Twelve licence areas owned and operated by Gold Fields Australasia (GFA), comprising two subareas respectively located approximately 50 km east of Burra and 15 km south-east of the Benda Range, on the eastern edge of the Adelaide Fold Belt, are being explored for possible economic stratabound orogenic style disseminated gold mineralisation of the type found at the Telfer deposit in Western Australia (having an indicated resource > 26 Moz gold). Parameters considered important for the formation of large orogenic gold deposits, such as Telfer, that GFA believes are evident within the fold belt, include: - shallow marine host sediments of the Neoproterozoic Wilpena Group, which have been inverted, folded and faulted in response to at least one major orogenic event, the Cambro-Ordovician Delamerian Orogeny. A second orogenic event, the Ordovician Benambran Orogeny, is also likely to have impacted on the fold belt. This second orogenic event is responsible for the vein hosted orogenic gold deposits in the Bendigo Zone of central Victoria (approximately 50 Moz of gold production to date); - major craton margin mantle-tapping structures; - open folding of the thick sequence of shallow marine sediments (the Wilpena Group) which are interpreted to include reduced fine grained sediments. Other geological factors of relevance to this gold genetic model which also exist in the Adelaide Fold Belt are submarine lavas and intrusive igneous bodies, greenschist facies metamorphism, major orocline subparallel fault structures, long lived, intersecting large scale lineaments or cross-orogen structures, and syn to post-orogenic granitoid intrusions. The area covered by GFA's project tenements has been only sporadically explored in the past, with most previous work concentrating on uranium, heavy minerals and coal potential within upper Murray Basin sediments, and only very limited exploration being done to look for gold and base metals in the underlying basement geology. This has resulted in only about 26 holes penetrating into basement across the entire 5604 square km project area. On-ground field work on this greenfields project area began in April 2007 with the acquisition of a detailed gravity survey comprising 1210 new gravity stations, read at a 1.5 km x 1.5 km regular grid spacing over parts of ELs 3624 and 3625 (held by GFA) and the adjoining tenements ELs 3627 and 3539 (held by Australian Zircon NL and Steiner Holdings Pty Ltd respectively). Beforehand, a trial 156 line km ‘SkyTEM’ helicopter-borne time-domain electromagnetic (TDEM) survey was flown for GFA during November 2006 by Geoforce Pty Ltd, over a similar area to that of the gravity survey, to investigate the suitability of the SkyTEM system for reliably identifying the bedrock-cover interface at depths between 100 and 300 m. From existing local drillhole evidence, it was expected that the TDEM method would detect weathered (but non-conductive) basement forming a palaeo-weathering profile 30 to 60 m thick. The test survey results indicated that this system was relatively effective at identifying basement through the overlying Murray Basin cover. On inverted resistivity sections, non-conductive basement was identified at depths mostly between 150 and 200 m, the shallowest interpreted depth being approximately 120 m. During July-August 2007, 15 vertical aircore exploratory holes with a total penetration of 2539 m were drilled at 1 km spacing along a single north-south traverse located to the north of Pine Valley Homestead on EL 3264, as part of a planned future, larger reconnaissance style program aimed at testing the basement geology over camp-scale target areas. All of the holes successfully drilled through the unconsolidated Cainozoic Murray Basin cover sequence to reach underlying basement rock. The top-of-basement geology is dominated by metasediments (metasiltstone, shale and metasandstone to granular conglomerate), typically oxidised and having sericite (± chlorite)-limonite alteration. Weathered mafic igneous rock was identified in two holes during initial logging, and later petrological examinations confirmed the occurrence of probable basalt in hole DEL07AC012, and a highly weathered (to clay), carbonate-flooded mafic igneous rock (basalt or dolerite chilled margin) in hole DEL07AC015. DEL07AC007 encountered laminated quartz-sericite schist. Minor to moderately extensive quartz veined intervals were found in a number of holes. Multi-element analysis of drillhole samples collected at depth intervals varying from minimal 2-metre intervals to composited wider intervals of up to 10 m, was undertaken to look for indications of subtle (or obvious) geochemical dispersive halo effects that could be used to vector towards buried mineralisation within the basement. The initial results obtained from a broad suite of elements revealed that the most elevated (but minor) assay values occur within the Bookpurnong Formation carbonaceous clay zone, which appears to act as a geochemical sponge. The fossiliferous marl typically encountered within the transition zone between the base of the Murray Basin sediment sequence and basement also consistently showed enriched element values such as elevated arsenic. High calcium is characteristic of both the upper calcrete zone and the abundant shell content associated with the fossiliferous marl zone at the base of cover. During the second year of the Delamerian Gold Project, GFA maintained a continuous aircore drilling campaign at typically 1 km spacing along broadly spaced traverses located