During licence Year 13 (2011-2012), no field work was done. With respect to EL 4216 Barton West, Dominion completed an internal review of the potential mineral sands project economics; evaluations by potential JV partners were ongoing; and a bulk...
During licence Year 13 (2011-2012), no field work was done. With respect to EL 4216 Barton West, Dominion completed an internal review of the potential mineral sands project economics; evaluations by potential JV partners were ongoing; and a bulk sample of previously recovered drill cuttings was put together to use for possible metallurgical testwork. Dominion continued its efforts to attract a joint venture partner for funding the development of the heavy mineral sands resource previously discovered on EL 4216 (171 Mt grading 2.8% HM). It is believed that palaeochannels on EL 4217 hold good potential for uranium mineralisation. Previous attempts to attract a JV partner (Deep Yellow Ltd) to explore for palaeochannel uranium were abandoned due to concerns expressed by the Maralinga Tjarutja aboriginal traditional owners. However, attempts are being made to attract a new uranium focussed group to carry out further exploration work. During licence Years 14 through 17 (2012-2016), no field work was done. In October 2013, an application was made to DMITRE for the issue of a replacement licence to EL 4216 Barton West, over a 63% reduced area of 244 square km. EL 5450 was granted to Dominion Gold Operations Pty Ltd on 12/1/2014. No corresponding application was made for the grant of a replacement licence for EL 4217 Barton East, and tenure to this ground was allowed to expire on 11/1/2014. During licence Year 18 (2016-2017), activities performed on EL 5450 by Dominion Gold comprised the conduct of landholder liaison with Maralinga Tjarutja, resulting in both parties making a site inspection during September 2016 to assess the status of past rehabilitation, and undertaking a review of past exploration data with a focus on identifying potential to expand the heavy mineral resource base and possibly finding better grade HM mineralised zones. The possibility of test drilling a deeper gold target was also reprised, as was the need to investigate the availability of groundwater resources. From the review work, it was concluded that there was excellent potential to expand the heavy mineral sand resource, as large areas proximal to palaeotopographic highs remained untested or had been subject to only very limited, wide-spaced drilling. Likewise, the attractiveness persisted of a peak aircore bottom of hole gold geochemical value of 405 ppb Au (sampled from the bedrock interface at base of saprolite) that had been detected by Dominion's past drilling done to probe beneath a 2 km long surface calcrete gold anomaly. It was decided to contact drilling contractors about how to overcome the logistical problems of getting a large percussion or diamond drill rig into the Notrab gold prospect area. No field work ensued during any of licence Years 19, 20, or 21. At the renewal of tenure made on 12/1/2018, a partial surrender of 98 square km or 40% of the former area of EL 5450 was made. On 30/7/2018, WPG Resources Limited, the then parent company to Challenger Gold Operations Pty Ltd, after having made unsuccessful attempts to recapitalise their business or restructure their operations, and with the likelihood that the company would become insolvent, appointed Ernst and Young as Voluntary Administrators. On 8/8/2018, RSM Australia Pty Ltd were appointed as the company's Receivers and Managers. On 1/11/2019, most of the South Australian mineral exploration tenements held by WPG Resources were bought by the current owner Barton Gold Pty Ltd. However, Barton Gold chose not to purchase the renewed Barton West EL 6349, and that tenement remained the responsibility of the Receiver Managers. As RSM Australia Partners were subsequently unable to find a buyer for EL 6349, an application to fully surrender tenure of it was lodged with the Department for Energy and Mining on 2/3/2020.
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