Deep Yellow Limited (ASX: DYL) has announced results from a recently completed RC resource upgrade infill drilling program at the Tumas 3 Central deposit, located on EPL3496 within the Reptile Project in Namibia. Results show 48% of the 359 holes returning uranium mineralisation greater than 100ppm eU3O8 over 1m, and 25% showing uranium mineralisation greater than 200ppm eU3O8 over 1m.
Results show 48% of the 359 holes returning uranium mineralisation greater than 100ppm eU3O8 over 1m
Best intersections included 10m@1,945ppm eU3O8 from 28m; 8m@2,242ppm eU3O8 from 10m; and 8m@754ppm eU3O8 from 16m.
DYL announced that resource upgrade drilling has now commenced at Tumas 3 West and an updated Mineral Resource Estimate for Tumas 3 deposit is expected in late June.
Drilling at Reptile project
The company had made a new palaeochannel uranium discovery on the Reptile Project, Tumas 3, with a further 100km of untested prospective palaeochannel targets delineated. The Tumas 3 comprises Tumas 3 Central, Tumas 3 West, and Tumas 3 East.
The mineralisation at Tumas 3 occurs as a discrete mineral deposit, occurring separately from the other deposits so far discovered within highly uranium fertile Tumas palaeochannel system, namely, Tumas 1 (which also includes Tumas 1 East) and Tumas 2 in addition to Tubas Red Sand/Calcrete deposits.
RC infill drilling program
DYL had commenced an RC infill drilling program program in February 2021. The infill drilling program was focused on achieving a drill hole spacing sufficient to enable a resource conversion from Inferred to Indicated JORC resource status.
Following completion of drilling at Tumas 3 East, with 359 holes drilled for 7,634m by 27 May, Deep Yellow had recently commenced RC resource upgrade infill drilling program at the Tumas 3 Central deposit, located on EPL3496, on 28 April 2021.
Since the start of the program, 804 holes for 14,621m have been drilled and three drill rigs were engaged for the work.
High-grade results at Tumas 3 Central
DYL said that the drilling completed at Tumas 3 Central is indicating that expectations for the conversion rate to Indicated Resource category are being met, with 48% of the 359 holes completed returning uranium mineralisation greater than 100ppm eU3O8 over 1m, and 25% showing uranium mineralisation greater than 200ppm eU3O8 over 1m.
Best intersections (200ppm eU3O8 cut-off grade) included T3I930: 10m@1,945ppm eU3O8 from 28m; T3I963: 8m@2,242ppm eU3O8 from 10m; T3I973: 9m@1,897ppm eU3O8 from 7m; T3I771: 5m@1,222ppm eU3O8 from 16m; and T3I1151: 8m@754ppm eU3O8 from 16m.
Updates and next steps
The company said that the infill drilling program currently continues at Tumas 3 West, with the primary objective of the overall program including Tumas 3 East, Central, West, and Tumas 1 East expanding the
Life of Mine (LOM) from 11.5 years (as defined in the recently completed PFS) to 20+ years for utilisation in the DFS currently underway.
The company said that a total of 16,000m are planned in this program. This will be followed by resource estimations to upgrade a large proportion of the resource to the Indicated JORC status.
New MRE in June
DYL said that once the resource upgrade drilling is completed in this area, a new Mineral Resource Estimate will be undertaken for the Tumas 3 West, Central, and East Deposits, expected to be released in late June.
Further work
The company said that the resource upgrade drilling program will then move to the last phase to complete resource conversion drilling at Tumas 1 East. This will follow with the completion of a new overall Mineral Resource Estimate for incorporation into the Tumas DFS to enable a 20+year LOM consideration. The DFS ore reserve base will derive from testing of only 60% of the known regional Tumas palaeochannel system.
DYL said that significant exploration upside potential exists associated with this highly prospective target to further increase the resource base beyond that associated with current DFS footprint with 50km of channel systems remaining to be tested. The company said that this will be the focus of the investigations in the latter part of CY 2021.
Image Source: Deep Yellow Limited