on three of its tenements, completing a total of 52 vertical holes for 9633 m. 39 of these holes successfully drilled through the unconsolidated Murray Basin cover sequence and reached basement. The uppermost basement geology revealed in these holes is dominated by variably strained and folded metasediments (metasiltstone, shale and metasandstone to granular conglomerate), typically oxidized and with sericite (+ chlorite)-limonite alteration. Weathered mafic igneous rock was identified in six holes, when detailed petrographic examinations of drill cuttings samples confirmed altered dolerite in hole DEL07AC23 and probable basalt or dolerite in hole DEL07AC016; DEL07AC031 encountered possible dacite or andesite, and DEL08AC063 encountered a foliated, decomposed gneiss; foliated (micaceous and quartz-bearing) limestone was encountered in DEL07AC025c, and DEL07AC030 encountered sheared and foliated mixed mafic to felsic coarse tuff or mixed volcaniclastic granule conglomerate. 869 drill cuttings samples were submitted for broad multi-element geochemical analysis. Low level elevated values were returned for a number of pathfinder and indicator elements, including 14 samples that reported greater than or equal to 5 ppb Au. Various unconstrained and constrained geophysical inversion models for depth to basement were computed based on gravity data collected in the 2006/2007 period, with two constrained inversions (shallow and deep) representing the current best fit endpoints to basement depths known from drillhole data. The inversion misfits for both models were reasonable, but will be improved with the exercise of further processing and model constraints. Due to substantial increases in drilling downtime and costs experienced in the southern parts of the project area, when attempting to drill through cover thicknesses of around 200 m or greater, it was decided in April 2008 to avoid drilling further holes where the ground conditions are likely to cause losses of drill rods downhole and excessive wear and tear on the drill rig. Continued reconnaissance aircore drilling during the third project year, again conducted along a number of broadly-spaced traverses in five selected target areas where basement was expected to lie at depths of less than 150 m, consisted of 86 vertical holes completed for a total of 17,077 m. 68 of these holes successfully reached and penetrated the pre-Cenozoic basement. The basement geology in these holes is dominated by variably strained metasediments (siltstone and shales), typically oxidized and with chlorite +sericite-biotite-carbonate-limonite alteration. 21 basement drill cuttings samples were submitted for petrographic description, and a total of 2026 drill samples were submitted for gold and multi-element assaying. Several regional geochemical anomalies in low level gold and important pathfinder elements were defined within 3 target areas, and earmarked for further follow-up. The drilling also disclosed a fourth prospect, the Samsons Well Road Ag-Cu-Zn anomaly, the location of which had not been defined by GFA's prior prospectivity mapping. Gravity coverage of the project area was extended to the south-west of the previous grids during February 2009, when 773 new stations were read to the west and north-west of Morgan on a regular 2 km x 2 km grid encompassing parts of five licence areas. During Year 4 of the project, work was focussed on areas of shallower cover over two regional scale structural targets (the Florieton Fault and the Teal Flat Shear Zone). GFA began interpreting a regional structural framework from the results of its new geophysical data, surface geochemical sampling and regolith mapping, aided by the inspection of samples from 13 historic drill holes archived at PIRSA's Glenside Core Storage Facility. Soil sampling (581 samples assayed) defined several geochemical anomalies [that are currently being tested by close-spaced aircore drilling - with 12 holes for 1584.4 m completed to date]. A single stratigraphic diamond hole, DEL10ACD001, was drilled during August 2010 to a total depth of 523.7 m (311.1 m cored) on the geochemically anomalous Haylands target, with the aim of better determining the local stratigraphy, structural regime and absolute ages of the Delamerian bedrock package. This program was supported by the grant of a $60,000 PACE Initiative Collaborative Drilling subsidy from the South Australian Government, which had been approved as Project DPY6-25 (see related Env 12175). In the target area, during GFA's 2009 drilling program, hole DEL09AC144 drilled alongside the Stock Route Road had returned 2 m @ 0.93 g/t Au from 200 m and 64 m @ 0.6 g/t Ag (incl 12 m @ 1 g/t from 168 m) in quartz veining within a biotite-magnetite-garnet (?altered) rock. Copper and zinc assay values were also very high, as well as those of the pathfinder elements Bi, Mo, Pb and Sb. This intercept occurs on the contact between a magnetic mafic igneous rock and metasediments. Aircore drilling of the Teal Flat target on EL 3736 began in August 2010, as follow-up to soil anomalies detected on a 1 km x 1 km grid in December 2009. These anomalies included: • Several areas of elevated arsenic seen along the Florieton Fault, and the interpreted extension of the Teal Flat Shear Zone to the east. • Combined Zn-Pb anomalies coinciding with a discrete gravity high over the Teal Flat Shear Zone, which were believed to represent a possible basement high and/or mafic volcanic package. Structural targets thought to be splays/thrusts and a possible