www.thundelarra.com
Thundelarra Exploration Ltd (ASX: THX) is an established Australian resources company primarily focused on uranium exploration and development in the Northern Territory.
The Company holds dominant tenement positions in the Pine Creek and the Ngalia Basin uranium provinces with a total area in excess of 6,000 sq kms. Thundelarra has achieved significant exploration success on its Northern Territory properties, particularly in the Pine Creek region where several new uranium occurrences have been identified, including the Thunderball prospect where drilling has delivered a number of very high grade uranium intercepts.
Thundelarra Exploration kicks off major drilling campaign targeting uranium and base metals
Thundelarra Exploration (ASX: THX) has commenced a major 50,000 metres drill program where uranium and base metals mineralisation has been intersected at its projects in the Northern Territory and Western Australia.
The drilling kicked off after rainfall delays in much of rural Australia aims to define additional mineralisation and an expansion of existing JORC Resources.
Over 50,000 metres of reverse circulation (RC), diamond and mud-rotary drilling are planned.
15,000 metres of RC and diamond drilling have been budgeted for the Base Metals Division in 2011, mainly directed at the Red Bore and Curara Well projects.
At the 60%-owned Red Bore project in Western Australia a drilling program will test target horizons beneath the Red Bore gossan. The company plans holes of up to 600 metres depth with the drilling contractor expected on site by early May.
Last year Thundelarra intersected high grade copper-gold mineralisation (up to 17 metres at 11.7% copper and 1.73 g/t gold) and the North West gossan which is in close proximity to Sandfire Resources’ (ASX:SFR) Conductor 5 deposit (1.1 Mt at 6.6% copper and 3.0 g/t gold).
Thundelarra currently has a field crew on site at the Curara Well project (100%) in the Doolgunna region of Western Australia prioritising drill targets within a north east trending zone that is along strike and in the same orientation as the Sandfire DeGrussa deposits.
On completion of heritage clearance surveys an extensive program of drilling to test a series of VTEM and geochemical copper anomalies within the 10 kilometre strike extent of prospective rocks will commence.
At the Bluebush project, also within the Doolgunna region, an airborne magnetic survey is currently underway in search of an easterly extension to the Horseshoe Lights stratigraphy.
In the Northern Territory field work has now also commenced in the Ngalia Basin where last year Thundelarra identified an extensive uranium bearing paleochannel system. Every hole drilled into the system in 2010 intersected anomalous uranium mineralisation, with assays of up to 1,798 ppm U3O8 returned.
A Tempest airborne electromagnetic survey subsequently delineated approximately 400 kilometres of paleochannel within Thundelarra’s central Ngalia Basin tenure, of which less than one percent has been drill tested and is considered to be a very significant discovery.
In 2011, 20,000 metres of mud-rotary drilling in 155 holes is planned to further evaluate the Ngalia paleochannel system.
The construction of a camp and support facilities at Ngalia is nearing completion and the drilling contractor has commenced mobilisation to site in preparation for drilling to commence in approximately one week. Drilling is expected to continue until November.
Access to the company’s Pine Creek tenements remains restricted due to the northern monsoon season, however planning is well advanced on drilling programs to be implemented upon cessation of the summer rains.
At the Hayes Creek project deep diamond drilling will be employed to test for extensions to the Thunderball uranium resource, targeting a zone of intense deformation that has been identified on the hinge of the Thunderball anticline and the prospective contact between the Gerowie Tuff and Zamu Dolerite.
Further drilling will also be carried out on a number of other prospects at Hayes Creek that returned high grade intercepts from initial drill testing in 2010 with the aim of defining additional uranium resources.
At the Allamber project, on the eastern side Thundelarra’s Pine Creek tenure, extensive drilling is planned to follow up significant uranium (up to 3,926 ppm U3O8) and copper (up to 7 metres at 9.69%) drill intersections achieved in late 2010.
The company is bullish that the existing uranium resource at Allamber can be expanded significantly.
Based on typical weather patterns the company expects drilling could commence at Hayes Creek late this month, with work at Allamber to follow approximately one month later. 20,000 metres of RC and diamond drilling has been budgeted for the Pine Creek region in 2011.
