Uranium ore-forming systems of the - Geoscience Australia
Uranium ore-forming systems of the - Geoscience Australia
Uranium ore-forming systems of the - Geoscience Australia
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<strong>Uranium</strong> <strong>ore</strong>-<strong>forming</strong> <strong>systems</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Lake Frome regionLocality 7 (340050E ; 6653900N) No. 6 Mount Painter uranium workingsAccess to <strong>the</strong> No. 6 Mount Painter uranium workings is several 100m north along <strong>the</strong> tracktowards <strong>the</strong> old Exoil Camp <strong>of</strong>f <strong>the</strong> main Ridgetop Track. From here <strong>the</strong> historic workings, at<strong>the</strong> hilltop, can be accessed by hiking up a disused track. The workings are within hematiticbreccia which is hosted within granitic breccia. Small amounts <strong>of</strong> vivid green torbernite coat <strong>the</strong>hematitic breccia. Biotite schist <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Radium Creek Metamorphics at this location containsoccasional, small, bright blue corundum crystals. From top <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> hill an overview <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>basement, breccias and <strong>the</strong> sinter <strong>of</strong> Mt Gee is provided, including a large dyke-like body <strong>of</strong>siliceous hematitic breccia which crops out on <strong>the</strong> western side <strong>of</strong> Mount Gee.The uranium mined in <strong>the</strong> original workings in circ 1910 was carried out on camel back for <strong>the</strong>production <strong>of</strong> radium. The hematitic breccias <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Mount Painter Inlier have fascinatedgeoscientists since <strong>the</strong> first major attempt to understand <strong>the</strong> geology during and immediatelyafter World War II. At this time, <strong>the</strong> <strong>Australia</strong>n and British Governments were activelyexploring <strong>the</strong> province for uranium, and a major effort was made in <strong>the</strong> Mt Gee and East Painterregions. Mt Gee is a prominent hill with a silica rich capping situated amongst <strong>the</strong> breccias.After <strong>the</strong> Governments ceased <strong>the</strong>ir operation in <strong>the</strong> area interest in <strong>the</strong> uranium waned until <strong>the</strong>Oilmin Group and Transoil NL carried out an extensive drilling program during 1968–71, anddefined a resource (excluding East Painter) <strong>of</strong> 3.8 Mt at 0.1% U 3 O 8 in hematitic and minorgranitic breccia. The primary uranium mineral was determined as uraninite. It is <strong>the</strong>se tracksforged into <strong>the</strong> hillside by this exploration program that we travel on to <strong>the</strong> following locations.Marathon Resources have undertaken fur<strong>the</strong>r drilling programs in <strong>the</strong> area in recent years and inSeptember 2008 Marathon Resources redefined <strong>the</strong> Mt Gee uranium resource upgrade to 31,400tonnes <strong>of</strong> contained U 3 O 8 in 51 million tonnes <strong>of</strong> mineralisation. At a cut-<strong>of</strong>f <strong>of</strong> 300 ppm U 3 O 8<strong>the</strong> average grade was 615 ppm.Page 132 <strong>of</strong> 151