Top quality uranium find confirmed

Etango delivers again
Australian explorer intends to increase its local reconnaissance activities
Augetto Graig
Australian listed exploration and resources development company Connected Minerals has announced confirmation of their high grade uranium mineralisation find at the Etango North-east project 5km from the Bannerman Etango Uranium Project in the Erongo Region.

Connected Managing Director and CEO, Warrick Clent said in yesterday’s announcement: “These are outstanding results coming through from our maiden sampling programme at Etango North-East. When we identified the project, we anticipated its location near to Bannerman’s Etango Uranium Project would place us in good stead to identify significant mineralisation. The fact that our very first exploration on site has confirmed a serious prospect within Etango North-East is a wonderful result and we are keen to progress immediately with our expanded exploration programme, which will be focused on target generation for future drilling.

“Connected benefits from a fantastic in-country team, led by Herbert (Bertie) Rosener whose Namibian experience spans over 40 years including Chief Geologist for the Namibian Geological Survey and the Mineral Resource Manager for Swakop Uranium at the Husab mine, the world’s largest uranium-only mine. We are well placed to continue with our exploration success, and I look forward to updating the market on our progress as new results come to hand,” Clent said.

Initial rock chip results confirm high grade U3O8 mineralisation, with sample CMRS4 producing 2 086 ppm U3O8 and sample CMRS6 showing 1 620 ppm uranium oxide, and according to Clent, Connected thinks it has found up to 460 million tons of this high grade uranium deposit.

This initial field programme was designed to assess an area of high historic uranium scintillometer readings, the company announced, elaborating that the area of focus covers 1 km by 1,2 km along strike from, and within the same rock units as, Bannerman Energy’s world-class project. Scintillometer readings measure ionizing radiation.

As a result of the find Connected intends to expand is exploration programme to include further rock chip sampling and to put the samples through further chemical analysis for the presence of uranium, to do a detailed scintillometer survey, to do trench sampling in the areas where the high-grade results have been found, and to do geological mapping to identify potential drill targets. The extended programme is expected to be completed by mid-December with assay results reported as they become available.

“For context, uranium background scintillometer readings in this vicinity are seen to average 400 cps, so scintillometer readings of up to 5,870 counts per second (cps) have been considered to be an exceptional guide to areas of uranium potential,” the announcement reads.

“The results received to date from this initial reconnaissance programme have heightened Connected’s expectations of what this prospect holds for the future,” according to the listed company.

This programme follows the Company’s recent acquisition of Namibia U3O8 Pty Ltd, which holds an 80% beneficial interest in the granted EPL 6933, as well as two exclusive prospecting licence applications (EPL 9162 and EPL 9576).

Connected Minerals Limited (ASX: CML) is an Australian-headquartered company which has commenced a new strategic direction focused on the exploration and potential development of a portfolio of projects in Namibia and Western Australia. The Company is targeting uranium discoveries through one granted exclusive prospecting licence (EPL) and two EPL applications in the most prolific uranium producing regions in Namibia. Connected Minerals has also acquired 100% of the legal and beneficial ownership in three granted exploration licences in Western Australia which demonstrate multi-commodity potential, the company says. Connected has only been listed on the Australian stock exchange for a little more than three weeks, and according to Clent, the recent discover has them feeling over the moon. In a webinar shared on YouTube yesterday he said that Connected hopes to start drilling in the first quarter of 2025.

“The program we have got in front of us at the moment will provide us with drill targets,” he said in the webinar.

Comments

Namibian Sun 2024-11-19

No comments have been left on this article

Please login to leave a comment

Katima Mulilo: 24° | 38° Rundu: 23° | 38° Eenhana: 23° | 37° Oshakati: 26° | 34° Ruacana: 23° | 33° Tsumeb: 21° | 34° Otjiwarongo: 19° | 31° Omaruru: 21° | 32° Windhoek: 21° | 32° Gobabis: 23° | 33° Henties Bay: 15° | 23° Swakopmund: 15° | 17° Walvis Bay: 15° | 25° Rehoboth: 22° | 33° Mariental: 24° | 37° Keetmanshoop: 22° | 36° Aranos: 23° | 37° Lüderitz: 16° | 27° Ariamsvlei: 22° | 35° Oranjemund: 15° | 22° Luanda: 25° | 26° Gaborone: 24° | 35° Lubumbashi: 18° | 31° Mbabane: 17° | 29° Maseru: 15° | 31° Antananarivo: 13° | 31° Lilongwe: 21° | 32° Maputo: 22° | 31° Windhoek: 21° | 32° Cape Town: 18° | 22° Durban: 19° | 27° Johannesburg: 18° | 30° Dar es Salaam: 25° | 30° Lusaka: 23° | 33° Harare: 18° | 30° #REF! #REF!