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Introduction
The Topsails uranium property is located in west central Newfoundland and consists of 4,103 mineral claims covering 102,575 hectares. An alliance between JNR and Altius Resources Inc. was formed to jointly explore the land package with JNR and Altius each holding a 50% interest in the property. In return for generating the project, Altius retains a 2% gross sales royalty on uranium products and a 2% net smelter return on all other commodities. All future exploration expenditures will be shared on a pro rata (50:50) basis.
Exploration Target
The exploration target is a volcanic-hosted uranium deposit. The claims cover prospective felsic volcanics and related intrusive rocks of the Topsails Igneous Suite and red bed sediments of the Springdale Group; representing a distinctive geological terrane of the Canadian Appalachians.
Volcanic-hosted uranium deposits are a significant source of high-tonnage, low-grade uranium, examples of which include Russia's largest uranium resource, the Streltsovka caldera (~280,000 tonnes U).
Historical regional lake sediment surveys outline several large areas of coincident anomalous uranium, fluorine and molybdenum; known pathfinders for volcanic-hosted uranium deposits. Limited reconnaissance work has identified radiometric anomalies associated with the volcanic rocks, representing significant exploration targets.
2008 Exploration Program
Analytical results from a property-wide lake sediment geochemical survey indicate anomalous uranium values with associated molybdenum and fluorine in a number of areas the largest being 20 by 10 kilometres in size. With background values less than 10 ppm, anomalous uranium values of greater than 30 ppm to a maximum of 535 ppm have been identified in more than 30 lakes. These samples combined with historical surveys highlight four distinct areas of extensive uranium-molybdenum enrichment. The geochemically anomalous lakes lie within or adjacent to granitic rocks related to the caldera complexes targeted for exploration, and confirm the prospectivity of these rocks for hosting volcanic-related uranium mineralization.
Also in 2008, reconnaissance prospecting on the project resulted in the discovery of several locally derived sulphide-bearing boulders approximately 15 kilometres northwest of Buchans. Grab samples from two of the boulders returned assays of 3.5% Cu, 0.12% Mo, 35.1 g/t Ag, 0.18 g/t Au and 2.0% Cu, 0.16% Mo, 19.8 g/t Ag, 0.29 g/t Au.
Interpretation of data from a detailed 17,500 line-kilometre airborne radiometric and magnetic survey over the property identified fourteen areas for follow-up.
2009 Exploration Program - Discovery of Rare Earth Metals, Uranium-Thorium Mineralization, and Koorae Copper-Molybdenum-Gold-Silver Prospect
During the 2009 program, potentially significant copper-molybdenum-gold-silver mineralization was discovered at the Koorae prospect. Additional exploration including trenching, mapping, rock and soil sampling was completed on the prospect over an area of approximately 100 x 15 metres. Disseminated copper sulphides and magnetite occur in chlorite-hematite-altered quartz-feldspar porphyry, which is in fault contact with felsic volcanic rocks containing veinlet and breccia-matrix chalcopyrite with lesser bornite and chalcocite.
Of twenty-three grab samples randomly collected from the quartz-feldspar porphyry, twenty-one returned anomalous values of up to 0.87% copper, with an average of 0.15% copper. Sampling of adjacent, strongly altered felsic volcanic rocks returned a best in-situ result of 0.39% Cu, 0.04% Mo and 0.9 g/t Ag, while a grab sample from locally derived float returned 3.7% Cu, 0.1% Mo, 53.3 g/t Ag and 0.24 g/t Au. Furthermore, a rhyolite flow which was also exposed in the trench returned 0.67% Cu, 0.03% Mo and 7.4 g/t Ag.
The Koorae prospect bears numerous similarities to the alkalic, caldera-related group of porphyry copper-gold deposits observed world wide. Geophysically, the discovery occurs near the southern margin of a roughly 1,200 x 300 metre, east-northeast trending magnetic low and on the southeast margin of an isolated K, U, and Th radiometric high of 350-metre diameter size. An induced polarization/resistivity (IP) survey covering the prospect area is to be initiated before year end.
