Amadeus Basin
Location and tenure | Geology | Geophysics
Location and Tenure
Newera has secured a significant, strategic, coherent and highly uranium prospective ground package consisting of seven tenements covering 4,951 square kilometres within the Amadeus Basin in the Northern Territory.
Newera has a three-year option to secure 80% of Fermi Uranium Ltd’s rights to NT exploration licenses EL25487 and EL25488, and applications EL25500, EL25502, EL25503, EL25572 and EL25680.
The large tenement package represents a strategic, highly prospective and significant uranium exploration opportunity which includes almost the entire western portion of the Amadeus Basin, in what could be described as the least explored portion of the basin. 
Fig 1: Newera Uranium Tenements (under option from Fermi Pty Ltd).
Geology
Newera’s holdings include the same geological formation (the Undandita Member and the Brewer Formation) known to host significant uranium deposits and mineralisation in the Eastern (Pamela and Angela) and the central (Nonuba /Daria) portions of the Amadeus Basin.
Exploration in the 1970’s in the Eastern and central portion of the basin followed up on subtle airborne radiometric anomalies resulting in the discovery of the large Angela and Pamela uranium deposits (not within Newera’s tenure). The Angela deposit has resources of 11,500t contained U308, at a grade of 0.13%, with significant potential upside, and this is indicative of the scale of uranium deposits in the basin (Newera is currently one of 34 applicants for the Angela and Pamela deposits).
Fig 2: Newera Tenements with simplified Basin geology.
Drainage of the basin tends to be off the high ground to the north and south in small rivers, which combine in the centre of the basin to drain to the southeast out into the sand dune country of the Simpson Desert.
This high ground carries anomalous radiation, and precipitation of the uranium from the very low concentrations in these groundwaters is what causes a deposit to form. The pore space in sandstones is a very good place for this precipitation to occur, but the correct chemical conditions have to exist for it to take place.
The deposits at Angela and Pamela are related to the change in pH of the local environment due to the change of oxidation profile going from oxygenating conditions to anoxic conditions. As waters with dissolved uranium in solution pass this point they change in chemical character, the uranium becomes less soluble in the waters and precipitates.
Other factors can also lead to this happening, such as a strong rise in pH conditions as waters encounter weathered limestone (predominantly CaCO3). This is what causes precipitation in calcrete type deposits.
The mix of limestones and sandstones in the area of Newera’s leases is thus highly prospective, both for solution front type deposits and carbonate trap type deposits.
Geophysics
Much radiometric and aeromagnetic data has been collected in the Amadeus Basin since the 1970’s period of uranium exploration. This data for the area of the basin of interest to Newera is presented in Figures 3 - 5. Aeromagnetic data shows the expected loss of signal in the sediments, the higher background under the leases suggesting the depth to basement may be less here than in other parts of the basin.
Fig 3: Aeromagnetic data for the bulk of the Amadeus basin. Note depressed nature of much of the sediments compared to the granites and gneisses of the Arunta Block to the north.
Fig 4: Radiometric (U-channel ) outline of the Amadeus basin. Note: uranium “hot” granites to the North and Northwest. These are the probable source of the uranium mineralisation on the optioned tenements.
The tenements now optioned by Newera include the majority of a recently delineated, large radiometric uranium anomaly. This is on sediments (sandstones and limestones) dipping into Newera’s application and if it continues to depth the bulk will be in lease E25500.
Figs 5 & 6: Close-up of Radiometric U anomaly and topography of the area on E25500. Sediments dip to the north, off the high ground under the flat as seen in the topographical map. This has not been explored to date.
The Company believes that this uranium anomaly is highly significant; as it was identified from the data acquired after the last uranium boom and has not been followed up. The anomaly represents a high-priority target.