Annual report for EL 26693 Barkly for the period ending 23 October 2010

Abstract

Target stratigraphy is the Wonarah Formation of the Lower Cambrian Barkly Group which consists of dolomudstone, siltstone, chertified limestone, mudstone and grey massive limestone. This formation has been mapped to the east of the tenement and is assumed to underlie Cenozoic cover rocks in the tenement. Regolith is dominated by aeolian sand, travertine, claypans and ferruginous deposits. Preliminary research involved geochemical and geophysical analysis to identify ground targets. Gravity survey data indicates a basement high within the tenement. Exploration sampling is based on the premise that any near-surface phosphorite could be identified by a geochemical signature utilizing soil or maglag media. A geochemical survey was conducted over station tracks in early 2010 with 124 samples collected. Magnetic susceptibility and radiometric readings were recorded at each sample site. Soil and rock samples were assayed by Amdel Laboratory, Mt Isa for a multi-element suite. Maglag samples were temporarily misplaced and only submitted to Genalysis Laboratories, Perth in November 2010. Four traverses were completed over 33 line-km. Traverses 1, 2 and 4 define an east-northeast trending zone interpreted to represent the near-surface expression of a phosphorite with moderate P anomalism and elevated Ce, Pb, La and U. Elevated Li and Th on Traverse 1 suggests basement affinities. Dips are likely to be shallow to the southeast. The zone of interest strikes into the central and western portions of the tenement where there is no vehicle access. It is concluded from regional gravity, airborne magnetics-radiometry, footborne scintillometry and soil-rock geochemistry that a 45km long by 3km wide zone of interest is likely to contain phosphorite within EL 26693. There is strong overlapping evidence for its existence in the northeastern part of the tenement but less evidence, in the form of gravity and magnetics, for the strike extension into the southwestern part where there is no access. Reverse circulation drilling is recommended to test this zone of interest and 96km of line clearing in the central and western parts of the tenement to provide access for further geochemical sampling and drilling.