1985 Final report for Howley Area ELs

Abstract

In December 1983, Northern Gold NL became the operator of 17 Exploration Licences previously held or operated by Talmina Trading PL in the Howley area, Northern Territory. In December 1984 these tenements were consolidated and two Exploration Licences were applied for, ELA 4736 and 4737. This report describes the results of exploration carried out on EL's 1886, 2450, 2806, 3006, 4021, 4022, 4208, 4207, 4238, 4465 and ELA 4670, now covered by ELA 4737. The licences cover part of the prospective Howley Anticline including the Bridge Creek workings and the eastern limb and axial zone of the Howley Syncline which wraps around the southern margin of the Burnside Granite. The aim of exploration within these leases is: 1) assess the axial zone of the Howley Anticline for economic gold mineralisation within the Koolpin, Gerowie Tuff and Mount Bonnie Formations, 2) assess the gold bearing alluvials shedding from the Howley and East Howley lines, 3) to locate and assess areas of gold mineralisation associated with anticlinal structure and the Koolpin Formation in the East Howley area i.e. Howley Siding, 4) to explore areas away from the known gold bearing zones. The exploration programme is on-going but to date the majority of work has concentrated on the hard rock and alluvials on the Bridge Creek area. Exploration Licence 1866 and 4021 were two of the tenements most extensively explored by Northern Gold NL though the work must still be regarded as being an exploratory stage. The axis zone of the Rowley Line was the main target of exploration and the programme consisted of; 1) geological mapping, 2) costeaning and sampling, 3) percussion drilling, 4) RRMIP geophysical survey, 5) ground magnetic survey, 6) sediment sampling programme. An alluvial testing programme was carried out over the Bridge Creek area but is not the subject of this report. Gold bearing alluvials are present over an extensive area west of the northern portion of the Bridge Creek area, and were probably shed from the Koolpin Formation exposed at surface. The work done and the results are described below and the data is presented on maps and in the appendices.