Hou, and three co-authors, reported in 2007 that exploration for sedimentary uranium deposits in South Australia commenced in the late 1960s, with a focus on Cainozoic sediments adjacent to regions of uranium-enriched Proterozoic igneous rocks in the Gawler Craton and Curnamona Province. A rapid increase in uranium exploration followed the discovery of the Beverley deposit in 1969. This resulted in the further discovery of several small but significant resources of uranium in Cainozoic sediments.
In 1999, the Beverley deposit was developed using in situ leach technology. The Honeymoon deposit is currently in final stages of feasibility and deposits at Goulds Dam and Oban are at an advanced stage of evaluation. The current high level of interest in uranium exploration, targeting Cainozoic sediments in South Australia, reflects the present high price for uranium, the vast areas of Cainozoic sediments with high potential to host uranium, a proactive government policy for uranium development, and recent success with discovery of new high-grade mineralisation at the Four Mile deposits near Beverley.
Palaeochannel-hosted uranium models are important for exploration as they can be used to integrate a wide variety of potentially significant geological factors leading to the formation of deposits. Improved understanding of geological controls and landscape history can assist with target definition and choice of technique when mapping palaeochannel distribution. Regional exploration for sedimentary uranium deposits can be based initially on empirical data gained from known deposits. Models will evolve as additional data is gathered during exploration and from ongoing sedimentological studies. Exploration should begin with the delineation of palaeodrainage by the examination of a combination of inexpensive surface and remotely sensed data using GIS (e.g. available geological mapping, DEMs, airborne radiometric, Landsat TM, NOAA, ASTER, night-time thermal images). The model can then be progressed using geophysical techniques (e.g. AEM and/or TEM) and drilling. The ultimate aim is to construct 3D geological representations in which the sedimentary facies and depositional patterns can be mapped; alteration and facies trends traced; structural features identified; and finally the mineralizing system outlined and evaluated.
[Also see pp. 48-55 in: http://www.i2mconsultants.com/downloads/corp/Independent_Assessments_of_Gold_Phosphat.pdf ]
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