Yerka Hill. Annual reports to licence forfeiture/cancellation, for the period 30/4/2015 to 16/7/2019.
Published: 16 Jul 1919 Created: 12 Nov 2024 Revised: 12 Nov 2024

A very small licence area located 13 km north-west of Olary township was taken up to explore for possible economic stratabound iron ore (magnetite) hosted by metamorphosed Adelaidean glacial sedimentary strata of the Yudnamutana Subgroup. During...

A very small licence area located 13 km north-west of Olary township was taken up to explore for possible economic stratabound iron ore (magnetite) hosted by metamorphosed Adelaidean glacial sedimentary strata of the Yudnamutana Subgroup. During licence Year 1, Wentworth Metals Group began investigating the potential of obtaining high grade iron ore concentrates from simple extractive processing of Recent weathered clastic detrital sediments which lie in the vicinity of the target Braemar Formation outcrops. Using 'low impact' field methods, the company collected 62 selected 20 kg creek sediment (sand) samples to test using commercially available small-scale magnetic separation equipment manufactured and sold by Eriez Magnetite Pty Ltd, to find if an iron oxide-rich concentrate could be obtained that contained >62% Fe, i.e. the lower cut-off for so-called Direct Shipping Ore that Chinese steel mills purportedly could handle. The various individual sand samples were tested for their average iron recovery, with XRF chemical analyses of the sample material being made at the collection, post - feed ore preparation (by sand sieving to give a minus 5 mm rock particle/sediment grain size fraction), tailings runoff and recovered concentrate stages of the mineral processing. The separation equipment setup parameters were modified experimentally to try to maximise the iron recovery relative to what was in each sample to begin with. After numerous tests had been completed, the following problems were apparent: (1) The separation technique used was not operationally stable, and therefore did not produce repeatable, consistent results; and (2) The recovery of magnetite on occasion was found to be <10% of the particulate iron contained in the samples. The licensee concluded that downward changes to the average world market DSO magnetite iron ore price which had commenced late in 2014, plus the demonstrated unreliability of the basic magnetic separation technology, would render the envisaged sediment mining project uneconomical to instigate over a large area. During Year 2, no new field work was done. The licensee said in its second annual report that it had hired a remote sensing innovation company called 'Solar Sonic' to demonstrate its pulsed microwave electromagnetic radiation quantum frequency analysis technology?? via conducting a 'Geoscan satellite scan' of South Australia for selected minerals, principally gold, but also including magnetite in the Olary Province. However, no report was furnished to DSD by Wentworth Metals Group giving the outcomes of this exercise. The licensee did no work during Years 3 and 4 of tenure. In consequence of the lack of performance and failure to meet other obligations, the licence was cancelled by the Minister shortly thereafter.

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About this record

Record No mesac28947
Topic Geoscientific Information
Type of Resource Document
Category Type
Document Type Mineral Company Report - Mineral Exploration
Contributor
Sponsor
Tenement EL 5604
Tenement Holder Wentworth Metals Group Pty Ltd
Operator
Geological Province
Mine Name
Stratigraphy
Commodity
Notes
Notes: Wentworth Metals Group Pty Ltd was advised by a formal notice issued to it on 16/7/2019 that, pursuant to section 85 of the Mining Act 1971 (SA), EL 5604 had been forfeited on account of the holder's failure to pay money due to the Minister...

Notes: Wentworth Metals Group Pty Ltd was advised by a formal notice issued to it on 16/7/2019 that, pursuant to section 85 of the Mining Act 1971 (SA), EL 5604 had been forfeited on account of the holder's failure to pay money due to the Minister in accordance with the requirement set out under the Mining Act 1971 (SA). Geographic Locality: Central Olary Ranges;Yerka Hill Doc No: Env 12911

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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/mesac28947
Citation Hillam, J. 1919. Yerka Hill. Annual reports to licence forfeiture/cancellation, for the period 30/4/2015 to 16/7/2019. Mineral Company Report - Mineral Exploration
https://pid.sarig.sa.gov.au/document/mesac28947

Technical information

Status
Maintenance and Update Frequency
Geographic Reference GDA2020 (EPSG:7844)
Geo bounding box {"type":"Polygon","coordinates":[[[140,-32.5],[140.5,-32.5],[140.5,-32],[140,-32],[140,-32.5]]]}
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Lineage