A very small area centred ~70 km south-east of Olary, and lying immediately west of the SA / NSW border and on the northern edge of the Murray Basin, has been explored for possible economic stratabound iron ore occurrences within concealed...
A very small area centred ~70 km south-east of Olary, and lying immediately west of the SA / NSW border and on the northern edge of the Murray Basin, has been explored for possible economic stratabound iron ore occurrences within concealed Neoproterozoic bedrock. This particular piece of ground was taken up by Wentworth Metals Group Pty Ltd (WMG) to assess the economic potential of the tillitic/siltstone Braemar Iron Formation, which was thought to shallowly subcrop in the area beneath mainly Recent alluvium covered plains. It was inferred that any significant iron mineralisation encountered there might represent the south-westwards continuation from inside NSW of Carpentaria Exploration's Hawsons magnetite deposit. During the first year of the subject licence, in September-October 2010, aerial geophysical survey contractor GPX Airborne was hired to fly 540 line km of fixed-wing aircraft instrument platform, combined magnetic, radiometric and digital elevation model coverage over the western two-thirds of the subject EL 4549 along 100 m spaced N-S lines, with a 30 m sensor mean terrain clearance. The resulting magnetic field intensity data were reported to have a dynamic range extending up to 1900 nT. They outlined a NE-SW trending linear magnetic feature running centrally through the licence area, with its interpreted sources becoming more deeply buried going towards the south-west. The chain of anomalies was forward modelled by WMG's geophysical consultant to estimate possible depths to and dips of various buried structures that might contain significant amounts of magnetite. During November 2010, WMG employed a contractor from overseas, [? Ukranian] company Onyx, Inc., to acquire surface geophysical readings using the âPassive Magnetic Resonance Subsurface Explorationâ (PMRSE) technique. This survey method is new to Australia, apparently, and remains unproven by the local mineral exploration industry â WMG confidently tout it as being cheap âvirtual drillingâ for the iron explorer that is capable of locating buried magnetite bodies down to depths of 250-300 m, and of providing estimates of the magnetite-haematite ratio of susceptible iron oxide mineralisation. The contractor made 4 angled (to a maximum depth of 420 m @ 45 degrees dip) and 2 vertical PMRSE depth soundings at six sites on EL 4549, and the resulting processed 'virtual drillhole' data are tabulated. Some later-provided depth sounding layer plots and Fe3O4 compositional results are also presented in a pseudo-structural profile. Along the trend of the aeromagnetic feature within EL 4549, it was interpreted that three magnetite-rich beds aggregating 360 m thick dip north-westwards at 40-50 degrees from the horizontal, and it is indicated from the PMRSE data that they may contain magnetite (Fe3O4) grading in places up to 25.5%, although the statistical average content is 15.8%. No further work, i.e. a planned exploratory drilling campaign, was performed on the subject licence during the following four years, due to purported delays in satisfactorily concluding with the Wilyakali claimant group the Native Title negotiations necessary for gaining land access, which therefore was being denied. During licence Year 5, on 27/5/2015, WMG submitted to DSD an application for renewal of the licence (ELA 2015/00102), but on 2/9/2016 the Minister of Mines refused to approve the grant of a succeeding licence to the company since evidence of its adequate financial means had not been provided to DSD over the intervening period, despite requests made to WMG to do so. Due to this non-compliance with requirements, and because of WMG's poor performance in meeting past expenditure commitments, its prior tenure of EL 4549 was deemed to have been cancelled.
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