Drilling by UEX at Black Lake to date has intersected
unconformity-style mineralization in the northern Black Lake property along a
strike length of more than 1.7 kilometres along and adjacent to the Eastern
Fault Zone of the Platt Creek Fault system.
Mineralization comprises (i) unconformity-style mineralization
straddling the unconformity in the footwall of the Eastern Fault Zone, and (ii)
mineralization directly along the fault where it intersects the unconformity,
with best intercepts developed where a small basement wedge is present.
The Company has planned a radon and helium survey at Black Lake while snow cover remains and the low-lying swamps in the northern part of the Project are still frozen. C.O. Geosciences Inc. of St-Lazare, Quebec has developed for ALX a new technique of augering into frozen swamps to collect sediment samples for analysis.
Approximately 160 radon and helium sample sites are planned on a grid established in the northernmost area of the Project located above the main conductive system. Historical drilling bracketing the survey area has intersected faulted and fractured rocks, which are more likely to allow the escape of radon, helium, and other gases known to be emitted by uranium mineralization. Anomalous uranium mineralization was intersected in Eldorado Nuclear Ltd. 1980 drill hole RL-4B and in two drill holes completed by ALX in 2017 (BL-155 and BL-156) at the edges of the 2019 survey area, which has received sparse drill testing in relatively shallow sandstone cover (225 to 250 metres to basement).
On July 9, 2018, The Company reported the final geochemical results from the 2017 fall diamond drilling program at Black Lake. Two of the five holes, BL-155 and BL-156, which both intersected narrow intervals of uranium mineralization, returned values of 0.06% U3O8 over 0.15 metres from 316.69 to 316.84 m in hole BL-155 and 0.03% U3O8 over 0.07 metres from 272.77 to 272.84 m in hole BL-156 corresponding to pitchblende veinlets observed in the drill core. Large graphite-rich fault zones, varying from 34 to 68 metres thick with local strongly graphitic to carbonaceous breccias were intersected in holes BL-152, BL-153 and BL-156. These graphitic fault zones are enriched in uranium pathfinder elements such as nickel (up to 401 ppm Ni), copper (up to 1,420 ppm Cu), cobalt (up to 81 ppm Co) and boron (up to 195 ppm B). All five holes intersected graphitic fault zones, which were the target of the 2017 program. Sandstone alteration observed included dravite veining, siderite and minor pyrite, and basement alteration included hematization, chloritization, saussuritization and carbonate veining.
Downhole radiometric probing of holes BL-155 and BL-156 recorded peaks of 2677 and 1144 counts per second (cps), respectively, with a Mount Sopris Model 2PGA‑1000 downhole probe, which coincided with the observed veinlets of pitchblende. Core samples are being submitted to the Saskatchewan Research Council in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and geochemical results will be released when received, compiled and interpreted.
A leading-edge borehole induced polarization (IP) resistivity geophysical survey using a Dias system was carried out on two of the 2017 drill holes and one historical drill hole to provide a 3-D view of the sub-surface to depths of over 500 metres, and up to 200 metres around each drill hole. This new technique employs a conductive downhole probe combined with a traditional induced polarization surface array to better define the character of the known conductors and locate possible alteration zones in the vicinity of those conductors.
ALX plans to integrate the results of the downhole surveys with the recently-completed ZTEM™ airborne survey to develop additional targets at Black Lake. These results combined with geological and geochemical data collected from the 2017 drill program will provide valuable information for future exploration programs.