between 90.7m and 92.7m. Anomalous radioactivity reading 80 times background is associated with a greywacke hosted fault zone. A hand held scintillometer returned readings up to 10,000 counts per second.
"Down-hole probing, core logging and core sampling for assaying is in progress for both the holes and will be reported upon when the results become available in late August. The full implication of these readings will not be known until all results are received and have been analysed. Suffice it to say, management is very pleased with the indications so far gained at Adelaide River and a full blown drilling program will be planned for later in the season when the drill can be returned to the mine site.
"The drill rig will now move to the George Creek Prospect (approximately 7km to the south) to drill test a similar target. There was minor shaft sinking at the George Creek Prospect in the 1950s by the Bureau of Mineral Resources (BMR) and from old mine maps it appears the uranium mineralisation is concentrated in dilational zones within a fault zone. A surveyor is currently on site to survey the recent and historical drill collars and old workings to resolve inconsistencies in historical reports. The results of the survey will allow the geologists to refine the design of two holes planned to test these dilation zones at the George Creek Prospect. Drilling of the two George Creek holes is planned to commence within one week.
"Concurrently with this drilling, 32 uranium anomalies selected from Aldershot's 2006 airborne radiometric-magnetic survey of the George Uranium Project are being ground checked. To date, 9 anomalies have been checked with the most significant results being from Anomaly G02 where scintillometer readings of up to 850 counts per second were recorded and G17 where up to 350 counts per second were recorded associated with altered siltstone. This altered siltstone is significant as it is similar to the alteration seen around the uranium mineralization at the George Creek Prospect and the Adelaide River Mine. Once the initial reconnaissance phase is finished the geologist will divide the areas of interest into grids and detailed mapping of the anomalous zones will be carried out."
Ian Faris is also pleased to report that the drilling contractor has now been mobilised to the Yuinmery Project in Western Australia and drilling will commence shortly.