Crackingstone
Uranium
A unique opportunity for uncovering a significant Uranium deposit,
combined with the potential for a major Rare Earth discovery.
Crackingstone Uranium Project Highlights
- Strategic Location: The property covers 5 kilometers of the Black Bay Shear Zone, a major structural feature in the prolific Beaverlodge uranium district on the north shore of Lake Athabasca.This area has a rich history of uranium production, with 16 deposits producing over 70 million pounds of U3O8 between 1953 and 1982.
- High-Grade Potential: Historical sampling has revealed exceptionally high uranium grades, with surface grab samples showing up to 12.53% U3O8. This indicates the potential for significant high-grade mineralization.
- Multiple Mineralized Corridors: The property features three major structural graphitic mineralized corridors associated with uranium occurrences, totaling 10 kilometers in length. These corridors, especially at fault intersections, are prime locations for uranium mineralization.
- Proven Mineralization: Previous drilling by Belmont in 2008 intercepted significant uranium grades, including 2.09% U3O8 over 0.3 m within a broader zone of 1.18% U3O8 over 0.9 m. This confirms the presence of high-grade uranium in the project area.
- Extensive Alteration: The 2008 drilling program also revealed a 1.8-kilometer pegmatite dyke and extensive hematite alteration. These features are often associated with uranium mineralization in the Athabasca basin and indicate potential for a significant deposit.
- Rare Earth Element (REE) Potential: In addition to uranium, the Crackingstone project offers the possibility of rare earth element discoveries, adding another dimension to its resource potential.
- Comprehensive Historical Data: Belmont has compiled over 70 years of exploration data into a single database, allowing for more targeted and efficient exploration.
- Accessibility and Infrastructure: The property is only 6 km by road from Uranium City, Saskatchewan, and has a power line crossing its southern portion, providing good infrastructure for potential development.
These factors combine to make Crackingstone a unique and highly prospective uranium project with multiple avenues for exploration success.
Criteria for high-priority 2025 drill targets
- Proximity to major faults: The targets are located on or near major fault structures.
- Association with EM conductors: The targets are on or near electromagnetic (EM) conductors.
- Presence of U1VD anomalies: The targets are on or near uranium anomalies detected by vertical derivative (U1VD) surveys.
- Surface uranium occurrences: The targets have known surface uranium mineralization.
- Structural context: The targets are associated with the Black Bay Shear Zone, which hosts several past-producing uranium mines.
- High-grade potential: Historical grab samples from the property have shown exceptionally high uranium grades, up to 12.53% U3O8. The presence of multiple high-grade samples across different locations also suggests that the mineralization may be widespread rather than isolated, further enhancing the project’s potential.
- Conductive structural corridors: The property features at least 3 major conductive structural corridors associated with uranium occurrences, totaling 10 km in length.
- Fault intersections: Some targets are located at areas where faults intersect, which are considered prime locations for uranium mineralization.
2008 Drill Program
The 2008 drilling results have several important implications for the next exploration program
- Confirmed Mineralization: The 2008 program successfully intercepted uranium mineralization across all 20 drill holes, confirming the presence of uranium in the project area. This provides a strong foundation for further exploration.
- High-Grade Potential: Significant high-grade intercepts were encountered, including 2.09% U3O8 over 0.3 m within a broader zone of 1.18% U3O8 over 0.9 m. This demonstrates the potential for high-grade uranium deposits on the property.
- Mineralized Trend: The drilling defined a 1,800-meter strike length of near-surface uranium mineralization associated with pegmatite and hematitic alteration along the Boom Lake fault. This extensive mineralized trend provides a clear target for follow-up exploration.
- Geological Indicators: The program intercepted a 1.8-kilometer pegmatite dyke and extensive hematite alteration. Both pegmatites and hematite alteration are commonly associated with uranium mineralization in the Athabasca basin, indicating favorable geological conditions for uranium deposition.
- Structural Control: The results confirmed the importance of structural features, particularly the intersection of the Boom Lake and Crackingstone faults, in controlling uranium mineralization. This guides the targeting strategy for the current exploration program.
- Exploration Model Validation: The 2008 results validated the exploration methodology of targeting structural intersections and conductive zones, which is being applied in the current program.
- Open Mineralization: The mineralization remains open in multiple directions, suggesting potential for expansion of known uranium zones.
- Drilling Strategy: The success of the 2008 program informs the current drilling strategy, with plans for a 40-hole, 10,000-meter program over two years to test the most promising targets.
- Exploration Potential: The positive results from 2008 underscore the overall exploration potential of the Crackingstone project, justifying Belmont’s renewed focus on the property in the current uranium market.
The Beaverlodge Uranium District
The Crackingstone property is situated to the north of Lake Athabasca and within the Athabasca Basin region. It is positioned only 6 km south west of Uranium City. Uranium City boasts a certified airport, access to hydroelectric power, a well-stocked grocery store, a convenient bulk fuel dispensary, a comprehensive fleet of heavy-duty construction equipment, and reliable telephone and internet communication services.
Historic work in the Uranium City area dates back to the 1950’s. From 1953 to 1982, sixteen deposits were brought into production which produced a total of 70,250,000 lbs U3O8 averaging 0.24 % U3O8. The grades ranged from 0.18% to 0.43%.
Black Bay Shear Zone
The Crackingstone property covers 5 kms of the Black Bay Shear Zone.
The Black Bay Shear Zone is part of the larger Beaverlodge uranium district, which historically produced over 70 million pounds of U3O8 between 1953 and 1982, highlighting the regional potential
The Black Bay Shear Zone‘s influence on the Crackingstone project is significant, providing the structural framework, historical context, and geological indicators that make this project highly prospective for uranium exploration and potential discovery.
