Exploration for possible ancient beach strandline heavy mineral sand placer deposits formed within the Pleistocene Bridgewater Formation has been undertaken in the State's South-East region. This pioneering on-ground work came about after several...
Exploration for possible ancient beach strandline heavy mineral sand placer deposits formed within the Pleistocene Bridgewater Formation has been undertaken in the State's South-East region. This pioneering on-ground work came about after several years of formulation of exploration concepts by consultant C.E. Larson, who in 1969 had first noticed similarities in the South-East's preserved near-coastal geological and geomorphological setting with the northern NSW - southern Qld and Jurien - Eneabba, WA areas where large commercial mineral sand deposits occur. Project activities have consisted of carrying out a detailed photogeological study, drilling 24 auger holes totalling 189 m, collecting 232 rock chip samples in a regional mapping and sampling programme, determining petrology and heavy mineral percentages of 144 rock samples, identifying and analysing the composition of heavy minerals recovered from 7 samples, and examining ground water bore stratigraphic data. This work has resolved that there is only a low chance for finding a Cainozoic fossil heavy mineral beach sand deposit in the region. The best grade samples collected within EL 169 contained only an average 0.45% by weight of heavy minerals, with a mineral assemblage composed of 9% rutile, 9% zircon and 32% ilmenite.
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