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Athabasca Basin

Terra Uranium gears up for Athabasca exploration

Terra Uranium (ASX:T92) is preparing to begin airborne geophysics and ground reconnaissance at ATHA Energy’s (TSX-V:SASK) Spire and Horizon projects in Canada.

The company has mobilised a field crew to the Athabasca Basin site and expects to begin a gravity, magnetics and radiometrics survey over the projects starting from 2 November. 

Last month Terra secured an option agreement to acquire up to 70% of ATHA Energy’s Spire and Horizon projects by spending at least C$4.75 million ($5.19 million) on exploration. 

Terra is targeting basement-hosted near-surface deposits along prominent structural corridors.

Concurrently with the airborne survey, the company will be conducting a ground sampling program focusing on historic mineralised boulder samples.

Previous boulder train sampling on or near the area included results up to 30,000 parts per million (ppm) (3.53%) uranium, while trench samples just to the west of Spire returned grades of up to 2,103ppm (0.25%) uranium.

Terra says anomalous radioactivity is associated with the Geikie River structural corridor and will be a focus of exploration on the Spire property.

The company appointed Troy Marfleet as exploration manager to oversee current and future work programs. 

Terra says Marfleet has “considerable operational experience” working on both greenfields and brownfield uranium deposits across the Athabasca and Thelon basins.

CEO Andrew Vigar says Terra is straight into an airborne and ground program on the Spire and Horizon projects before the winter sets in to follow up the historic boulder samples. 

“We will focus on the areas with mineralisation at shallow depth and look to bring others to drill our deeper targets like we have done with ATHA on our Pasfield Lake Project,” he says.

The Spire and Horizon projects comprise 12 mineral claims totalling 60,965 hectares, located on the eastern rim of the Athabasca Basin in Saskatchewan.

The properties are situated within the Needle Fall Shear Zone with associated cross-cutting regional scale Tabernor faults known for hosting uranium mineralisation.

During ATHA’s maiden 2023 exploration program, electromagnetic surveys identified 144km of cumulative conductors, associated with the Needle Fall Shear Zone and regional cross-cutting structures. 

Terra says this previous work demonstrates the Spire and Horizon projects have a high concentration of shallow prospective exploration targets for discovery of uranium mineralisation.

The company has so far identified a number of priority target areas following up on historical trench and boulder sampling and the airborne surveys done by ATHA in 2023.

Permits and drill targets will be prepared over the fall to pave the way for a drill program in 2025.

Write to Angela East at Mining.com.au 

Images: Terra Uranium
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Written By Angela East
Content Director Angela East is an experienced business journalist and editor with over 15 years spent covering the resources and construction sectors and more recently working as a communications specialist handling media relations for junior resources companies.