Annual report for ERL 74 for 24 December 1989 to 23 December 1990

Abstract

This report covers exploration activities undertaken by Geopeko within Exploration Retention Licence No.74 during the third year of tenure, from 24-12-89 to 23-12-90. The licence area covers a total of 532 hectares in the White Devil Mine locality and is contained within the 1:50000 sheet Short Range II. Access to the area may be gained via well formed dirt road leading to the White Devil/Black Angel Mine from the Warrego Mine road.

Exploration has been directed at following up extensions to the White Devil and Black Angel lode system which is characterised by economic grade Au/Bi/Cu mineralisation contained within massive and veined magnetite/hematite. The hosting structure for this mineralisation is an east west trending shear structure which is thought to extend into ERL 74 and therefore represents a high priority target for further exploration.

Work during the year included bedrock geochemistry using a vacuum drill rig, percussion/diamond drilling and downhole magnetics. Four traverses, totalling 129 shallow vacuum drill holes were drilled. Several zones of copper and gold anomalism were identified. Downhole magnetics in DH14 at the Navigator 6 prospect suggested a possible development of the lode system (an ironstone pod with veined and altered sediment) to the south and at a greater depth than obtained by DH14. DH15A tested this and encountered 55m of massive and veined ironstone from 204.9 to 260.05m. With a best result of 8m at 20.7ppm Au in the interval 216-224m. DH16 was drilled 60m east of DH15A and passed through a similar brecciated and veined sediments. The gold is fine (to 1mm) and disseminated hosted in steeply south dipping quartz-chlorite-magnetite veins to the north of an ironstone lens. Downhole magnetics as a tool for determining lode parameters is limited due to widespread magnetite.