Annual report on exploration activities for the sixth year of tenure

Abstract

Exploration Licence 10322 occupies two one-minute graticular blocks, an area of 6.7 square kilometres. situated in the Batchelor 1:100,000 sheet area. Excluded from the northern part are Mineral Claims which cover old workings of the Great Northern mine. The title was granted to Brian John Briggs for a three year term commencing 18 of November 2002. The area lies approximately 35 kilometres east of Adelaide River township, and is accessed by various station tracks via Mt Ringwood Station homestead in the north or the old Goodall minesite in the southwest; these tracks may be impassable during monsoonal weather. The topography of the area is subdued, except around the old mining area in the north, consisting of a mixture of isolated low hills and rises interspersed with alleviated areas leading down to McCallum Creek to the east. Vegetation is open savannah woodlands, with a grassy understory, typical of this part of the Top End. During Year Six a backhoe trench was dug on a flat amongst some old Chinese diggings at. Gravel samples were taken from along the trench and sent for assay. Gravels from the trench were also panned on site with slight traces of gold obtained in several samples. Samples sent for assay were lost due to the closure of the assay lab. Work will have to be repeated next year as backhoe trench was backfilled.