Mining

92 Energy’s summer drilling aims to extend footprint at Gemini uranium project

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By Imelda Cotton - 
92 Energy ASX 92E GMZ uranium discovery Gemini Athabasca Basin Canada drilling

92 Energy’s GMZ uranium discovery is 27km southeast of the McArthur River uranium mine.

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Exploration company 92 Energy (ASX: 92E) is making final preparations ahead of a summer drilling program to expand the footprint of uranium mineralisation at its Gemini project in Canada’s Athabasca Basin.

The program will comprise an initial 6,000 metres of exploration and utilise the same two rigs from the company’s winter program, which remain on site.

Drilling will focus on areas of the Gemini Mineralised Zone (GMZ) where strong, thick intervals of continuous mineralisation southwest of a discovery hole returned results of up to 17m averaging 0.38% uranium oxide, including 8m averaging 0.62% uranium oxide.

It will prioritise testing of the interpreted up-dip extension of the strongest intercept reported to date of 19m averaging 0.22% uranium oxide and 17m averaging 0.38% uranium oxide.

The GMZ is located 27km southeast of the Cameco-operated McArthur River uranium mine, which is the world’s largest high-grade uranium deposit.

Other targets

92 Energy has also planned reconnaissance drilling at other targets within the GMZ, namely GMZ Extension (GMX), Camp West and Wilfried (WF).

Drilling at GMX during the winter program intersected intense hydrothermal alteration and anomalous radioactivity up to 630 counts per second (cps) in two holes and warranted follow-up work.

Work at Camp West intersected faulted and altered Athabasca Basin sediments underlain by a zone of intensely altered basement rocks.

Based on the scale and intensity of hydrothermal alteration and structural disruption, 92 Energy has planned follow-up drilling at this area as well.

Drilling at Wilfried will follow-up historical holes which displayed hydrothermal alteration, significant brittle-ductile structures and low levels of uranium mineralisation.

Highest radioactivity

92 Energy began drilling at the GMZ in February and by April, was reporting the highest levels of radioactivity to date at the project.

A total of 19 holes for 5,378m were completed, with 12 located at the GMZ.

Measurements from a handheld scintillometer confirmed elevated radioactivity in 11 out of the 12 GMZ holes, with the next top three results including 22m of continuous elevated radioactivity with a maximum of 3030cps, 25.5m with a top of 7,860cps and 12m with 5,760cps.

The company logged a best intersection of 22m continuous elevated radioactivity with a maximum of 15,780cps.