Work targeting Archaean to Proterozoic iron ore in BIF that was carried out by the Iron Road JV partners during 2010-2011 comprised studies of the geological setting and physical characteristics of magnetite iron mineralisation delineated by Stage...
Work targeting Archaean to Proterozoic iron ore in BIF that was carried out by the Iron Road JV partners during 2010-2011 comprised studies of the geological setting and physical characteristics of magnetite iron mineralisation delineated by Stage I RC drilling undertaken on EL 4014 Mulgathing over the period March-May 2010, when 81 inclined holes for 6101 m were completed along 14 traverses to investigate nine high priority geophysical targets. The Boomer prospect is a newly discovered magnetite deposit that lies 6 km west of Mount Christie, buried under 25 m of cover. The bedrock magnetite mineralisation has a thin cap of hematite-rich mineralisation, and occurs in an up to 110 m wide zone of steeply dipping and complexly folded and faulted magnetite gneiss. The magnetite gneiss has been traced along strike for at least 500 m and is also open at depth. Drill sample assaying of in situ BIF strata from the Boomer prospect returned an average grade of 27.3% Fe. The results of a pilot metallurgical beneficiation study of selected downhole drill chip samples from the Boomer prospect showed that a blast furnace grade magnetite concentrate can be produced at a relatively coarse grinding size of 106 microns (P80), which is coarser than the stated concentrate sizes able to be produced from most other magnetite projects in Australia. 82 samples of 4-metre composited drill cuttings samples from Stage I drillholes underwent DTR tests and chemical analysis of head grade and concentrate grade. Average results for the latter, determined using an industry standard 75 microns grind (P100), were 69.6% Fe, 1.4% SiO2 and 1.0% Al2O3. During the 2011-2012 reporting year, the Iron Road JV partners conducted a Stage II iron ore prospect evaluation drilling campaign at four targets, when 9 HQ/NQ fully diamond cored, mostly inclined holes for 1433 m (with 9.3 m of rotary mud precollar drilled in hole GWL077) were completed to obtain gyro survey - oriented drill core samples to use for geological characterisation of magnetite mineralisation and for petrological studies and further metallurgical testing. 505 drill core samples from three holes representative of the three priority targets were XRF assayed for major element geochemistry, and 19 core samples were examined petrographically. In addition, downhole wireline geophysical logs were recorded in six of the Stage II holes and in 23 of the Stage I holes. The last of the Stage II drillholes (fully diamond cored but vertical hole IRD081 drilled to TD 161.95 m) tested a large gravity anomaly referred to as the George Hill Extended target. During the 2012-2013 reporting year, in April and May 2013, the Iron Road JV partners conducted a Stage III iron ore evaluation drilling campaign wholly at the Boomer prospect, when 3 inclined diamond holes with RC precollars totalling 669 m (GWL082, GWL083 and GWL085), and 23 inclined RC holes for 3792 m, were completed, followed by the conduct in them of downhole wireline geophysical surveys, and XRF analyses of drill core samples. 3 of the RC holes (nos 88, 90 and 105) had to be abandoned prematurely because the UDR650 rig experienced insurmountable drilling difficulties. The Stage III drilling programme of deposit infill and extensional holes provided the JV with important new information on the geology and structure of iron mineralisation in the Boomer occurrence. The mineralisation can be subdivided into two main styles informally referred to as banded facies (BF) and disseminated facies (DF). BF mineralisation is characterised by a banded texture that is defined by alternating coarse grained magnetite and quartz-rich layers. It is iron-rich, with grades >30 % Fe. But the bulk of the magnetite gneiss intersected in the Stage III drilling is of DF style, showing an interlayering of thin (typically <15 cm) zones of BF with finer grained disseminated magnetite-bearing gneiss. DF mineralisation has a lower head grade than BF, averaging in the range 20% – 26% Fe. The host Mulgathing Complex shows evidence of at least two deformation events. The overall northerly trend of the bedrock strata is interpreted to be the result of folding and granulite facies metamorphism which occurred during the Sleafordian Orogeny (~2640-2300 Ma). This metamorphic fabric has become overprinted by retrogressive amphibolite facies metamorphism that occurred during the Kimban Orogeny (1850-1700 Ma), when