RB 2017/00024 Report on Mineral Systems Drilling Program drillhole MSDP03, Six Mile Hill area.
Published: 01 Aug 2017 Created: 25 Nov 2024 Revised: 13 Jan 2025

MSDP03 is one of four diamond drillholes drilled during 2015 in the Six Mile Hill area as part of the Mineral Systems Drilling Program (MSDP). The hole was drilled vertically to 262.6 m depth over the period 25/9/2015-2/10/2015, and intersected...

MSDP03 is one of four diamond drillholes drilled during 2015 in the Six Mile Hill area as part of the Mineral Systems Drilling Program (MSDP). The hole was drilled vertically to 262.6 m depth over the period 25/9/2015-2/10/2015, and intersected two units from the lower part of the Mesoproterozoic Gawler Range Volcanics, comprising a ‘felsic volcanic unit’ (10.3-102.2 m), and a ‘mafic volcanic unit’ (102.2-262.6 m). This report includes a graphic log, description and interpretation of the main geological features of the lower GRV units in MSDP03, based on detailed logging of both the physical drill core and high resolution core images, as well as thin section petrological observations. The ‘felsic volcanic unit’ is a massive, homogeneous, relatively crystal-rich (25-39 modal %) dacite, which contains phenocrysts of mainly plagioclase and subordinate replaced ferromagnesian minerals, alkali feldspar and rare quartz, set in an originally glassy groundmass. A weak flow foliation occurs near the base of the unit, which is also finely amygdaloidal and weakly brecciated. The dacite is regarded as a coherent body emplaced as a single unit, but, in the absence here of its upper contact, could be interpreted as either a lava flow or a high level sill. The ‘mafic volcanic unit’ comprises 6 mainly aphyric basalt flow units, ranging in thickness from 17-31 m. Many of these flow units have oxidised tops marked by patchy development of abundant small amygdales, which have been interpreted as probable flow-top breccia. The sequence also includes a 16 m thick interval which consists of lengths of coherent basalt to 1 m, which are separated by intervals (to >1 m) of dark, fine monomictic breccia. The boundaries between the basalt and breccia are smoothly curved and dark. This interval has been interpreted as a mixed breccia composed of small pillows or pillow fragments with a hyaloclastite matrix. The base of the mafic volcanic sequence is marked by normally graded pebbly to fine-grained volcaniclastic sandstone, which in thin section, contains a significant amount of felsic volcanic grains.

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About this record

Record No d20011694
Topic Geoscientific Information
Type of Resource Document
Category Type
Document Type Departmental Publication - Geological Survey Geoscience Publication
Contributor
Sponsor DPC Minerals and Energy Resources Group. Geological Survey of South Australia
Tenement
Tenement Holder
Operator
Geological Province
Mine Name
Stratigraphy
Commodity
    Notes
    Notes: The subject drillhole formed part of Stage 1 of the Mineral Systems Drilling Program (MSDP), that involved the Deep Exploration Technologies Cooperative Research Centre (DET CRC) as well as the Geological Survey of South Australia, CSIRO,...

    Notes: The subject drillhole formed part of Stage 1 of the Mineral Systems Drilling Program (MSDP), that involved the Deep Exploration Technologies Cooperative Research Centre (DET CRC) as well as the Geological Survey of South Australia, CSIRO, Olympus-Zeiss and Boart Longyear, plus other research participants and service company affiliates, working on the EL 4494 ground in collaboration with its then licensee, mineral exploration company Kingston Resources Limited (see related exploration reports held separately in Env 12747). This research program was originally established with the aim of unravelling mineral systems associated with newly discovered mineralisation developed along the southern outcrop margin of the Gawler Range Volcanics (GRV) sequence. Another important aspect of the MSDP was to map any mineral alteration sequences that occur within the GRV and underlying rocks, and incorporate this knowledge into regional geochemical databases that will enable better recognition of subtle and distal alteration haloes related to known IOCG deposits. The MSDP also provided an early opportunity to field test DET CRC's revolutionary new technologies such as the Wireless Sub, Fluid Management System, AutoSonde, AutoShuttle and especially, Lab-at-Rig, in a conventional 24/7 soft and hard rock diamond drilling situation. Geographic Locality: South-eastern Gawler Ranges;Six Mile Hill;Illeroo Station Doc No: RB 2017/00024 Drillhole: MSDP03;(287997)

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    Language English
    Metadata Standard ISO 19115-3

    Citations

    Use constraints License
    License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
    Persistent identifier https://pid.sarig.sa.gov.au/document/d20011694
    Citation Simpson, C. 2017. RB 2017/00024 Report on Mineral Systems Drilling Program drillhole MSDP03, Six Mile Hill area. Departmental Publication - Geological Survey Geoscience Publication. Government of South Australia.
    https://pid.sarig.sa.gov.au/document/d20011694

    Technical information

    Status
    Maintenance and Update Frequency
    Geographic Reference GDA2020 (EPSG:7844)
    Geo bounding box {"type":"Polygon","coordinates":[[[137,-32.5],[137.5,-32.5],[137.5,-32],[137,-32],[137,-32.5]]]}
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