North Maureen Project
The North Maureen, Juntala and Mt Hogan Projects occur within the Georgetown Block, Queensland. Numerous significant uranium occurrences are present within the Georgetown Block, including the Maureen uranium deposit (owned by Mega Uranium) which is located approximately 10km to the south of the North Maureen Project area. Uranium-molybdenum mineralisation at Maureen is hosted by Devonian-Carboniferous sandstone of the Gilberton Formation which is overlain by Carboniferous rhyolitic volcanics. The deposit is located on the southeast margin of an interpreted cauldron collapse feature which is associated with Carboniferous volcanism and intrusive activity evident as a circular feature in regional aeromagnetics images. Numerous small uranium occurrences are present throughout the Georgetown Block often adjacent to circular features.
Summary
The North Maureen Project in Queensland is a large 3,300km2 package of tenements immediately to the north of the Maureen deposit of Mega Uranium Ltd which contains a significant historical resource of U3O8 at favourable grades of uranium and molybdenum. The tenement package contains 18 untested targets under thin cover which show similar characteristics to the Maureen deposit.
Target
The target in the North Maureen Project is is a large uranium-molybdenum deposit similar to the Maureen deposit, in which uranium mineralisation occurs as fault-hosted and stratabound zones immediately above an unconformity between Proterozoic mateasediments and overlying Permo-Carboniferous sediments, volcanics and broadly synchronous felsic intrusives.
Regional Setting
The Juntala Project is located within the Georgetown region. The geology of the area is characterised by Proterozoic metasediments and granites which have been overprinted by late Paleozoic granites and associated volcanic rocks and sediments which occur in semi-circular “cauldrons”. The majority of the North Maureen tenements are covered by a thin veneer of Mesozoic sandstones of the Gilbert River Formation, though there are widespread small outcrops of the underlying sequence, indicating that the cover is not thick.
Fig 01 (above): Magnetics and geology in the region of the North Maureen Tenements.
Geology
As most of the area is thinly covered by Mesozoic sediments, it is necessary to use magnetic data in order to infer the nature of the underlying geology. In the magnetics, it can be seen that the area contains a number of semi-circular “cauldron” features relating to Permo-Carboniferous complexes of graites, volcanics and sediments. These are cut by a series of northwest and northeast-trending fault zones.
Property Status
The area consists of 7 granted tenements and 3 applications which total 3286 square kilometers in area.
Previous Exploration
Whilst at least seventeen companies have carried out uranium exploration in the region, almost all of the work has been confined to the pursuit of outcropping targets. Notable successes in the area include the discovery of Maureen by Central Coast Exploration in 1971, and the discovery of Trident and Two Gee prospects by Pechiney Australia Exploration Pty Ltd.
Exploration Highlights
Buffalo Gold have undertaken a program of work consisting of data compilation and review and engaged Douglas Haynes Discovery Pty Ltd to interpret regional geophysical and geological datasets to formulate a targeting strategy for the area. As a result of this work a number of uranium targets were generated. The basis for target generation has been identifying potential redox boundary sites where the Gilberton Formation is interpreted to occur, along with favourably-orinted faults which are likely to have focused mineralisation. The occurrence of Gilberton Formation was largely inferred as being proximal to rhyolite volcano-tectonic depressions.
Fig 02 (above): Targets derived from interpretation of magnetic data – North Maureen project.
Work Plan
The company will carry out a detailed airborne magnetic and radiometric survey over the main area of high priority targets, prior to a program of scout drilling which will commenceas soon as permits are in place and a drill rig can be sourced.
