Pollock Hills
(E80/3990, E80/3991), Amadeus and Arunta Regions, Western Australia
Location:
The Pollock Hills project straddles the boundary between the Amadeus and Arunta Regions, Western Australia, and close to the triple junction between the Amadeus, Arunta and Canning Regions. The project is located approximately 650 km west of Alice Springs. The project area comprises Paleoproterozoic felsic volcanic rocks of the Pollock Hill Formation, which are unconformably overlain by the Neoproterozoic Dean Quartzite and Bitter Springs Formation. As indicated by OZCHEM whole rock geochemistry data, the felsic volcanic rocks of the Pollock Hill Formation are enriched in uranium both within and adjacent to the project area. In addition, the project area is situated at the intersection between two major fault zones.
Exploration Activities:
A detailed airborne magnetic and radiometric survey was flown over the project area in 2011. Interpretation of this data by independent geophysical consultants has identified 20+ targets for investigation. Initial field mapping and sampling to investigate these radiometric anomalies and the structural setting is currently being arranged with the Aboriginal freehold landowners for their heritage survey requirements prior to field activities.
Exploration model:
A GIS-based continent-scale uranium prospectivity study reveals that unconformities are a significant, if not essential, ingredient of sediment-hosted uranium mineralizing systems. Statistical analysis of the spatial relationship between sediment-hosted uranium deposits and unconformities showed a strong positive spatial association of these deposits with unconformities that is maximized within a certain distance from the unconformity. The project area incorporates all the ingredients for formation of structurally-controlled sediment-hosted uranium deposits:
(a) The felsic volcanic rocks of the Pollock Hill Formation are a likely source of uranium;
(b) the unconformities, the fault zones and fault intersection are permeable structural corridors for transportation of uranium-bearing fluids; and
(c) the potentially reduced rocks packages at, or below, the unconformities are likely traps for uranium metal.
