Round 15 GDC Program Central Raptor HeliTEM Airborne Electromagnetic Survey Final Report ELA 31865, ELA 31866, ELA 32343

Abstract

In May 2022, IGO Limited (IGO) were successfully awarded co-funding in Round 15 of the Geophysics and Drilling Collaboration (GDC) Program administered by the Northern Territory Government. The co-funding was provided to complete an airborne electromagnetic (AEM) survey in the northwestern Aileron Province. A 2894.5 line-km, 300-m-spaced Helitem2 survey was flown over 3 tenements in application (ELA 31865, ELA 31866, ELA 32343) in the central area of IGO's Raptor Project within the Willowra Gravity Ridge. The survey commenced on the 1st of August 2022 and was completed on the 30th of August 2022. All of the geology in the co-funded survey area is hidden under shallow cover, and without drilling is ultimately interpretative in nature. The survey aimed to directly detect electromagnetic conductors in mafic intrusions that may be caused by magmatic nickel-copper-cobalt mineralisation. IGO considers the Willowra Ridge prospective for greenfields discovery. Raptor Project tenements have not been systematically explored for magmatic sulfide deposits and remain largely untested with historical exploration mainly targeting gold. IGO are instead targeting base metals in mafic intrusions; these intrusions are considered part of the Hart and Warakurna Large Igneous Provinces; comparable 1.80 and 1.06 Ga mafic rocks are associated with global nickel deposits. The co-funded program has generated specific high amplitude late time anomalies that are suitable for further exploration. These targets will be followed-up with ground EM surveys once land access is granted by the Central Land Council. If these EM targets are still considered significant after the ground EM surveys, IGO plan to drill test the highest priority targets for magmatic sulfide mineralisation. The EM survey data can also be used to generate a conductive cover regolith map that delineate areas suitable for exploration using ground EM, and shallow exploration using soil sampling methods. An interpretative depth to basement (conductive cover) surface map has been generated as a product by inverting the airborne EM survey data.