Project Summary

The Yalanda Hill project (EL 3473) is located around 90 km south west of Whyalla, and 28 km south east of Kimba township. The main exploration target is uranium mineralisation in the Proterozoic basement rocks of the Gawler Craton in this region.

From 1991 to 1996 exploration in the region by Pasminco targeted base metals associated with the Hutchison Group, including airborne magnetic and radiometric surveys carried out in 1991. Little attention was paid to the radiometric data at the time, and in due course it was filed in PIRSA’s Open File data repository. In early 2006 the company retrieved and re-processed this data, and identified several radiometric anomalies within EL 3473 for follow up investigation.

The Ethiopia Target was defined by a strong combined uranium (U) and thorium (Th) signature, with follow up surface sampling returning 36 ppm U and 220 ppm Th associated with the unconformity between the basal Warrow Quartzite of the Hutchison Group and the underlying Miltalie Gneiss. An initial RAB drill test was supported by PACE funding, with anomalous uranium up to 42 ppm U and thorium up to 120 ppm Th from fresh and weathered bedrock.

Follow up of other combined U and Th anomalies has identified several other localised zones with a high radiometric signature. Sample assays returned uranium values up to 0.23% U (2300 ppm U), believed to be associated with local concentrations of monazite and xenotime (U and Th-bearing resistate minerals) in the host gneisses.

In 2009 the Yalanda Hill Joint Venture was formed with ASX listed Southern Uranium Limited to further explore the project. Southern Uranium are joint venture managers and operators and plan to implement a regional program of soil geochemistry and gravity surveying in 2010.