Cape Cross Uranium Project – EPL 3569, 3570, 3571
Cape Cross is located in north-west Namibia near the Atlantic coast, some 20 kilometres inland from Henties Bay and within the country’s Uranium Corridor, where large uranium mines (Rossing, Langer Heinrich) and deposits (Trekkopje, Valencia, Rossing South, Idadome, Marenica, Tubas, Etango) are found.
The exploration target at Cape Cross is a mineralized palaeochannel containing uranium in the form of carnotite (i.e., secondary uranium mineralization associated with calcrete palaeochannels). The mineralization model would best be described as Langer Heinrich-type deposit. Langer Heinrich is a sedimentary uranium deposit located within the Namib-Naukluft Park and where Paladin Resources of Australia commenced production in March 2007. The mineralization model at Cape Cross is also similar to that of Areva’s (Uramin Inc.) Trekkopje Deposit, which is currently being developed into a mine.
Since acquiring the three EPLs for the Cape Cross area, Xemplar Energy has completed a review of the historical exploration work carried out by General Mining and Finance Corporation, Goldfields of South Africa, Falconbridge, Rand Mines and Mynboukorporasie; conducted extensive radon gas surveys, interpreted geophysical surveys and carried out reconnaissance drilling at a limited number of targets.
Simon Tam, chief executive officer, explains, “the 2009 Drill Program at Cape Cross will entail reconnaissance (i.e., exploration) reverse circulation drilling at high priority targets along a wide, 60 kilometer long paleochannel that we identified by the interpretation of an electromagnetic survey carried out for a water resource study. Coupled with historical work that has been conducted, radon analysis and some preliminary drilling that was completed in 2008, we feel that we have identified targets that are of high interest for uranium mineralization.”
