First annual report exploration licence 5721 Frances Creek East

Abstract

Exploration carried out during the year included a literature review and an aerial photograph interpretation of the tenement area.

Ground follow-up involving geological mapping and rock-chip sampling of prospective areas is planned. A thorough literature review of the area covered by the Exploration Licence was undertaken. The few early production reports centred on the mining of alluvial and shallow hearrock ore at the Frances Creek deposits. No records were located that indicated that any previous mining activity had been undertaken within the boundaries of the current tenement. A review of previous exploration in the tenement area do not locate any evidence of recent exploration programmes. The Northern Territory Mines Department undertook some limited underground exploration at the Frances Creek Goldmine during 1963-5 which involved the sinking of a shaft and development of an exploration adit.An aerial photograph interpretation was undertaken using 1:25,000 colour aerial photograph enlargements. The interpretation suggests that the tenement is underlain by sediments of the Masson Formation and Mundogie Sandstone. The contact between the two units appears to be marked by a prominent quartz-rich unit and a subtle change in topographic relief. The units appear to generally strike northwest with gentle to moderate dips to the southeast. In the southern portion of the tenement, these units outcrop with quite prominent relief, however in the northern half, outcrop of the Masson Formation is very subdued and the area is covered by a thin soil veneer with areas of black soil developed in the drainages. In the northwestern part of the Exploration Licence, several areas of red-brown, laterised ('1') soil are developed over possible subdued outcrops of Zamu Dolerite. In the eastern block of the tenement, the sedimentary sequence has been intruded by the Allamber Springs Granite. This outcrops as subdued terraces with occasional rubbly outcrops.

Structurally, the prominent outcrops of the Masson Formation reveal a moderately tightly folded antielinal feature whose axis is parallel to the regional bedding trends. Evidence of numerous tight fold closures can be seen in the Mundogie Sandstone to the south of the tenement.