Preliminary Report on Authority to Prospect, Arnhem Land, NT

Abstract

The area involved is located in the Northern portion of the Northern Territory and consists of 9,800 square miles split into Authority to Prospect's No 1159 (1,600 square miles), No 1160 (4,600 square miles) and a third area of 3,600 square miles which has been applied for. The regional geology consists of Lower and Upper Proterozoic sediments and some volcanics folded along North-South axes and severely faulted in places, overlain by Lower Cretaceous sandstones arid recent alluviums and laterite. A potential exists for the discovery of economic manganese, bauxite, phosphate, iron, uranium and copper-lead- zinc-silver deposits. A prospecting program is outlined in which it is recommended that the Western Authority to Prospect be examined for radiometric minerals by means of airborne scintillometer and the whole area by a stream sediment geochemical sampling program. During the initial portion of the program a helicopter will be used to reach inaccessible regions and speed up operations. Further work will depend largely on the results of this program and will involve detailed IP surveys and diamond drilling.