Annual technical report EL 25288, 12 February 2012 to 11 February 2013

Abstract

The highlight of this year's exploration was the discovery of a 2.5 ounce gold specimen that I detected at the headwaters of the old diggings near the laterite on the Withnall Fault. I did an S.G. test on it and it gave a result of 32% Au. I have shown a slice of the specimen to four Geologists and a Lab Assayer but nobody could identify the type of the host rock. The specimen mainly consists of a fine grained pink rock. There is also a little quartz attached to the exterior parts of it. A few small bits of pyrolusite can also be seen in the host rock. Some of the exterior gold has a thin coating of black iron oxides. No pyrite or arsenopyrite or their moulds are visible. A gentleman on the Net suggested that the pink rock was oxidized rhodonite. (Mn, Fe, Mg, Ca) Si03. Its location near the laterite where the pyrolusite reef starts on the Withnall Fault suggests to me that the gold source may be a high grade gold hydrothermal vent on the fault near the start of the pyrolusite reef under the laterite. This would explain why the source of the rich nuggety gold of the Margaret Diggings has never been found despite 133 years of exploration. I will take further pyrolusite and laterite samples for assay this dry season. Trenching and drilling may eventually be the only way to find the source. Over twenty visitors came last dry season to detect on the E.L. The biggest nugget I was shown weighed 5.5 grams. It was found in the headwaters of the valley. I will allow visitors again this year.