Hooley Project

Introduction

The Hooley Project is located 300km north northeast of Carnarvon in the Gascoyne Region of Western Australia.  The project area covers 85.65km² contained in Exploration Licences E08/1556 and E08/1591 as shown on Figure 3.

Hooley Project  -  Simplified Geology, Previous Exploration, Targets

Geological Setting
Rocks of the Morrissey Metamorphic Suite are present in the central western project area, with northerly trending granodiorite to the east predominant.  Further to the east Wongida Dolomite of the Mesoproterozoic Bangemall Group unconformably overlies the granodiorite.

Previous Exploration and Mineralisation
From 1973 to 1975 the mineralised outcrop zone at the Hooley Camp location was explored after a more regional airborne magnetic/radiometric aerial survey.  Subsequent ground scintillometer readings checked anomalous zones and high counting areas were sampled.  Best sample values returned were 2464ppm, 1874ppm, 1800ppm and 5.63% U₃O₈  The anomalous zones outcrop discontinuously over a strike length of 850m up to 3m in width as gossanous haematitic quartz veins containing visible carnotite, torernite, barite, malachite and chrysocolla.
Nine angled percussion drill holes were completed to test the down dip extension of the linear surface anomaly zone for a total of 515m.  Six holes tested the main zone with three more testing anomalies further south.  The best recorded values are 1265ppm U₃O₈ with 7300ppm Cu over 3m from about 40m in HDH 2.  Weak mineralisation (≤ 1000ppm U₃O₈) was evident at depth in most holes.  The results confirm that primary mineralisation extends to depth below the current water table.

In 1973 a scintillometer survey and geological mapping with rock chip sampling were conducted over the Glenflorrie copper/uranium prospect within the southern part of E08/1556.  Mineralisation was identified in a siliceous black gossanous lode occupying a tension fracture in high background uranium granite.  The lode was described as semi-continuous over 1.2km and from 0.3m to 5.0m in width.

Channel sampling was conducted across the lode with the highest assay recorded as 0.33% (7.5lbs/long ton) U₃O₈.  The remainder of samples ranged between 90ppm and 100ppm, with Cu varying from 0.2% to 5.1%.

In 1978, five diamond drill holes totalling 154.6m and two percussion holes totalling 34.0m were drilled at the Glenflorrie prospect to test the surface mineralisation at shallow depth.  Drilling located cherty quartz and pyrite infilling a brecciated fissure zone with minor chalcopyrite and galena and rare barite.

Hooley Project  -  Radiometric image showing radiometric anomalies (red stars) and known uranium locations (red dots) (survey 400m line spacing)

The results indicated a steeply southwest dipping mineralised vein structure with intersected widths similar to those visible at surface.  Best values intersected were 289ppm U₃O₈, 1.34% Cu and 3.7g/t Ag over a true width of 2.83m from 10m to 14m downhole.

Between 1973 and 1977 an area including the Golan and Dulcie prospects within E08/1556 were investigated.  

The vein anomalies in the Golan Vein 4 area are tightly controlled by fractures along which occur minor gossanous quartz fillings.  Patchy but strong surface mineralisation of kasolite with minor uranophane and renardite reported containing up to 10.7% U₃O₈.

Two diamond drill holes were drilled to examine Vein 4 anomalies totalling 285.82m.  Radiometric drill hole logs with spot analysis indicated up to 650ppm U₃O₈, with pitchblende identified as the main radioactive mineral present. 

The mineralisation was thought to be hydrothermally derived from differentiation of felsic magma.  The associated subvertical fracture zones displayed negligible openings limiting the mineralisation extent.  A subsequent diamond drill hole DDHGOL 4 was associated with a more brittle quartzitic lithology, and sharp anomalies were caused by pitchblende and associated with pyrite, carbonate, chlorite and importantly magnetite.  The highest assay of 6700ppm U₃O₈ occurs in a 1m intersection from 50m that averages 3400ppm.

A parallel vein anomaly (Vein 7) was tested by diamond drill hole DDHGOL 3 where mineralisation was controlled by similar trending fractures more open than in Vein 4.  Again mineralisation was pitchblende associated with magnetite.  Core sample analyses from 78.5m to 79.5m and 84.0m to 85.0m showed highest levels of U₃O₈ at 5300ppm, 4700ppm, 3350ppm, 1650ppm, 1450ppm and 980ppm.

Discussion

The Ashburton–Gascoyne Region has demonstrated a significant number of small uranium occurrences and is regarded as a potential uranium province.

Exploration for uranium in the Golan area has returned surface samples with values up to 10.7% U₃O₈, with up to 5300ppm assayed from a core sample below 78.5m in DDH GOL 3.  North of Golan up to 5.63% U₃O₈ is recorded from surface sampling on the BHP mineral claims, and percussion drill hole HDH 2 produced an intersection of 3m @ 1265ppm U₃O₈ from 40m.  Trench samples in the south of E08/1556 at Glenflorrie assayed up to 0.33% (7.5lbs/long ton).  Drilling has indicated that the surface samples are surficially enriched, with drilling also indicating that weaker primary mineralisation exists at depth which can be correlated with outcropping mineralised zones.

The mineralised zones are hosted in both the Morrissey Metamorphic Suite metasediments and in the granitoids.  The primary mineralisation is hydrothermal and associated with fracture systems.  Afmeco demonstrated that although the fracture system encountered by them was weak and tight, mineralisation grades increased when stronger foliation or brecciation is present.
Scope remains to discover structurally controlled primary hydrothermal type deposits within both the Morrissey Metamorphic Suite metasediments and the granitoid.  Structural settings which provide substantial fracture systems and dilation need to be identified.

 Specific areas highlighted by previous exploration which merit follow-up exploration are:

1. The Vein 7 anomaly at Golan which strikes northwest about 80m to the east of DDH GOL3 extending for 200m.  This area may be important for improved mineralisation if intensity and opening of fractures is more developed.
2. The Glenflorrie area where other mineralisation associated with tension fractures may be present.

Importantly, it has been demonstrated that primary uranium exists at depth in the granitoid Palaeoproterozoic basement.  The proximity of the unconformable contact of the granite basement and the Mesoproterozoic Wongida Dolomite member of the Bangemall Group is significant.  The unconformity lies on the eastern part of the project area.

Potential exists on the Hooley Project for structurally hosted unconformity related uranium deposits.  As well, exploration for more discrete structurally related hydrothermal uranium deposits in the granodiorite and the Morrissey Metamorphic Suite is warranted, the objective being to discover areas of extensive fracturing with uranium mineralisation development at depth.