Nathan Chutas, PhD, CPG
CEO and Director
Skeleton Coast Uranium Corp. 

In August 2026, we announced that Practara had completed the first phase of digitising historical exploration data for EPLs 8617, 8208 and 9727. Together, the three licences cover about 30,413 hectares, or 304 square kilometres — roughly half of Skeleton Coast Uranium’s five-licence position in Namibia’s uranium-rich Erongo Region. 

Digitisation can sound like an administrative exercise but, in exploration, it helps change the quality of the decisions we can make: paper maps, survey results, sample locations and reports that once sat in separate files can be placed in the same digital framework, turning scattered historical clues into clearer questions about where field teams should work first and what they need to check. 

It does not create new geological evidence. It shows us more clearly where the old evidence agrees, where it conflicts and where important gaps remain. 

Putting separate records on one map 

Practara brought together regional geological mapping, historical exploration reports, airborne geophysical surveys, radiometric data and historical geochemical records. It is also reprocessing historical magnetic and electromagnetic survey data in the areas where coverage exists. 

A basic but important step is georeferencing, which is basically tying an old map to a known Earth coordinate system so every point has a location that can be compared with other data. As the US Geological Survey explains, this is what allows historical maps to be combined with modern spatial data. 

For us, that means a feature shown on an old map can be compared with the current licence boundary, mapped rock units, radiometric readings and sample locations. Each layer of referenced information then helps answer a different question: 

• geological mapping shows which rocks and structures are exposed at the surface 

• radiometric data record changes in natural gamma radiation and can help map surface geology and possible uranium-bearing areas 

• magnetic data can help trace changes in basement rocks and structures beneath surface cover, while electromagnetic data can help outline changes in conductivity, including buried channels 

• geochemical records show the composition of earlier samples and where they were taken 

The value comes from comparison. If interesting features from several independent layers point to the same area, the case for a field check becomes stronger. And — just as importantly — if they do not, the specific area of interest can be revised or set aside. 

Three licences, three questions 

Before looking more closely at each of the three licences, it helps to understand the mines being used as regional reference points: Rössing, Husab and Langer Heinrich, all major, operating open-pit uranium mines in Namibia’s Erongo Region. 

• Rössing has produced uranium since 1976, while production at Husab began in 2016. In 2024, Husab ranked third and Rössing ninth among the world’s uranium mines by output, together accounting for about 11% of global production. At both mines, uranium is associated with intrusive granitic rocks, including alaskite 

• the uranium at Langer Heinrich occurs in calcrete-bearing sediments within an ancient drainage system extending for approximately 15 km; the mine resumed production in March 2024 and produced 4.82 million pounds of uranium oxide in this year to 30 June 2026 

Together, the three mines show that both geological settings have supported uranium production at scale in the region, helping to illustrate the different characteristics we are looking for on each of our own licences. 

• EPL 8617 covers about 10,491.5 hectares, approx 18km east of Rössing and 17 km east of Husab. Historical reports suggest that the intrusive rocks and structures associated with uranium elsewhere in the Valencia–Khan corridor may extend towards the licence, and reported radiometric anomalies provide another indication of potential.  

  The question is whether the rock type, structure and radiometric readings — which record natural radioactivity — point to the same places on EPL 8617. 

• EPL 8208 covers about 7,840.7 hectares and adjoins the mining licences that host Langer Heinrich. The digital assessment highlights interpreted tributaries to the ancient drainage system that hosts the mine, together with elevated radiometric readings.  

  The question here is whether the drainage routes and calcrete-bearing sediments line up with those readings, and whether future fieldwork and surface sampling support the same areas. 

• EPL 9727 covers about 12,081 hectares and presents two different geological target concepts. Its north-eastern area is interpreted to contain cover related to ancient drainage, while its south-western area exposes older basement rocks, including the Bloedkoppie Granite and associated pegmatites.  

  The question is whether fieldwork supports either — or both — ways that uranium can occur in the region. 

These are not three versions of the same target, so the benefit of one digital framework is that we can apply the same standard of evidence while asking a different geological question on each licence. 

What “high priority” means 

The areas identified so far are properly described as preliminary, high-priority conceptual exploration targets. Each word matters: we are able to start prioritising areas that need to be explored. 

From the screen to the ground 

The first phase of digitisation is one part of our broader, staged exploration plan described in the NI 43-101 technical reports filed for the three licences.  

Further integration and analysis are now being used to rank areas for the 2026–2027 exploration programme and determine which, if any, warrant later drill testing. The programme is expected to include: 

• field mapping to confirm whether the expected rocks, structures and drainage features are actually present 

• surface sampling to provide laboratory measurements from the rocks and sediments 

• additional airborne and ground surveys to test whether a response forms part of a coherent target or is only an isolated reading 

The aim is to move from an interesting historical observation to a target supported by numerous lines of evidence — only then can we make a disciplined decision about whether further spending — including drilling — is justified. 

That is the same “earn the right to drill” approach set out in my earlier post. 

The value of digitisation is therefore just not the number of files in a database. It is the ability to compare old information on equal terms, reject weak ideas earlier in the exploration process and send field teams to a smaller number of clearly defined areas with specific questions to answer. 

For EPLs 8617, 8208 and 9727, that common starting point is now in place. The next test is on the ground.