Arising out of exploratory drilling carried out by Ironclad Mining in 2012, which aimed to test the shallow subsurface haematite ore potential of an ironstone outcrop located in the central north of the Wilcherry Hill licence area, an unexpected...
Arising out of exploratory drilling carried out by Ironclad Mining in 2012, which aimed to test the shallow subsurface haematite ore potential of an ironstone outcrop located in the central north of the Wilcherry Hill licence area, an unexpected discovery was made of buried tin dioxide (cassiterite) associated with goethite-rich weathered meta-igneous bedrock. Drillhole tin-mineralised intercepts were made in several of 10 RC holes, the highest assay value returned being 7 m @ 3.28% Sn from 52 m depth in hole 12ZLRC007. Wilcherry Hill Project joint venture partner Trafford Resources, which held the rights to non - iron ore mineral commodities on the project tenements, assumed the role of appraising this new-found mineral occurrence. Trafford began by drilling 8 RC holes for 842 m during 2013, and although most of the holes did not reach target depth due to a combination of difficult ground conditions and unskilled drillers, this drilling campaign made several notable further intercepts including 5 m @ 2.29% Sn from 128 m in hole 13ZLRC001, and 3 m @ 0.75% Sn from 103 m in hole 13ZLRC005. Total RC drilling at Zealous so far had defined 200 m of NNW-SSE strike of anomalous tin, and so Trafford decided to switch to using diamond core drilling to penetrate more deeply and to recover intact samples of the tin mineralisation and host rock. At the end of 2013, a 144.3 m deep diamond hole, 13ZLDH001, was drilled by Trafford to core the tin mineralisation encountered in 12ZLRC007 and to test the underlying geology. This hole was also intended to provide ore samples for potential metallurgical work, and to reveal hidden geological information that would help define how best to drill out the rest of the prospect. 13ZLDH001 achieved all of its objectives, and returned a best mineralised cored intercept assay result of 12.3 m @ 1.1% Sn from 99 m, including 1.3 m @ 4.8% Sn and 4 m @ 1.42% Sn. It was decided that RC drilling with a more skilled drill crew should be resumed for the rest of this initial appraisal campaign, which commenced immediately after the New Year in 2014. 9 RC holes for 1270 m were completed, yielding a best result in hole 14ZLRC004 of 10 m @ 0.78% Sn from 130 m, including 4 m @ 1.33% Sn. However, none of the drillholes put in at Zealous to this point had reached the depth of fresh basement rock. Work performed on the 13ZLDH001 drill core showed that the main commodity present at Zealous prospect is tin in the form of cassiterite, which XRD mineralogical studies confirmed is associated with goethite mineralisation. However, core assays revealed that a number of less abundant but economically viable trace metals occur there as well, including uranium (up to 46 m @ 224 ppm U), lead (up to 36 m @ 1.21% Pb), copper (up to 27 m @ 0.32% Cu) and silver (up to 20 m @ 15.2 ppm Ag). The presence of primary uranium in the rocks is supported by Zealous having the most prominent radiometric anomaly seen throughout the Wilcherry Hill Project area. The polymetallic mineralisation forming system was believed to be a ?magnetite-rich skarn which has become weathered to form mainly goethite near the surface. A detailed ground magnetic survey was conducted by Trafford over the Zealous prospect during the period October-December 2013, on six separate grids comprising traverse lines spaced 80 m apart, and aligned orthogonal to the existing aeromagnetic survey flight lines. Over the tin-anomalous drilled area, the main ground magnetic grid was also infilled to 20 m line spacing. Later interpretation of the magnetic data (see Appx 1 of the subject PACE report) suggested that a magnetic source body lay at depth beneath the mineralised zone. From a consultant's geophysical modelling, the then known tin mineralisation was interpreted to be associated with a weak NNW trending magnetic feature which is also somewhat coincident with about 200 square m of haematite outcrop. However, a magnetic rock package was interpreted to lie at around 170 m depth, which could be traced for 1500-2000m further to the south from where shallow mineralisation has been identified to date. Trafford's 2014 drilling had shown that the target skarn package is sub-vertically dipping to the east, and was still open in this direction. It was also open to the south and to the north. The company believed that a good chance existed for repetitions of the host geology to the east, where drilling had not yet occurred. This view was based on soil samples with elevated tin having been recovered from a trial sampling line, and the continuation of the magnetic stratigraphy as suggested by the magnetic data. In April 2015, the company was successful in its application made to DSD for a grant of PACE Initiative collaborative drilling Round 8 subsidy funds, to direct at establishing what might be the primary basement setting of the Zealous prospect tin mineralisation, beneath