Paroo Range
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(EPM16923), Mount Isa Region, Queensland
Location:
The Paroo Range Project is situated in the Mount Isa Region, northwestern Queensland, approximately 5km east of the Skal uranium deposit, 15km east of the Valhalla uranium deposit and 25km north of Mount Isa.
The Western Fold Belt region hosts numerous base metal and uranium deposits that are mainly hosted within metabasalts and volcanoclastic sedimentary rocks of the Eastern Creek Volcanics or less commonly within the underlying Mt Guide Quartzite and its equivalents. All the deposits are structurally controlled, generally located on second order structures positioned just off the generally major N-S-striking faults that extend through the Mount Isa area.
There are numerous uranium occurrences hosted by the Eastern Creek Volcanics within a 50km radius of the project area, including the significant Valhalla uranium deposit exceeding 26,000 t U3O8 at an average grade of 0.08% U3O8. The project area is highly prospective for metamorphic and metasomatic uranium deposits such as Valhalla.
Exploration Activity:
Uranium mineralisation in the region tends to be controlled by second structures associated with the major north-striking faults that extend through the area. Mineralisation in the area is also associated with extensive haematitic-albititic alteration.
Two phases of helicopter supported reconnaissance of identified radiometric anomalies in the project area returned very encouraging uranium spectrometer values up to 1138ppm eU at anomaly PRP 1 (now names the 'Skevi' prospect).
The Skevi prospect has now interpreted as a strong N-S trending structurally controlled zone in altered Eastern Creek Volcanics, approximately 500m in strike length, with significant spectrometer uranium values to the north and south of the initial sampling.
Encouraging spectrometer uranium values up to 633 ppm eU, 545 ppm eU and 300 ppm eU were collected along strike and highlight the potential of the prospect for Valhalla-style uranium mineralisation.
Follow-up chemical analysis of these high spectrometer values confirmed the substantial uranium anomalism with assays up 0.47%U and 0.34%U from prospect area and strongly anomalous values along the identified strike extent.
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Exploration model:
The project area is located between two N-S (± 25°) striking, regional-scale faults and exhibits a complex pattern of second order faults that are potential subsidiaries of the two regional-scale faults and cut rocks of the Eastern Creek Volcanics. Given this setting, the project area has strong geological similarities with those areas within the Mount Isa Region that host the known metamorphic and metasomatic uranium deposits and occurrences.
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