Partial surrender report EL 27199 for the period 17 September 2009 to 16 September 2011

Abstract

This Partial Surrender Report is for the period 17 September 2009 to 16 September 2011. The Barkly Project, located approximately 66km east of Tennant Creek, is a sub-project of Vale's Georgina Phosphate Exploration Project and covers Cambrian rocks of the Georgina Basin. The rocks of the Georgina Basin range in age from Late Proterozoic to Early Palaeozoic. Outcrop within Barkly is limited with much of the basement geology concealed beneath Tertiary and Quaternary sediments. Phosphate exploration work on the relinquished area of EL 27199 comprised: open file literature review; acquisition and reprocessing of geophysical data; acquisition of NRETAS environmental data; regional water bore analysis; flora and fauna desktop study; helicopter-supported field mapping; collection and analysis of 4 rock chip samples; inhouse depth to basement gravity modelling; and a regional geophysical basin modelling study by Mira Geoscience. The surrendered area was relinquished due to a lack of priority phosphate targets.