the unit was extensively intruded by synorogenic granite. Deformation during the latter event resulted in the formation of distinct north-easterly trending regional mylonite zones. The conduct of detailed metallurgical studies of all core samples recovered from Boomer was planned, in preparation for a making a scoping study of the potential economic viability of undertaking a small-scale mixed haematite/magnetite mining operation there. During the 2013-2014 reporting year, the Iron Road JV did no new work. A survey of native vegetation was conducted at various sites on EL 5298 Mulgathing by consultants Jacobs (formerly SRK). No exploration for gold was performed by the Southern Cross / Trafford Resources JV on relevant Gawler Central Project exploration licences over the period 2010 to 2014. Mine development geological appraisal work, including underground diamond drilling and surface-based RC drilling and sampling from various drill collar locations on the Challenger gold mine 3D grid which subtends ML 6103, continued steadily over this period. During the 2014-2015 reporting year, in May 2015, Challenger Gold's JV partner Trafford Resources merged with IronClad Mining Limited. In July 2015, IronClad changed its name to Tyranna Resources Limited. No work was done by either of the joint venture consortia over this period. Trafford Resources applied for and was granted subsidy funding for its planned drilling at the Golf Bore gold prospect, which was granted under the PACE Initiative Year 8 industry/government collaborative drilling programme as project DPY8-20 (see the project final report held separately in Env 12978). The proposed work was scheduled to occur later in 2015. Prior to undertaking this drilling, the interpretation made from Southern Gold's previous drilling results was that there were three confirmed zones of gold mineralisation present in the South, Central and North portions of the Golf Bore orebody, developed along an 800 m strike length. One of the DPY8-20 drilling objectives was to test more fully between these zones to investigate if the mineralisation could be connected. During the 2015-2016 reporting year, Tyranna Resources and its two partners in the Western Gawler Craton gold-only exploration joint venture, Challenger Gold Operations and Coombedown Resources, undertook substantial exploratory RC drilling across five prospects, besides doing infill soil and calcrete geochemical sampling over another ten prospects. Two separate campaigns of drilling involving 204 vertical or inclined RC holes with a total penetration of 12,320 m were carried out at Golf Bore Central and North, Mainwood, Greenewood and Campfire Bore prospects. The first campaign of 89 holes was conduced wholly at Golf Bore Central in August-September 2015, in fulfilment of PACE Project DPY8-20. It revealed a possible connection within the regolith between the mineralised central and southern zones, plus a possible geometry of higher gold grade distribution in 3D beneath the central zone which mimics the 30 degrees north-plunging primary vein structure mapped at the Challenger deposit. The grade and size of the Golf Bore Central structure is not of the same magnitude as the main Challenger vein, however, the prospect's 800 m extent of supergene mineralisation along strike is almost double the length of that seen at Challenger. This may indicate that a series of similar structures underlie Golf Bore, and that this is merely the first such one which has been discovered. The surface geochemical sampling done in February 2016 collected a total of 1103 calcrete and 274 soil samples. Regolith profiles disclosed by both the surface sampling and the drilling were studied by Ken Collison to try to identify patterns which might confer a more reliable, wholly useful method of mineralisation detection in the Christie Domain region, where calcrete development is patchy and taking a simplistic approach to using it as a sample medium can result in broad, false or missed anomalies. To investigate the utility of using soil geochemistry to "tighten up" existing spotty calcrete gold anomalism, orientation soil sampling was undertaken at prospects where detailed infill soil geochemical data had not previously been collected (Black Knight, Brickies North and South, Breakaway Bore, South Hilga, Thunderbolt Tank), whilst at some other prospects (Campfire Bore, Mainwood, Typhoon) infill grid soil sampling was done that used the most effective sample size fraction where this had already been defined historically. The orientation soil sampling involved taking 3 size fraction (0.4 mm, 2.8 mm, 6.7 mm) samples from 3 to 