extensional basin controlled by the first order NNE trending regional Teal Flat Shear Zone were drilled with 11 holes put in on a 400 m x 1.6 km hole spacing. Bedrock lithologies encountered by the drilling included siltstone to metasiltstone, with intrusive igneous rocks noted in holes DEL10AC171 and DEL10AC173. These were described as moderate sericite-chlorite+/-albite altered microdiorite to diorite, hosting minor epidote-carbonate+/-quartz veining. Observed mineralisation is limited to minor disseminated pyrite within DEL10AC171, and iron oxide after sulphides in vuggy quartz veins in DEL10AC176. A planned 156 hole aircore drilling program was started on the Florieton Fault prospect late in August 2010, to test soil geochemical anomalies and structural targets on a 400 m x 1.6 km and 400 m x 3.2 km drillhole pattern. Until the end of Year 4, only one hole (DEL10AC180) had been completed for 119 m on the southernmost drill traverse. Prior to the commencement of drilling in 2010, a regional structural framework interpreted from geophysical data was completed for GFA by consultants Rankin Consultancy (trading as Geointerp). Their report contains 1:200K scale observation layers, maps of interpreted geological units and faults (from RTP and RTP/1vd magnetic), and maps summarising the main tectonic elements of the project area, as deduced from magnetic and gravity data. A description of some 60 structural target areas was also provided as an appendix to the report. Key findings from the report include: • Orogen-parallel structures comprise low angle thrusts and steep, concealed fault zones which represent reactivated early basin/basement extensional faults. • The orogen is intersected by both NNW and NNE trending structural corridors, which may also be reactivated early structures. A prominent NNW structural corridor in the south is coincident with the G2 lineament. • Orogenic intrusive igneous bodies were emplaced along a major structural corridor that includes the Redan Fault and Teal Flat/Marne River Shear Zones. The interaction of the TFSZ and the NNW/G2 fault zones resulted in a complex subdomain resembling a north-south sinistral horsetail splay. • Several elliptical magnetic complexes south-east of the Anabama Granite may represent domal complexes associated with buried plutons. • Known gold mineralisation occurs in clusters, which appear to be associated with the intersections of orogeny-parallel structures with NNW or NNE structural corridors. During Year 5 of the project, exploration activity was mainly a continuation of aircore drilling to test the Florieton Fault prospect, where fault splays and a possible extensional basin form the targets. 101 new vertical holes were completed on ELs 3736 and 3970 along east-west traverses, for a total penetration of 4337.2 m, at traverse spacings of either 1.6 km or 3.2 km and inter-hole separations of 400 m. Other work comprised the conduct of ASD spectral analysis and petrographic examinations of diamond drill cores obtained previously from the Haylands and Teal Flat prospects, and the collection for assay of 2 rock chip samples from basement outcrops located 1.8 km east of the Florieton Fault zone on EL 3736. During Year 6 of the project, in June 2012, to map structural features hidden under cover, a 205 line km ground magnetic survey was read over the Florieton prospect along east-west lines 50 m apart, after ground gravity surveys had earlier been acquired in February 2012 on the Canegrass and Florieton prospects, with 132 and 107 new gravity stations read there respectively on 200 m x 200 m and 200 m x 400 m grids. The detailed gravity and magnetic data provided valuable insights about the positions and geometry of inferred prospective basement features. The next stage of work involved exploratory aircore drilling, mainly focussed on infilling and extending drill traverse coverage of the Canegrass and Florieton prospects; this programme was later augmented by limited reconnaissance aircore and rotary mud / diamond drilling of the Haylands South and Blanchetown targets. In total, 73 holes were completed for at total advancement of 8909.4 m, which comprised 94.6 m of diamond coring, 1077.8 m of rotary mud precollars and 7917 m of aircore holes. 66 of the holes were able to reach basement, but the others failed and were stopped within the cover due to the equipment used being unable to cope with adverse factors like thick intervals of running sand, aquifers, bands of silcrete, and partially lithified Tertiary sedimentary sequences. Difficult ground conditions encountered within deep cover near Blanchetown necessitated changing the design of 4 of the 13 aircore holes planned for there to become deep rotary mud precollars, with the addition of short, 10 m to 20 m long diamond cored tails. Results gained from this work showed that there have been two separate mineralising events at the Florieton prospect, one emplacing gold and the other copper-molybdenum mineralisation, while the gold anomaly at the Canegrass prospect is related to a north-south trending, weakly sericite altered arsenic and pyrite-rich zone within interpreted Kanmantoo Group meta-mudstone. Copper and zinc anomalism was noted in the reconnaissance drilling near Blanchetown, which was coincident with breaks in the magnetic features. Goldfields believed that this latter area still remains prospective for a primary VMS-style of mineralisation, however, the company also thought that the lack of gold anomalism was discouraging for locating an orogenic gold deposit.