An area centred about 30 km south-east of Burra has been explored for possible buried economic Burra style copper mineralisation and for Mongolata Goldfield type alluvial and reef gold. The host metasedimentary unit to the Monster mine, the...
An area centred about 30 km south-east of Burra has been explored for possible buried economic Burra style copper mineralisation and for Mongolata Goldfield type alluvial and reef gold. The host metasedimentary unit to the Monster mine, the Skillogalee Dolomite, was the primary target in places where fold structures within it could have given a focus to mineralising fluids. However, the Adelaidean bedrock across more than half of the licence area is shrouded by Tertiary and younger cover that varies between 1 m and >80 m thick. Licence operator Archer Exploration began its fieldwork via surface geochemical sampling that was aimed at following up past-reported geochemical anomalies in copper and gold. During the first licence year, 110 rock chip samples and 729 soil samples were collected and analysed for a wide range of elements. Significant but restricted gold and copper anomalies were detected near historic workings at Fairfield and Robertstown. 93 shallow auger holes were completed at the Robertstown anomaly to delineate it as a possible drilling target. Archer observed that ferruginous and probable potassic alteration of the Skillogalee Dolomite is associated with elevated copper and gold values, and planned to use this relationship elsewhere on the licence as a vector to mineralisation. The company also performed reprocessing and image interpretation of available regional geophysical data, hoping to reveal bedrock structures which might be prospective for trapping hydrothermal fluids. Interpretation of the magnetic data revealed evidence of several buried fold hinges and a possible large shear. Inspection of the airborne radiometric data showed that there was no discernable relationship between the statistically derived U channel radiometric response and phosphate occurrence. No field work took place in Year 2. Instead, Archer re-assayed the previous year's soil samples using partial leach techniques with a lower detection limit, to try to better resolve minor trace element variability. During the third licence year, 11 rock chip samples were collected from the historic Fairview phosphate mine and an iron rich outcrop to the north, which the company thought might represent the Mimic lode exposed at the surface. After reviewing their assay results, Archer concluded that the bedrock P enrichment in the Fairview area is due to deeply weathered cross-cutting structures, and consequently, that any enrichment in phosphate is surficial only. During the fourth licence year, Archer conducted further investigations into the past mining history of the Fairview and Robertstown prospects. Although the creation in the latter area of a number of underground workings was formerly recorded, they could not be located any more. To try to pinpoint the particular lodes from which production of gold, silver and copper had been referred to in historic reports, the company contracted the flying of a detailed airborne EM survey over both of the above prospects to try to detect conductive bodies. 393 line km of REPTEM data were acquired on two grids over the period September-December 2012, utilising a 100 m/50 m variable direction flight line spacing and a sensor height of 80 m above the ground surface. Also during this year, 29 additional rock chip samples were collected from the northern part of the licence area, some for assessing the phosphate potential of certain outcrops, and some to test the ground surrounding the Mimic lode. Minor gold anomalism was found there. During the fifth licence year, an attempt was made via exploratory drilling to locate the now infilled workings of the historic Robertstown silver and copper mines, inferred to be in positions as described on the DMITRE MINDEP database that was accessed via the SARIG website. 10 inclined RC holes with a total penetration of 592 m were drilled in April-May 2013, but all failed to encounter any significant mineralisation or evidence of underground openings. Over the following two years, no further field work was conducted. Additional archival research was done about determining the concealed collar location of the 63 m deep main underlie shaft of the Robertson silver-lead mine, the construction and sampling of which had been described in the SA Mining Reviews 17, 18 and 19, but no firm conclusion was reached. Once satisfactory rehabilitation of its above-mentioned used drilling sites had been completed, the licensee made a decision to allow tenure to lapse.
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