ANGEL A PROJ ECT

DRI L L I NG FACT SHEET S

DRI L L I NG OVERVI EW
Pictured Above: Drilling unit
The area was extensively drilled in the 1970s and early 80s
The initial drilling program will take several months
Drilling includes about 120 drill holes (far fewer than were drilled
previously)
The drilling contract has been let to Gorey and Cole, an Alice
Springs based company
The two methods of drilling to be used are reverse circulation
(RC) and diamond drilling
Drill holes will be plugged and capped and the area rehabilitated
at the end of exploration
Exploratory drilling for the Angela Uranium Project began in May and is expected to last several months.
Alice Springs drilling company, Gorey and Cole, has been engaged to conduct the drilling.
This fact sheet outlines the drilling process and answers your questions on environmental issues such as water, radiation and dust.
Drilling is an important part of the exploration program for any potential
mine.
Over the next year, the Cameco-Paladin Joint Venture has engaged
Alice Springs drilling firm Gorey and Cole to drill about 120 holes on the
Angela project.
These holes will be spaced between 25 and 200 metres apart. The holes will
range in depth from between 30 and 550 metres.
People will see large trucks with a drilling unit on the back drilling into the
ground to get samples from below the surface.
Some of these samples will be left as neatly packed bags on the ground
for the geologists to inspect. These bags, from the reverse circulation (RC)
drilling, will contain rock samples from layers above the uranium-bearing
rock and are safe to handle.
The diamond drilling, which follows the reverse circulation drilling, cores
long, cylindrical samples of the uranium-bearing rock. The core samples are
about the thickness of half the width of an adults hand. These are placed
in trays so geologists can examine them for the quantity and quality of the
mineralised rock beneath the surface. No dust will be produced during core
drilling.
Samples, primarily from the diamond drilling, will be sent away to analytical
laboratories for detailed analysis.
The drill rigs will have large sheets of plastic under them to capture any
potential drips of oil. Mud tanks will capture and recycle the water and mud
used to lubricate the diamond drill bits and rods, while separating out the
mineralised cuttings. These cuttings will be disposed of back down old
holes or buried at least a metre deep in trenches. All chemicals used in
the drilling process are biodegradable and non-toxic. Material Data Safety
Sheets will be available describing the characteristics and safety aspects of
all materials used.
People will also see dust suppression units attached to the reverse circulation
drilling rigs. This is to minimise the escape of any dust. All staff working on
reverse circulation rigs must wear dust masks as a precaution against dust
inhalation.
KEY FACTS
OUTLINE OF THE DRILLING PROGRAM
WHAT WILL PEOPLE SEE?
MAY 2009
www.paladinenergy.com.au
Exploration companies need to drill holes to get samples that show what
is below the surface.
Before a company can decide whether a deposit is worth mining, it has
to confirm the size and depth of the deposit, its shape, whether it slopes
and extent of mineralisation. This helps the company decide whether it
is worth applying for a Mining Lease and the likely method of mining. For
example, if most of the ore is shallow, an open pit mine is more likely. If
it slopes and occurs mostly at depth, as the Angela deposit appears to, an
underground mine is probably the best mining method.
The hundreds of samples help create a complete picture of what is under
the ground and can be used for computer simulations of the deposit.
Two types of drilling will be used at the Angela prospect:
Reverse circulation (RC) drilling: uses rods to extract dry rock chips
from the ground which geologists examine to determine its composition
of the rock. Reverse circulation drilling blows air down hollow rods and
uses differential pressure to bring up the drill cuttings for collection in
a sample bag. At the Angela project, reverse circulation drilling will
be used to sample the top layers of rock. It will not be used to sample
uranium-bearing rock.
Diamond drilling: uses a diamond-impregnated drill bit attached to the
end of a hollow rod that cuts out cylindrical cores of solid rocks. A second
lifter tube, that fits inside the drill rods and which is attached to a wire
line, brings the core sample to the surface. Water and mud are used to
lubricate the rods. Diamond drilling is slower and more expensive than
reverse circulation drilling. It will be used at the Angela project once
drilling gets to within about 30 metres above the uranium ore. No dust
is produced by diamond drilling.
WHY DRILLING IS DONE? TYPE OF DRILLING
The drilling will be done by Alice Springs drilling company Gorey
and Cole, creating jobs for about 25 local people including traditional
owners.
Gorey and Cole was established in Alice Springs in 1946 and has extensive
experience of working on mineral and water bores in the Northern Territory,
Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. The company has
worked extensively at Olympic Dam in South Australia and the Ranger
mine in the Northern Territory. Its staff have experience of dealing with
uranium-bearing samples and the stringent safety regulations associated
with handling radioactive materials. All the drillers will be continuously
monitored for radiation exposure.
The drilling crews will work two shifts for the diamond drill rig and one
shift a day on the reverse circulation rig.
Because drilling rigs can be noisy, anyone working near them must wear
ear plugs.
No one should approach a rig without alerting the geologist or driller in
charge of the site and following all safety instructions. For example, there
is a safety zone around all rigs as a precautionary measure in the unlikely
event that one should topple over or a drill mast should fall off.
In addition, long-sleeved shirts and pants, safety boots, hard-hats and
safety glasses must be worn.
WHO WILL DO THE DRILLING?
SAFETY AROUND DRILLING RIGS
MAY 2009
ANGEL A PROJ ECT
DRI L L I NG FACT SHEET S
DRI L L I NG OVERVI EW
Tom Rae and Justin Cameron of Gorey and Cole with a diamond drill rig
www.paladinenergy.com.au