Arizona
Fischer-Watt controls around 600 acres of federal claims in northwestern Arizona, in the historic “Arizona Strip” uranium district, just south of the Utah border.
Uranium mineralization within the region is hosted in breccias pipes that were formed by the collapse of overlying strata into cavities dissolved out of the underlying limestone. The breccias pipes average about 300 feet in diameter and are recognized as circular depressions on the surface. Uranium was later deposited in the breccias pipes, at specific favorable horizons, by the action of downward migrating ground waters carrying dissolved uranium.
About 15 of these pipes have been mined since 1980, producing more than 20 million pounds of uranium oxide. Although forming relatively small tabular deposits, the ores in these pipes have historically averaged about 0.66-percent U3O8 (about 13 pounds of uranium oxide per ton of rock) making them the highest-grade uranium-bearing ores in the United States.
Extensive field work has been carried out on the Arizona claims, including geological mapping and soil and rock geochemical sampling, methods that have proven effective for identifying uranium mineralization. About 80 collapse features have been identified, 20 of which were selected as high priority targets. Geophysical surveys were then used to map out the vertical shape of the pipes. Audio-frequency magnetotelluric surveys (using both natural and controlled source) as well as limited seismic surveys, were then performed on about half of the priority targets. These 10 breccia pipes are the ones currently controlled by Fischer-Watt claims. This was followed by an 11-hole, 8,421-foot drill program into four targeted pipes. Breccias were encountered in several of the holes and were followed by down-hole gamma surveys. Results are being evaluated to determine future exploration plans.
The U.S. Department of the Interior has proposed to withdraw almost one million acres of federal lands near the Grand Canyon from mineral exploration. Most of Fischer-Watt's claims are located outside this withdrawal area.