5 sites known to have elevated gold-in-calcrete at each prospect. Few universally applicable, or even prospect-specific, conclusive results were obtained: although overall, the 0.4 mm soil size fraction appeared to give slightly more consistent elevated gold values when assayed by aqua regia digest and graphite furnace AA determination, than did the 6.7 mm fraction which in places also demonstrated some gold anomalism. During the 2016-2017 reporting year, no exploration work was carried out on the Central Tenements Area exploration licenses by Challenger Gold and Iron Road. Exploration work was, however, carried out by JV partners Tyranna Resources. Two drilling campaigns were carried out, which included holes at Greenewood (EL 5998/5183), Campfire Bore (EL 5732), Typhoon (EL 5661) and Monsoon (EL 5661) prospects, in total comprising 178 inclined or vertical RC holes and 3 diamond holes for 13,666.59 m (16CBDH001, 16CBRC034-070, 16GWDH001-002, 16GWNRC0001-005, 16GWRC013-081, 17TYRC0001-013, 17MNRC001-054). The results of the drilling proved to be largely disappointing in Tyranna’s view, since although new gold intercepts made at Greenewood and Campfire Bore (see below) were shown to have added somewhat to the overall resource base, it was clear that neither of these orebodies were shaping up to be company-maker type deposits. Drilling at Greenwood and Campfire Bore between Oct-Dec 2016 involved 111 RC holes for 7891 m, and 3 RC precollared diamond cored holes for 382.06 m. Drill hole positions were selected to 1) test the known mineralisation at depth; 2) investigate its strike extent both to the north and in the 700 m wide gap to the south which lies between Greenewood and Mainwood; and 3) to test two areas of anomalous calcrete geochemistry. Greenewood is a new discovery identified by drilling done in early 2016 (previous reporting period) as follow up to anomalous RAB drillhole gold mineralised intercepts made in 2003. The latest work done there consisted of a combination of infill, down-dip and diamond drilling to increase understanding of orebody, using hole collar spacings of 50 m, with infill to 25 m, plus diamond drilling to obtain cores to use for structural information and ore visualisation. The drilling defined a zone of mineralisation displaying a boudinage effect, with a proven strike length of 520 m which remains open for a possible 200 m to the north and a possible 100 m to the south. Further, twenty holes on traverses 100 m apart were drilled within the gap between Greenewood and Mainwood; the results extended known mineralisation by 100 m southwards from Greenewood, while lines further to the south did not return anomalous gold. RC drilling (6 holes) of the Collerson calcrete anomaly, which runs parallel to the Mainwood-Greenewood mineralised trend, failed to intersect the host gneissic package and no anomalous bedrock gold values were returned. Drilling was also undertaken at another calcrete anomaly north of Greenewood, which has elevated sulphur-in-calcrete seen as indicative of underlying marcasite rich zones like what occurs above most of the mineralisation at Greenewood. No gold was encountered in these holes, but they did penetrate the host Christie Gneiss. Tyranna believed that henceforth their efforts should be directed towards determining how gold can be detected in the subsurface at Greenewood from interpretation of features of the overlying regolith, and later implementing that insight to find “look alike” areas, rather than by performing infill and extension drilling at the known orebody. The company therefore began a Short-Wave Infrared (SWIR) analysis of the surficial regolith to try to detect gold-relevant alteration signatures that could be used to better define main target zones and to better understand the properties of the gold mineralisation. Drilling at Campfire Bore was intended to address the poorly understood structure of the mineralisation corridor defined in the previous reporting period, to ascertain whether its parts can be tied together or exist as numerous discrete shoots. Drilling was able to extend the supergene mineralised blanket of this corridor, and also provided the first example of primary mineralisation seen at the prospect, but in terms of improving the continuity of mineralisation at depth and along strike, it was disappointing. Tyranna believed, that the ENE-WSW magnetic structure that runs sub-perpendicular to the strike of mineralisation is a dyke which is gold depleted, and because it occupies a late-stage structure, said structure may have acted as a fluid pathway that important in the determination of gold distribution