In addition to the trenching program, extensive prospecting, mapping and sampling was completed throughout the Topsails project in 2009. Of particular interest were six separate areas identified during the 2008 program that returned highly anomalous metal geochemistry, including several new occurrences of uranium with grab samples of up to 0.62% U3O8. Also of significance were large boulder fields containing coarse-grained to pegmatoidal granites returning up to 3.06% TREO (total rare earth oxides) plus yttrium.
Reconnaissance prospecting in 2008 identified several anomalous outcrop areas and large, locally-derived boulder fields with highly variable U-Th contents and up to 3.11% total rare earth elements (TREE including yttrium (Y)), plus anomalous zirconium (Zr) and niobium (Nb). A property-wide exploration program in 2009 further enhanced these showings and resulted in the discovery of other new prospects.
The Railway U showing, first identified in 2008, is located in the northern part of the Topsails project. Grab samples returned up to 0.62% U3O8 and lesser variably anomalous amounts of base metals. An orientation survey of soil sampling and geochemistry in 2009 returned encouraging results and expanded the anomalous area of outcrops, subcrop, and boulders.
The Sheffield Lake South prospect, located north of the Railway U showing, was also discovered during the 2008 exploration campaign. Follow-up prospecting and sampling in 2009 returned anomalous lead and molybdenum (Mo) values (up to 13.9% Pb and 0.55% Mo) from outcrops and locally derived boulders. The mineralization is hosted mainly by quartz veins cutting granite, though the granite itself is also mineralized. This area is also radiometrically and geochemically anomalous, with outcrop samples returning up to 0.009% U3O8, 0.21% TREO, 0.09% Y, 2.33% Zr, and 3.3 g/t Ag.
In 2009, regional- to district-scale prospecting, mapping and sampling were conducted in the southern half of the Topsails property over a 20-km x 35-km area of abundant airborne radiometric anomalies. This resulted in the discovery of REE-Y-Zr-Nb-U-Th mineralization at the new Long Range Mountain prospects ("A" and "B"). To date, most of the rare earth metal (REM) mineralization of the Long Range Mountain prospects has been observed in locally derived granitic pegmatite and rhyolite boulders, but significant outcrop showings also exist. Prospect A comprises shear-zone-hosted, fluorite-bearing U-Th-REE mineralization in outcrop and highly anomalous boulder fields. Grab samples returned up to 1.69% TREE (including up to 0.35% Y), 1.24% Zr, 0.28% Nb, 0.027% U3O8, 0.154% Th, and anomalous amounts of other rare metals. Prospect B, located ~10 kilometres northeast of prospect A, is comprised of several small outcrops and abundant locally-derived boulder fields. Grab samples returned up to 3.44% TREE (including up to 0.50% Y), 2.38% Zr, 0.18% Nb, 0.022% U3O8, 0.144% Th, and anomalous amounts of other rare metals. North of prospect A, a large discontinuous outcrop area of fluorite-bearing peralkaline granites and aplitic dykes also hosts U-Th-REE mineralization.
The reported TREO grades for the Long Range Mountain prospects are comparable to grades from Strange Lake (Labrador), Thor Lake (NWT), Kvanefjeld, (Greenland), and Hoidas Lake (Saskatchewan).
The Companies are very pleased with the overall success of the 2009 exploration program. Dr. Irvine R. Annesley, Director of Exploration with JNR, finds it significant that the highly anomalous zones of TREE (including Y) + Zr + Nb mineralization are commonly associated with U and/or Th mineralization, which makes them relatively easy to locate with airborne and ground radiometric surveys. Dr. Annesley also finds interesting the high ratio of heavy to light REE from sampling to date. Heavy REE are rarer and typically more valuable as a commodity for industrial development.
2010 Exploration Program
The 2010 exploration program will consist of several geophysical and soil geochemistry surveys, additional regional prospecting, rock sampling, and detailed mapping in the area of the highly mineralized Long Range Mountain, Sheffield Lake South, and Railway U prospects, and a comprehensive, property-wide airborne hyper-spectral survey. Timing of follow-up diamond drilling programs will be dependant upon the results
JNR's Vice-President Exploration, David L. Billard, PGeo, is the Qualified Person for the Topsails Property.
Technical Presentations
 JNR's Uranium Exploration in Newfoundland (7.4 Mb)
JNR's Use of GOCAD in Uranium Exploration (8.4 Mb)
Quality Assurance & Quality Control Program
Photo Gallery
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