Location

Energia’s Westmoreland Project comprises two applications covering an area of 567km² are located in far north-western Queensland, some 50km east of the Northern Territory border (Figure 11). The climate is tropical savannah and is dominated by open scrubland of spinifex and ti-tree. Small but dense stands of pandanus palm occupy recent drainages.

The formed (but dry weather only) Gulf Highway runs through the tenements but the closest permanent habitation is at Hells Gate Roadhouse (Westmoreland), located some 20km northwest of the tenements.

Figure 11. Westmoreland and McArthur Projects - location plan

Project Geology and Exploration History

This Project straddles the contact between the Palaeoproterozoic Murphy Inlier and the Early Mesoproterozoic Westmoreland Conglomerate (basal unit of the McArthur Basin) in an area where both are concealed by recent flood plain sediments. It lies to the east of the substantial Westmoreland uranium deposits owned by Laramide Resources Limited (published 52 Mlb U3O8 Indicated and Inferred resource estimate) (Figure 12).

Uranium mineralisation in the Westmoreland area was first discovered in the 1950’s. Numerous occurrences are known extending to the west over some 100 km into the Northern Territory. Exploration activity continued through into the 1980’s (when the main prospects were discovered) but activities waned outside of the immediate prospect areas, which were the focus of feasibility studies by CRA until the last tenements were relinquished in 2000.

Figure 12. Location plan for the Westmoreland Project showing known uranium occurrences

The prospecting methods used successfully to discover known occurrences in this district would not have been effective on the Energia tenements owing to the widespread presence of alluvial cover in the tenement area. However, in 2006 new data from a detailed aeromagnetic/radiometric survey was acquired (in collaboration with a larger survey by the Queensland Department of Minerals and Energy). This new data has subsequently been interpreted, and approximately eighteen targets defined.