at the time of mineralisation. An RC drilling campaign was started in March 2017 at the Monsoon and Typhoon prospects, when 67 holes (17TYRC0001-013, 17MNRC001-054) for 5463.5 m were completed before a rig breakdown temporarily stopped progress. A full report about this campaign, once it resumes, will be submitted in the next reporting period. For the Jumbuck Project, 8 samples of drillhole materials were taken for metallurgical studies; the aim of the test was to test whether the oxide and transition zones may be amenable to dump leach extraction, recoveries were generally very encouraging with most samples’ recovery over 90%. MPR Geological Consultants were engaged to provide a [?maiden] resource estimate and to review the reliability of the drilling information for the Jumbuck Project, and Auralia were engaged to provide mining models high level review with first pass geological modelling and initial Whittle Optimisations and first pass geological modelling studies of the Jumbuck deposits by C. Speedy of Angora Resources Pty Ltd. [see reports reported within]. A trial regolith geochemical drilling program was run in February-March 2017 across the gap between Mainwood and Greenewood prospects. 322 shallow vertical RAB holes (JBGH0001-0322) were drilled to 4 m depth at 25 m intervals along traverses 200 m apart. Tyranna wished to test their understanding of gold dispersing into the surface sediment profile, to gauge how it can be better utilised as an exploration tool. The Mainwood - Greenewood area was chosen as it contains a proven true calcrete anomaly at Mainwood and a proven mineralised prospect with poor calcrete formation at Greenewood. Two main zones of near surface gold were identified from the drilling, and both coincide with underlying bedrock gold. Tyranna believed that the results obtained were encouraging in that they confirmed the method’s efficacy, demonstrated by it having revealed strongly elevated gold values over both orebodies at Greenewood and at Mainwood, and because the range of gold threshold values appeared to be more consistent than when assaying calcrete alone, thus assisting with the separation of real anomalies from false. In August 2016, a 5084 line km aeromagnetic survey was flown on 80 m line spacing north-south flight lines, using a 30 m mean sensor height above the ground surface, over parts of ELs 5998 and 5732, because it was thought that subtle structures would be visible in the enhanced magnetic data due to the loose relationship existing in the Gawler Project region between known occurrences of gold mineralisation and the magnetic sulphide, pyrrhotite. However no such inferred structures were clearly observed. During the 2017-2018 reporting year, Tyranna undertook multiple drilling programs utilising both RC and diamond drilling. Two RC drilling programs were carried out which included holes at Greenewood, Typhoon and Monsoon prospects with a total of 131 RC holes for 9,923.5 m. A diamond drill program was carried out at Greenewood and Campfire Bore with a total of four holes drilled for 624.85 m including mud rotary pre-collars. The Greenewood RC drilling program was designed to extend results at depth and along strike while utilising a new geochemical method. A majority of the 39 holes drilled failed to reach target depth and mineralisation due to difficult drilling conditions, however significant results were obtained including hole 17GWRC020 (22 m @ 4.03g/t Au). Diamond drilling was undertaken to follow up significant results returned from the RC program which were interpreted to be in a fold hinge/high grade limb, however both holes appeared to miss the limb containing the mineralisation. Diamond drilling at Campfire Bore was designed to test structural and mineralisation interpretations, as well as to provide material for test work and to increase the resource. Hole 18CBDH001 confirmed a subvertical mineralised structure that dips to the northwest, while 18CBDH002 was to follow up Dominion RC hole data from 1996/7, it also intersected near surface primary quartz containing over 30 g/t Au and visible gold in the cut surface. The RC program at Monsoon (54 holes for 4249.5 m) and Typhoon (38 holes for 3388 m) was completed over a 7-month period in mid-2017. The Monsoon project was to target a large multikilometer calcrete and regolith anomaly, results indicated a restricted supergene blanket that overlies an interpreted folded mineralised structure. The Typhoon project aimed to gain understanding of the structural orientation of the prospect, with results defining the broad orientation of mineralisation, with grades higher than anticipated.