Katoro Gold PLC reported that it has completed initial reconnaissance fieldwork activities alongside ongoing desktop work on its 100% owned White Pine Uranium Project ('White Pine' or the 'Project') in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. Fieldwork activities have commenced on the property with a reconnaissance work programme to ground truth historical data and make a range of observations. Geology observed at White Pine is consistent with intrusive-style uranium deposits.
Comprehensive public domain historical and government data has been compiled to feed into future exploration. Excellent access available via well-maintained roads will reduce overheads for future work. The White Pine Project is located 25 kilometres northwest of the town of Ignace, from where activities were conducted.
The Project enjoys excellent access along a network of graded roads which connect to the Trans Canada Highway situated seven kilometres to the south of White Pine. Logging activities provide extensive, ready-made access. Partially overgrown trails remain accessible to all-terrain vehicles such as quad bikes and snowmobiles.
The Company appointed an experienced prospector to perform reconnaissance exploration,recording observations on rock type and extent of outcrop, terrain and forest cover and taking surface radiometric measure mentsto ground check features identified from existing airborne geophysical data. This work, although preliminary, provides vital input for more comprehensive and systematic fieldwork in the future. In total, five person-days were spent in the field on this initial reconnaissance.
A variety of outcropping geology has been observed, including predominantly coarse-grained to pegmatitic leucogranites and pegmatites consistent within trusive-style uranium deposits supporting White Pine's underlying prospectivity. Granite outcrops are regularly observed with a glacially polished 'whale back' appearance. Elsewhere, steep bluffs are noted, which are inferred to be related to fault structures; such fault structures can help control mineralisation or distribute geochemical anomalies and thus understanding will be a key factor in future exploration.
An historical airborne radiometric survey report2 provides a series of radiometric maps that cover the entire area of the White Pine claims. Maps includeequivalent uranium concentration and ratio of equivalent uranium to equivalent thorium which are providing the focus of analysis of radiometric anomalies identified across the Project. Ratios of equivalent uranium to equivalent thorium are recorded that support a primary, local uranium source in bedrock. Additionally, the Company has gained access to a high-resolution magnetic survey3 that covers the White Pine claims area.
The report includes a total magnetic intensity map and a processed first vertical derivate map. The first vertical derivative provides sharpened anomalies which outline two major structural trends. Further analysis is ongoing.
The Company has recently compiled high-resolution LiDAR data over the project area sourced from the Ontario GeoHub4. LiDAR is a remote sensing method that gives detailed elevation data of the ground, effectively seeing through vegetation and forest cover. This data is of sufficient resolution to give meaningful input to geological interpretations (especially structure) as well as delineating areas of outcrop and access.
