Willow Springs. Annual reports and final report to licence expiry/full surrender, for the period 1/12/2011 to 30/11/2016.
Published: 03 Jan 1917 Created: 12 Nov 2024 Revised: 12 Nov 2024

An area centred ~65 km north-east of Hawker in the Central Flinders Ranges, and located adjacent to the eastern side of the Oraparinna Diapir, has been explored for possible buried economic epigenetic copper, gold and uranium mineralisation....

An area centred ~65 km north-east of Hawker in the Central Flinders Ranges, and located adjacent to the eastern side of the Oraparinna Diapir, has been explored for possible buried economic epigenetic copper, gold and uranium mineralisation. During the first licence year, in November 2012, contractor Moultrie Geology was engaged by licensee South Australian Ludi Mining Pty Ltd (SALM) to conduct field geological mapping along traverses within the north-western corner of EL 4810, over an ~100 square km area. Within this area, 42 sites were rock chip sampled for assaying, and at 140 sites handheld spectrometer radioactivity scans were made of possibly altered outcropping lithologies. Three of the rock chip samples taken from the Tindelpina Shale Member near its contact with the Wilyerpa Formation had visible quartz-siderite vein - related malachite and azurite in them, and returned assay values of >1% Cu (maximum 4.22%). Significant radiation (650 cps) was recorded on the handheld spectrometer at just one site, a 5 square m area of exposed Etina Formation limestone in a creek bed. But subsequent laboratory assaying of a sample of this rock recorded only 33.2 ppm Th and 3.56 ppm U. The surrounding outcrops did not show any anomalous radiation. During licence Year 2, in July-August 2013, a prospect-scale gradient array IP survey was acquired for SALM around the historic Kibble Hill copper mine, using 50 m dipole staged positions along 13 variably spaced lines, for a total coverage of 25.6 line km and 512 readings. Interpretation of the resulting resistivity and chargeability data defined a number of small narrow conductive anomalies within the Tapley Hill Formation country rocks, but no significant chargeability responses were obtained close to the old workings. Sites for reconnaissance drillholes were suggested at four places located nearby, from 100 m up to 2 km away. A reconnaissance field trip was undertaken next, by consultant geologist Brenton Newell, to aid with planning of logistics for the proposed drilling programme and to obtain information for use in the preparation of a Declaration of Environmental Factors. The DEF (PEPR) was submitted on 22/8/2013, and a revised version was submitted on 11/12/2013. This DEF was approved by DMITRE on 12/12/2013. A helicopter-portable Alton MD 600 diamond drilling rig was then contracted from Winmax Drilling of Perth, WA, to carry out a proposed 4 hole drilling programme, in conjunction with using new drill mud solids recovery technology to handle drill cuttings and to remove the requirement for drill sumps. Deployment of this type of equipment, for what was claimed by SALM would be the first time it had been done in SA, was mandated because of the trackless very steep and rugged terrain in the target zones (elevations of ca 850-900 m asl) and also to best meet the the need to minimise disturbance to fragile endemic fauna and vegetation existing in the Bunkers Conservation Reserve, which is a refuge for the rare and endangered Yellow Footed Rock Wallaby. During licence Year 3, in April-May 2014, to test for inferred stratiform copper mineralisation associated with the contact between the Tindelpina Shale and Wilyerpa Formation in the vicinity of the old Kibble Hill mine, 3 of the intended four steeply W to NW inclined exploratory diamond holes were completed at separate sites, for a total combined penetration of 804.2 m (including 680.7 m cored). No significant mineralisation was encountered, although trace chalcopyrite was logged near the base of the Tindelpina Shale in hole HWK002, while minor intraformational pyrite plus barite in thin veins were noted as being pervasive features of the rock sequences cored. Assaying of selected drill core samples yielded a lone anomalous value of 417 ppm Cu from the downhole interval 119.6-120.7 m in hole HWK001, plus weakly elevated zinc, but overall it returned only background level values for base metals and negligible gold and silver values. During licence years 4 and 5, no work was done, and tenure of EL 4810 was fully surrendered by SALM at the end of this time.

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About this record

Record No mesac27137
Topic Geoscientific Information
Type of Resource Document
Category Type
Document Type Mineral Company Report - Mineral Exploration
Contributor Moultrie Geology;Zonge Engineering and Research Organisation (ZERO);Caon Geophysics Pty Ltd;Nuthin'-but-Natives
Sponsor South Australia Ludi Mining Pty Ltd;Zhao, S.
Tenement EL 4810
Tenement Holder South Australia Ludi Mining Pty Ltd
Operator
Geological Province Adelaide Geosyncline
Mine Name Kibble Hill prospect
Stratigraphy
Commodity
Notes
Geographic Locality: South-central Flinders Ranges;Willow Springs Diapir;Loves Mine Range;Kibble Hill;Mount Caernarvon;Mount Mantell;Mount Havelock;The Bunkers Conservation Reserve;Willow Springs Station;2013 Hawker IP Survey
Doc No: Env 12360...

Geographic Locality: South-central Flinders Ranges;Willow Springs Diapir;Loves Mine Range;Kibble Hill;Mount Caernarvon;Mount Mantell;Mount Havelock;The Bunkers Conservation Reserve;Willow Springs Station;2013 Hawker IP Survey Doc No: Env 12360 Drillhole: DDH HWK001 - HWK003;(280967 - 280969)

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Language English
Metadata Standard ISO 19115-3

Citations

Use constraints License
License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
Persistent identifier https://pid.sarig.sa.gov.au/document/mesac27137
Citation Coppin, T.;Kells, J.;O'Brien, A.;Khrapov, A.;Caon, J.;Newell, B.H.;Edgecombe, D.R.;Whellum, B. 1917. Willow Springs. Annual reports and final report to licence expiry/full surrender, for the period 1/12/2011 to 30/11/2016. Mineral Company Report - Mineral Exploration
https://pid.sarig.sa.gov.au/document/mesac27137

Technical information

Status
Maintenance and Update Frequency
Geographic Reference GDA2020 (EPSG:7844)
Geo bounding box {"type":"Polygon","coordinates":[[[138.5,-32],[139,-32],[139,-31],[138.5,-31],[138.5,-32]]]}
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