Manhattan Uranium (TSX-V:MANU) has consolidated approximately 5,668 historical drill collar locations from legacy project maps into a modern validated drillhole database at its I-70 Uranium Project in the San Rafael District, Utah, US.
The compilation includes 4,550 historical gamma-equivalent uranium intervals across 2,769 drill holes.
Of those, approximately 1,985 holes, or 72%, contain at least one historical gamma-equivalent interval of 0.10% uranium octoxide equivalent (eU3O8) or greater.
The results demonstrate the widespread nature of uranium mineralisation across the project.
The database work has recovered numerous ‘high-grade’ historical intercepts absent from prior digital records, including GR-896-80 returning 1.22m @ 1.59% eU3O8 and FC-20-67 returning 2.13m @ 0.86% eU3O8.
“The San Rafael area’s uranium mining history spans more than 70 years, and this database work shows just how much of that endowment was never systematically followed up,” Chairman William Sheriff says.
The I-70 Project is located within the Colorado Plateau uranium province and is permitted for underground mining.
Uranium mineralisation is hosted within the Salt Wash Member of the Morrison Formation. The formation is a fluvial sandstone unit that served as the primary host for uranium production throughout the Colorado Plateau during the 1950s–1980s mining cycle.
CEO Galen McNamara says the compilation converts decades of legacy paper records into a targeting asset.
“A 72% mineralisation hit rate across nearly 2,800 historical holes tells us I-70 was under-drilled by modern standards,” McNamara says.
From paper records to 3D targets
Manhattan has integrated an initial lithology model for the Salt Wash Member with the drillhole database. It has also digitised underground workings to generate preliminary three-dimensional uranium target domains.
MANU has identified 100 high-priority historical intercepts from its ongoing database review. The company ranked these intercepts by grade thickness, for exploration targeting, and three-dimensional modelling.
The company plans to define priority targets for the upcoming field season, focused on areas where historical data indicates continuity of mineralised horizons and potential for unmined extensions.
Manhattan Uranium compiled historical drillhole and gamma data from legacy maps and historical records believed to be reliable. However, the company has not yet completed sufficient work to independently verify these data.
No previous operation has established a current mineral resource or mineral reserve estimate at the I-70 Project.
Write to JC Villarba at Mining.com.au
Images: Mining.com.au
