jʊɹɹˈeɪniəm ɛksploːɹˈeɪʃən wʌz kˈæɹid ˈaʊt baɪ ɐ dʒˈɔɪnt vˈɛntʃɚ lˈɛd baɪ jˈʊɹɹɐnˌɜːz ɛksploːɹˈeɪʃən ænd mˈaɪnɪŋ, ɐ sʌbsˈɪdjɚɹi ʌv dʒˈɜːmən jˈʊɹɹɐnɚzbɚɡbˌaʊ dʒˌiːˌɛmbˈiː ˈeɪtʃ. jʊɹɹˈeɪniəm ɐnˈɑːməliz ɪn lˈeɪk wˈɔːɾɚ dɪtˈɛktᵻd ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪksti nˈaɪn wɜː fˈɑːloʊd ˌʌp ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti wˈʌn wɪððə loʊkˈeɪʃən ʌv ɹˌeɪdɪoʊˈæktɪv pˈɪtʃbəlnd bˈoʊldɚz ɪn tɹænspˈoːɹɾᵻd ˌoʊvɚbˈɜːdən, wˌɪtʃ wɜːɹ ᵻvˈɛntʃuːəli fˈɑːloʊd bˈæk tə ðɛɹ sˈoːɹs, ɹɪzˈʌltɪŋ ɪnðə dɪskˈʌvɚɹi ʌvðə ɡˈɛɹtnɚɹ ˈoːɹbɑːdi ʌvðə kˈiː lˈeɪk dᵻpˈɑːzɪts ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti fˈaɪv.
Uranium exploration was carried out by a joint venture led by Uranerz Exploration and Mining, a subsidiary of German Uranerzbergbau GmbH. Uranium anomalies in lake water detected in 1969 were followed up in 1971 with the location of radioactive pitchblende boulders in transported overburden, which were eventually followed back to their source, resulting in the discovery of the Gaertner orebody of the Key Lake deposits in 1975.