By

Zachary BAGUMA and Edward ISABIRYE

Department of Geological Survey and Mines,

Uganda

WORKSHOP ON “APPLICATION OF UNITED NATIONS

FRAMEWORK CLASSIFICATION – 2009 (UNFC-2009) FOR

URANIUM RESOURCES”.

Johannesburg , South Africa,

10– 14 November 2014

OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION

1. Background to the Mineral Sector Development Programme

2. The Airborne Geophysical Surveys

3. Background to Uranium Exploration in Uganda

4. The planned Uranium Targets Exploration activities

5. The UNFC – 2009 application to Uranium Resources of Uganda

6. Conclusions

1. BACKGROUND

In the recent past, the GoU committed itself to implementing a

Mineral Sector Development Programme in the country by seeking

technical assistance to modernize the geological infrastructure of

the country.

Government, subsequently obtained credits from the World Bank

(Development Fund (NDF) and a grant from the African

Development Bank (AfDB) to finance the project - The Sustainable

Management of Mineral Resources (SMMRP) Project – a 5 – year

project with the following objectives:

Acquire modern and high-resolution airborne geophysical data;

Build institutional capacity;

Carry out institutional reforms;

Improve small and artisanal mining; and

Establish environmental and social capacity in the mineral sector.

2. THE AIRBORNE GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS

A. The OLD GEOLOGY MAP – 1966

Edition

B. The NEW GEOLOGY MAP – 2014 Edition

Scale: 1:1,500,000

Scale: 1:1,000,000

II. THE PRODUCTS

Contributors: GTK Consortium (GTK, Finland; GAF,

Germany, CGS, South Africa, ITC (The Netherlands and Fels

Consult, Uganda) + DGSM (Uganda).

THE PRODUCTS (III): RADIOMETRIC AGE DATING

Previous surveys had indicated several areas potential for

uranium mineralization.

Through the Sustainable Management of Mineral Resources

Project (SMMRP), Fugro Airborne Surveys conducted airborne

geophysical survey (magnetic and radiometric) covering 80% of

the country and electromagnetic surveys (EM) in selected areas.

Data interpretation by Paterson, Grant & Watson Limited (PGW)

of Canada outlined 80 targets that are geologically favourable

for the discovery of uranium. Thirteen (13) of these were

categorized as First priority areas and seventeen (17) as

Second priority areas. The remaining fifty (50) targets were not

ranked but are still potential.

3. BACKGROUND TO URANIUM EXPLORATION IN UGANDA

a. Uranium concentrations (ppm) b. Equivalent Uranium concentrations

RESULTS (I): THE INTERPRETED COUNTRY URANIUM MAPS

Survey specifications: Blocks 1, 2, 3, 5 & 7: 200 – m line spacing; 80 –

m flight altitude. Blocks 4 and 6: 500 m line spacing; 110 m flight altitude.

A

B

C D

E

F G

H

I

A: Arua sheet

B: Packwach sheet

C: Kitigum west sheet

D: Kitigum East sheet

E: Masindi west sheet

F: Fort Portal East

sheet

G: Fort Portal West

sheet

I: Mbarara West sheet

H: Mbarara East sheet

RESULTS (II): THE FIRST PRIORITY URANIUM TARGETS

J J: Hoima sheet

A:

B:

C:

D:

E:

F:

G:

H:

I:

J:

K:

L:

M:

N:

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H I

J

O L

L

L M

N

I

K

O:

Kabale Sheet

F. Portal W. Sheet

F. Portal E. Sheet (1)

F. Portal E. Sheet (2)

Kampala Sheet (1)

Masindi W. Sheet

Masindi E. Sheet

Jinja Sheet (1)

Jinja Sheet (2)

Packwach Sheet

Gulu Sheet (2)

Kitgum W. Sheet

Gulu Sheet (1)

Aloi Sheet

Arua Sheet

RESULTS (III): THE SECOND PRIORITY URANIUM TARGETS

Figure 1. Radiometric airborne map of the Buwaaya – Makuutu anomaly. Blue is

high Th, red is high U while black indicates high U-Th. The grid is 20 km × 20

km. Note the contact of this anomaly with Karoo sediments at Bugiri in the east!!