the weathered regolith. Approved drilling project DPY8-25 consisted of 3 inclined diamond drillholes which were designed to test the deep magnetic body from a variety of positions. These drillholes were completed by Tyranna Resources during September 2016 for a total penetration of 717.7 m comprising 144 m of RC precollars and 573.7 m of diamond coring. PACE drillhole 16ZLDH001 tested the magnetic source below the drill traverse line where the previous drilling had encountered the most significant quantities of tin. It was fully diamond cored from the surface; HQ to 84 m downhole, then NQ to end of hole (EOH). It was anticipated that this hole would determine the significance of the magnetic source and its relationship to the tin mineralisation, thereby informing the appraisal position selections for the other two holes. This hole transected granitoid basement rocks down to 192.6 m, and was in calc-silicate rock thereafter to EOH at 221.8 m. Here there is a notably deep weathering profile, with consistent fresh rock not occurring until 142 m. Although the interval of calc-silicate rock which was encountered from 212-215.7 m has a minor magnetite content, there is no associated tin. In fact, assaying overall of 94 successive drillhole samples returned no significant tin at all. The rock magnetic susceptibility data which were collected appeared to show that thin bands of magnetite are the cause of the magnetic anomaly. PACE drillhole 16ZLDH002 was designed to drill into the modelled centre of the magnetic source at depth, to test the theory that the magnetic anomalism is caused by a series of steeply eastwards dipping discrete magnetic zones, by drilling perpendicular to the structure. It was drilled to a total depth of 291.2m, with an RC pre-collar of 66 m and NQ diamond coring from that point to EOH. This hole encountered calc-silicate rocks throughout, except for a granitoid interbed from 183.9-244.5 m. A zone of pyrite dominated stringer sulphides at 265 m was the most interesting part of the hole. No magnetite was observed. Sampling of the hole did not return any significant assay results. PACE drillhole 16ZLDH003 was drilled to investigate the lateral continuity at depth of tin mineralisation at the northern extent of Zealous, besides identifying the nature of the magnetic source at depth in this position and its structure. The hole was drilled down to 204.7 m, with an RC pre-collar of 87 m and NQ diamond coring from that point to EOH. The rocks encountered are weathered throughout, and the amount drill core loss was disappointingly high. A highlight mineralised intercept of 39 m @ 377.5 ppm Sn from 41 m, including 1 m @ 1050 ppm Sn from 41 m, was made within the pre-collar section of the hole. RC drill chips from this zone were lithologically logged as limonitic clay. Haematite rich calc-silicate rock was logged throughout the rest of the hole, but it had no tin in it. However, a zone of 30 m @ 190 ppm Au from 63-93 m, which includes 2 m @ 787 ppm U, was also detected from sample assaying, and this could indicate a low grade envelope in the north of the prospect which may require further research. The PACE drilling done at Zealous was based on the theory that tin is associated with iron oxides, and that this relationship is compatible through the weathered and fresh basement host rock. Unfortunately, the results as described herein suggest that the theory is incorrect and that the cause for the presence of tin is still to be explained. The presence of thin bands of magnetite is enough to explain the magnetic anomaly that has been modelled, but these bands do not have the same relationship with tin as is evident in the oxidised, haematite rich portion of the same host unit closer to the surface. The lack of grade present in the haematite rich sequence cored by hole 16ZLDH003 poses additional questions about the relationship between haematite and tin, suggesting that it is far more complicated than was believed. Drilling results from hole 16ZLDH002 appears to have established the down dip cut off for mineralisation, whilst hole 16ZLDH003 has arguably shown that the northern extent of the tin occurrence is low grade, and possibly unworthy of further attention. Consequently, the dimensions of the Zealous prospect orebody at this stage are restricted to an uneconomic size. Tyranna believes that the high tin grades intersected at Zealous previously are still good enough to warrant it undertaking some more work there, as the regional connotations for a discovery could be significant. It has therefore been recommended that a ground gravity survey be completed at the prospect to define the distribution of the host haematite rich calc-silicate rock. The company thinks that gravity surveying should also be carried out at the lookalike magnetic anomalies mapped nearby. Furthermore, at the main Zealous target, the ground gravity should be complemented by the conduct of a partial leach soil geochemical survey, since the results obtained from the previous trial soil sampling lines suggested that a possible similar target may lie to the east of current drillhole coverage.