Combined Annual and Final Report Year 17 EL 10189 Tintagel Project for the period 23 July 2002 to 22 July 2019

Abstract

This combined annual and final report collates exploration activities undertaken by Merlin Diamonds Limited (MDL) on EL 10189 from the grant date 23rd July 2002 to its expiry on 22nd July 2019. MDL held the title for 17 years and explored mainly for diamond bearing kimberlite pipes. MDL also assessed prospectivity of the licence for occurrence of uranium and base metal mineralisation. EL 10189 is situated on the Bauhinia Downs (SE53-03) and Wallhallow (SE53-07) 1:250,000 map-sheets, and the Glyde and Lancewood 1:100,000 topographic map-sheets in the Batten Region of the Northern Territory. It is located around 100 kilometres south of Borroloola and is accessed via existing unsealed tracks leading south from the Merlin Mine or north from Kiana Station. Historical exploration by various companies has searched for kimberlites that have recovered significant numbers of diamonds and chromites in stream samples. Over the seventeen years Merlin Diamonds Ltd has held the licence, a range of exploration activities have been conducted including geophysical surveys, indicator mineral sampling, geochemical soil sampling, drilling, mineral chemistry analysis on recovered chromites and determination of (U-Th)He ages of detrital zircons. No field-related exploration work was conducted during the final reporting period. However, the company completed a detailed re-evaluation of the previous years of exploration work on the tenement in order to reassess the mineral prospectivity of the Licence. This review highlighted that the results of diamond exploration over seventeen years indicates little likelihood of presence of a primary diamond source within EL 10189, despite being able to recover diamonds and indicator minerals. Likewise, prospectivity for uranium and base metals mineralisation of the tenement was found to be low. The review recommended no further exploration work on the tenement and allowed the EL 10189 to expire naturally on 22 July 2019.