RESULTS (IV): THE BUWAAYA –M AKUUTU RADIOMETRIC

ANOMALY (I) – a 2nd

PRIORITY ANOMALY??

Preliminary assessment by a private exploration company has

established about 3 billion tonnes of aluminous clays in the

Buwaaya – Makuutu radiometric anomaly, amenable to

comprehensive extraction of alumina, rare metals (e.g. scadium),

REEs and the energy minerals (Th & U) with a an in-situ value of

US$ 500 billion (2013 est.).

THE BUWAAYA – MAKUUTU RADIOMETRIC ANOMALY (2)

With funding from GoU and technical support from IAEA, a project was

initiated to follow-up anomalous areas. The Fort Portal West anomaly

has been selected to be tested by ground radiometric and magnetics,

geochemistry and geological mapping starting in FY 2014/15. Funding

is yet to be released.

For quick turnover, the radiometric anomalous areas identified by

handheld spectrometer shall be sampled and the geochemical samples

analyzed by portable XRF. The coincidental anomalous samples from

these two techniques shall be sent for chemical assay.

4. THE PLANNED URANIUM EXPLORATION ACTIVITIES IN FY 2014/15

A. Fort Portal West anomaly B. Fort Portal East anomaly

PLANNED EXPLORATION ACTIVITIES

Location: 190000E, 150000N and

250000E, 80000N.

Location: 247500E, 47000N and

260000E, 65000N.

Coarse to megacrystic granite

dated at 1848 ± 6 Ma (3,000 km2)

THE GEOLOGY OF THE FORT PORTAL WEST ANOMALY

No. DEPOSIT OPERAT

OR

RESOURCE

S (tU)

GRADE

(%U)

UNFC-2009

CLASSIFICATION

E F G

1 Fort Portal West (G) Exploration Target 3.2 3 4

2 Fort Portal East (F) Exploration Target 3.2 3 4

3 Hoima (J) Exploration Target 3.2 3 4

4 Kitgum East (D) Exploration Target 3.2 3 4

5 Masindi West (E) Exploration Target 3.2 3 4

6 Pakwach (B) Exploration Target 3.2 3 4

7 Arua (A) Exploration Target 3.2 3 4

8 Kitgum West (C) Exploration Target 3.2 3 4

9 Mbarara East (H) Exploration Target 3.2 3 4

10 Mbarara East (I) Exploration Target 3.2 3 4

APPLICATION OF UNFC-2009 TO THE 1st PRIORITY URANIUM

TARGETS IN UGANDA

CONCLUSIONS (1)

From the newly established geological setting of Uganda, the following types of

Uranium Resources are expected in the country:

Unconformity-related deposits in inter-cratonic or marginal basins. These may occur at the

contacts of the Palaeoproterozoic Rwenzori Fold Belt metasediments in Centrakl Uganda and

the Mesoproterozoic North Kibaran Belt (NKB) in SW Uganda.

Sandstone-related deposits. Possibilities may exist in the small Karroo Basins (Entebbe, Bugiri

and Dagusi Island) on the northern shores of Lake Victoria, the ion adsorption clays in SE

Uganda and possibly the Karasuk Supergroup of Northeastern Uganda.

Intrusive vein deposits. Occur in intrusive rocks, including peralkaline granite and associated

pegmatites in SW Uganda, the monzonitic granite batholiths of Mubende and Singo and the

carbonatites of E and NE – Uganda.

Volcanic associated deposits. Associated with felsic volcanic rocks in continental settings

related to faults and the their age vary from Archaean to Tertiary. Possibilities exist along the

??rift volcanics and associated sediments.

Quartz-pebble conglomerate deposits. May be present at the base of the Kagera – Buhweju

Supergroup platform deposits overlying the Palaeoproterozoic basement.

Phosphorite deposits associated with the alkaline carbonatite complexes of E and NE Uganda.

CONCLUSIONS (2)

It follows, therefore, that Uganda may hold substantial potential

for Uranium waiting to be proved by detailed ground

exploration and appraisal of the prospects given its diverse

geology.

The adoption of the UNFC-2009 Framework Classification early

in these efforts shall go a long way in realistically reporting the

Uranium resources, in particular, of the country.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION