The Oodnadatta Project consisted originally of twelve exploration licenses covering 7125 square km in far northern South Australia, this mainly being ground situated to the south and south-east of Oodnadatta. Uranium Equities Limited (UEQ)...
The Oodnadatta Project consisted originally of twelve exploration licenses covering 7125 square km in far northern South Australia, this mainly being ground situated to the south and south-east of Oodnadatta. Uranium Equities Limited (UEQ) believed that the project area could be highly prospective for both buried sediment-hosted uranium occurrences and buried iron oxide - associated copper-gold (IOCG) deposits. It was thought that previously, exploration for these commodities done within the region had only been sparse and unsystematic. The large extent of ground had been taken up because numerous untested but significant coincident magnetic and gravity anomalies had been identified within a west-northwest trending structural corridor situated along the northern margin of the Gawler Craton, within and adjacent to the regionally significant ‘G2 Lineament Corridor’, a major crustal lineament on which the Olympic Dam deposit is located. Prior to the first year of the project, UEQ engaged Chrysoar Exploration Pty Ltd to undertake a regional evaluation of the night time thermal infrared (NTIR) emission spectral data obtained by MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) satellites. Data for selected day and night time thermal bands were acquired in June 2010 and analysed to identify potential palaeochannels which would be associated with signals indicating contrasting moisture content. The NTIR image revealed palaeodrainage from the Gawler Craton leading eastwards, and from the Peake – Denison Inlier draining westwards, debouching into a large catchment area which overlies carbonaceous reducing agents associated with the East Wintinna coal deposits. UEQ inferred that the latter might contain complex stacked deltaic sedimentary systems which could have multiple trap sites for sandstone-hosted uranium mineralisation. Another set of features highlighted on the image was some probable kaolin-rich regolith zones overlying concealed granitoid basement rocks. In January 2011, consultant IOCG expert geophysicist Jim Hanneson was commissioned to undertake detailed modelling of regional gravity and magnetic data exhibiting multiple anomalies. A range of target source depths were derived, down to 550 m for the principal gravity anomalies. A wider range of results was derived from studying the magnetic anomalies, with those larger and higher priority ones expected to originate from bodies lying at between 1000 m and 1500 m. Within the Peake and Denison Domain, magnetic data were interpreted and mapped to show the distribution of basement blocks and magnetic alteration patterns within the Archaean to Mesoproterozoic basement. The alteration patterns suggested that there had been some movement along these structures during Hiltaba Event time. The prominent structural trends, defined by patterns in the magnetic and gravity data, appeared to be aligned in NE and NW to NNW directions. Southern Geoscience Consultants were also retained during June 2011 to model seven significant regional magnetic anomalies, some being treated in common with gravity data inversion modelling. Again a broad range of permissible source depth solutions was produced, dependent on the assumptions, algorithms and limiting parameters used in the modelling. A lack of detailed geophysical coverage in most places hampered resolution of what appeared to be large and deep anomalies which could represent IOCG(U) style alteration systems. During the second year of the project, UEQ was able to access additional local vintage survey open file gravity and magnetic data through the assistance of DMITRE, which allowed Jim Hanneson to revise his geophysical models for three of the priority magnetic anomalies, Target 5, Ood-3c and Target 7, which each had an inferred ~100 square km footprint. Although the data coverage for each target remained patchy, especially for gravity, more details of the features were able to be modelled, including the degrees of coincidence of internal gravity and magnetic highs. At the end of this reporting year, after reviewing the status of key focus areas, UEQ decided to reduce the size of its Oodnadatta Project tenement holding. ELs 4678, 4680, 4681, 4685 and 4689 on which no work had been done were fully surrendered, and partial surrenders of ground were made to ELs 4679, 4683, 4684 and 4686. As a result, the reduced total area held became 4860 square km. During the third year of the project, activity consisted of further office-based research and geophysical data modelling and targeting. A quantity of newly released open file exploration data was obtained [ early stage releases made under the SA Mining Act Sunset Clause provisions] , including new drillhole information, geological maps, and gravity, magnetic and geochemical sampling data generated in the past ten years. The additional gravity data were used to update residual gravity anomaly images and models, and some newfound petrophysical data from recent drillhole samples were used to better constrain rock density values applied to those models. Based on this work, the current prospectivity concepts for the project were compiled during May-June 2013 for issue as a private and confidential Information Memorandum. This document also contained an historical exploration summary and the recommendations for further work in the region. It was distributed to potential corporate investors, which resulted in a new joint venture agreement being made between UEQ and Chalice Gold Mines Limited early in October 2013, to provide funds for ongoing exploration. This programme was initially going to consist of the acquisition of regional infill gravity data over specific targets. Southern Geoscience Consultants were retained again late in 2013 to model the existing augmented gravity data over the Northern and Thring IOCG targets, to help guide the JV partners' decisions on where exactly to acquire infill gravity readings which would better define their source body size and geometry. During the fourth year of the project, in April 2014, helicopter-assisted infill ground gravity surveys totalling 1288 stations were read at five targets, Waterhouse, Todmorden, Thring, Kekwick 3 and Kekwick 4. Survey grid station spacings varied from 250 m x 1 km to 250 m x 250 m. Following receipt of the processed new gravity data, and their merging with existing gravity datasets, the targets were remodelled by Southern Geoscience Consultants to create 3D inversion density shells/isosurfaces to aid visualisation of the anomalies' source bodies. Subsequently, due to difficulties experienced in trying to raise capital that would allow exploration to proceed to the prospect drill testing stage, a corporate decision was made in August 2014 to fully surrender all of the remaining Oodnadatta Project tenements.
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