GTI Resources Ltd (ASX:GTR) has started drilling at the Thor ISR Uranium Project in Wyoming’s Great Divide basin with two mud rotary drill rigs.
The 50,000‐foot (around 15,000 metres) maiden drill program of about 100 holes is designed to confirm the grade and tenor of uranium mineralisation that was previously identified by Kerr McGee in the 1980s and to ultimately support the definition of an economic ISR uranium resource.
Thor Project area prioritised
The company has prioritised the Thor Project area for drilling based on historical exploration data, which includes the results of 83 historic drill holes, including some drill logs, and the project’s location on the mapped REDOX boundary.
Mineralisation encountered in the historical drill holes is located around 400‐600 feet (120-180 metres) from surface.
The project lies with 5‐30 kilometres of both Ur‐Energy Inc.’s Lost Creek ISR uranium facility and Rio Tinto’s Kennecott Sweetwater uranium deposits and mill.
It is also helpful that the project is very readily accessible being flat-lying and adjacent to a significant improved and maintained county road.
Core exploration objective
GTI’s core exploration objective is to accurately identify REDOX boundaries and potential host sands in addition to defining the depth, thickness, grade and width of mineralisation across the REDOX front.
It is targeting mineralisation, which is at least 50 feet (15 metres) below the water table.
The drill program may also enable reasonable estimation of inferred mineral resources and/or an exploration target.
Ultimately, the GTI hopes to encounter mineralisation of similar tenor to that encountered at the nearby Lost Creek deposit and that otherwise meets typical economic cut-off criteria for sandstone-hosted ISR uranium projects in Wyoming’s Great Divide Basin.
UR Energy’s Lost Creek ISR uranium deposit is reported to contain a remaining 13 million pounds of uranium oxide at an average grade of 0.048% uranium oxide (measured and indicated) with an average grade thickness of 0.2.
Drill timetable
Drilling is expected to take less than 30 operational days to complete and, allowing for weather interruptions and the Christmas break, the company expects the program will be concluded in early 2022, if weather conditions remain favourable.
The initial drilling results are expected to be available in the weeks after the final holes are completed.
Final results, conclusions and recommendations for the next steps will be developed at the end of the drill program, as late as July 2022.
GTI Resources will provide further updates in due course.