Browns Range NT Project Annual Group Technical Report for the period 21 August 2014 to 20 August 2015

Abstract

The targeted commodity is Heavy Rare Earths associated with xenotime mineralization, similar to that at the Wolverine prospect on the Western Australian side of the Browns Range Dome. Helicopter supported reconnaissance was conducted over EL 24174 and EL 24193 primarily to ground check targets generated from the targeting exercise. During the program, a portable Niton XRF unit and a Radiation Solutions RS-230 spectrometer were used. Outcropping Browns Range Metamorphics (BRM) was not encountered on either tenement. Tenement EL 24193 is almost entirely covered with transported aeolian or alluvial sands with minor pisolite and lag deposits, whilst the southern and eastern margins of EL 24174 were dominated by outcropping ridges of Gardiner Sandstone. Most radiometric targets were explained by either contrast effect between Gardiner Sandstone and surrounding, transported sands, or were associated with pisolitic material. During the program several large scale quartz breccias were identified within the overlying Gardiner Sandstone within EL 24174. These could range up to 2m width and extend over several hundred meters strike. A total of six samples were taken (BTRK0016, BTRK0017, BTRK0019, BTRK0020, BTRK0021 and BTRK0022), although none was anomalous for rare earths. The remaining sample, BTRK0023 was taken from a very limited (less than 1 squar meter) hematitic breccia, but again was not anomalous for rare earths. A geochemical surface orientation survey was undertaken on the West Australian side of the dome to test the effectiveness of stream sediment sampling. Low levels of anomalism were detected in an interpreted downstream catchment from mineralised deposits. Due to the large area under cover in the NT this sampling method was trialed in 2014. Remote satellite images were used to interpret locations of waterways as sampling was conducted at the end of the dry season. Samples were collected at approximately 2 kilometre intervals, and attempted to target bends or a change in width in the waterways to optimise the potential for mineral accumulation. Stream sediment samples were collected from approximately 0.50m depth, to avoid surficial contamination. Samples were then dried, sieved, and separated into +3.2mm, 0.8-3.2mm, 212 micro -0.8mm or <212 micro size fractions. The three finer grained samples were assayed as the coarse fraction did not return enough material for assay.