Canadian-based energy company, Forum Uranium has declared the results from its 2011 prospecting and sampling program on its Kipawa West project optioned from Aurizon Mines.
The company targeted its exploration across a 1.8x3.5 km region to track rare earth mineralized boulders that range in grade from 1.3%-16.7% Total Rare Earth Oxide and Heavy Rare Earth Oxide to Total Rare Earth Oxide ratios ranging from 0.8%-57%. The company’s prospecting, soil geochemical and rock geochemical program validated the heavy rare earth values, which were earlier reported on the property and separated a target region of 1x1 km for additional investigation.
The company is carrying out mineralogical studies of the prospecting samples. It has also applied for a permit to conduct a surface exploration and drilling program in summer.
Forum Uranium’s area of investigation is situated on the Kipawa Alkalic Complex’s northwest extension in its West Block of claims that were optioned from Aurizon Mines. The Kipawa Complex arises at the contact between the Proterozoic-aged rocks to the southwest and the Archean-aged basement rocks to the northeast. Kipawa Complex’s outcrops were mapped along the road at the prospected region’s western end.
Most of the area is covered by thin glacial till from 0-5 m thick, excluding the south where sand, probably of lacustrine origin, exists. The company gathered about 352 soil samples at 50 m intervals along lines spaced at 200 m vertical to the southwest trending glacial route. The allotment of zirconium and yttrium simulates the underlying bedrock. In the west part of the study region, the soils show higher values of total rare earth elements in the Kipawa Alkalic Complex. Rock samples are anomalous in zirconium and yttrium as well. It is construed that 1x1 km area from this boulder cluster is the probable source of heavy rare earth mineralization on the company’s property.