Mining Intelligence and News
Australia

Samphire Project

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Categories

Overview

Mine TypeIn-Situ
StagePreliminary Economic Assessment
Commodities
  • Uranium
Mining Method
  • Solution mining
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotThe Samphire Project is comprised of one uranium deposit (Blackbush) and a small uranium prospect (Plumbush) approximately 5 km south of Blackbush.

The Scoping Study has been undertaken for the purpose of initial evaluation of the Blackbush uranium deposit. Further exploration for future uranium mineralisation potential, including the potential for the Plumbush prospect to become a satellite deposit.

Alligator’s planned 2024 Field Recovery Trial (FRT) to de-risk project and confirm parameters to be used in a full feasibility study during 2025. Construction work for the FRT is set to commence once all approvals are in place and targeted for Q4 2024.
Latest NewsAlligator snaps up strong uranium results     November 21, 2024

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Alligator Energy Ltd. (operator) 100 % Indirect
The Samphire project is 100% held by S Uranium Pty Ltd a wholly owned subsidiary of Alligator Energy Ltd. Alligator Energy is the operator of the tenement.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Sedimentary
  • Sandstone hosted

Summary:

The Samphire Project comprises one uranium deposit (Blackbush) and a small uranium prospect (Plumbush) approximately 5 km south of Blackbush.

The uranium mineralisation at Blackbush occurs in horizontal tabular lenses (50-90 m depth) in sand-dominated basal sediments of the Eocene Kanaka Beds within a Tertiary palaeochannel system. The palaeochannel is incised into the Proterozoic Hiltaba granite (Samphire Granite) which has a variably weathered saprolite surface at its contact with the Kanaka Beds. The Kanaka Beds comprise cyclic fluvial quartz dominated sands and gravels intercalated with silts and clays with fine grained carbonaceous material towards the top of the sequence. The Kanaka Beds are overlain by the laterally continuous Miocene Melton Limestone (marl and limestone), the clay dominated Pliocene Gibbon Beds and a cover of Quaternary sediments.

The mineralisation at Blackbush is roll-front style uranium mineralisation occurring in up to 3 subhorizontal zones which are constrained within the upper, middle, and lower lithologies of the Kanaka Beds. The common uranium minerals at Blackbush are uraninite and coffinite, common for this class of uranium deposit. The cumulative strike length of the deposit is approximately 2.7 km. Width of mineralisation across strike averages ~300 m, with widths of up to 450 m in some areas.

The mineralisation occurs within a confined aquifer contained within compacted but porous and permeable sand units (Tertiary Kanaka Beds).

Further exploration for future uranium mineralisation potential, including the potential for the Plumbush prospect to become a satellite deposit.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Milling equipment has not been reported.

Processing

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Production

CommodityUnitsAvg. AnnualLOM
Uranium M lbs 1.212
All production numbers are expressed as U3O8.

Production Costs

CommodityUnitsAverage
Cash costs U3O8 USD  ....  Subscribe
All-in sustaining costs (AISC) U3O8 USD  ....  Subscribe
Assumed price U3O8 USD  ....  Subscribe
* According to 2023 study / presentation.

Project Costs

MetricsUnitsLOM Total
Pre-Production capital costs $M AUD  ......  Subscribe
Sustaining CapEx $M AUD  ......  Subscribe
Closure costs $M AUD  ......  Subscribe
Total OpEx $M AUD  ......  Subscribe
Total Taxes $M AUD  ......  Subscribe
Gross revenue (LOM) $M AUD  ......  Subscribe
After-tax Cash Flow (LOM) $M AUD  ......  Subscribe
After-tax NPV @ 8% $M AUD  ......  Subscribe
After-tax IRR, %  ......  Subscribe
After-tax payback period, years  ......  Subscribe

Heavy Mobile Equipment

Fleet data has not been reported.

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameEmailProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required ........... Subscription required Subscription required Aug 21, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Aug 21, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Aug 21, 2024

Aerial view:

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