Perth-based Australian uranium company Energy Metals Limited (ASX:EME or the Company) is pleased to announce that all chemical assay results have been received from its recent drilling campaign at the Bigrlyi uranium deposit in the NT. These results confirm the previously announced1,2 eU3O8 results which had been derived from downhole gamma logging, allowing the company to confidently proceed with a revised Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE).
Highlights
- In September and October 2024, Energy Metals announced excellent drilling results from the Bigrlyi Deposit using eU3O8 values which were derived from downhole gamma probing.
- Chemical assay results have now been received and correlate well with the previously announced eU3O8 values.
- Chemical assay results include an exceptional intersection of 10.5m at 1.1% U3O8 from 529m downhole in BRD2408, which includes a high-grade core of 1m at 4.07% U3O8.
- High-grade intersections have increased by 12% on average, due to technical limitations of the gamma probe which becomes saturated in zones exceeding 1% U3O8.
- The Company is now preparing to update the Bigrlyi Mineral Resource Estimate with results expected in Q1, 2025.
Bigrlyi Project Background
Located in the Ngalia Basin – 350km northwest of Alice Springs, the deposit is classified as a tabular sandstone-hosted uranium and vanadium deposit, occurring within the sub-vertical Mt Eclipse sandstone, which contains a sequence of medium-to-coarse grained felspathic sandstones.
The Project is a joint venture (JV) between Energy Metals (72.4%), NT Uranium (20.8%), and Noble Investments (6.8%).
Energy Metals completed an 11,055m drilling campaign in Q3 of 2024 designed to grow the uranium resource at Bigrlyi, which is currently 6.32Mt at an average grade of 1,530ppm for 9.66Kt (21.3 Mlbs) contained U3O8 using a 500ppm cut-off3 . The current MRE comprises 18.2% Measured Resource, 54.3% Indicated Resource, with the remaining 27.5% classified as Inferred Resource.
Commenting on the successful drilling campaign at Bigrlyi, Managing Director Shubiao Tao said:
“The chemical assay results confirm what we already know, that Bigrlyi is a great uranium deposit with some exceptional high-grade zones emerging from the recent drilling. We look forward to updating the MRE in early 2025, as we progress our exploration plans for the coming year”.
Chemical Assay Results
In 2024, the Company completed 11,055m of RC and diamond drilling targeting three sub-deposits with good potential for resource growth. These sub-deposits, known as A2, A4, and A15, are shown on the location map displayed above in Figure 1. Selected drilling samples were submitted to a commercial laboratory in Adelaide for chemical assays, with all results now received and QAQC checks completed satisfactorily.
Sampling for chemical assays was carried out over zones of geological interest and any zone where downhole gamma probing had indicated potential grades in excess of 100ppm U3O8. Chemical assays are not expected to match exactly with calculated eU3O8 grades due to the differences in methodology and volume of sample tested. Chemical assays test the recovered drill core or drill chips, representing drillholes with diameters ranging from 50 to 140 mm. This contrasts with downhole gamma logging which tests the volume of rock surrounding the borehole and is estimated to penetrate approximately 1 to 1.5 metres into the surrounding rock.
