Ebagoola Project
EBAGOOLA GOLD PROJECT (NTH QLD)
The project area consists of one granted Exploration
Permit for Minerals, four Exploration Permits for
Minerals Applications, and three Mining Leases
covering approximately 982 square kilometres of
the Precambrian Coen Metamorphic belt. Gold was the only commodity mined in the
district and was recovered mainly from workings
in the Hamilton Goldfield in the Ebagoola-Yarraden
areas, which are enclosed by the tenements.
Free gold occurs mainly in numerous single
and multiple quartz veins, up to 1.5 m thick, that
formed within Palaeozoic intrusive granitoid rocks
and along or near the contacts of the granitoids
with the metamorphics, particularly in the vicinity
of the Ebagoola fault zone. The potential exists for
a number of different styles of gold mineralisation
within the project area which are discussed below.
Multiple Vein Type Mineralisation
Previous exploration in the area has demonstrated
that the gold mineralisation occurs mainly in multiple
event quartz veins developed in altered metamorphic
rocks or granitoids. Rock chip sampling
by previous explorers and GML has shown
that mineralized quartz reefs, containing erratic,
high-grade gold values, are often surrounded by
an altered envelope of lower grade material, for
instance:
- 22 m averaging 0.6 g/t gold at Marks Reef,
which has been traced for 2 km along strike.
- 50 m averaging 0.25 g/t gold at Never Mine.
Previous scout drilling has also intersected
approximately 20 m wide intervals of low-grade
gold mineralisation (1-2 g/t gold) at a number of
other localities:
- Queenslander North - 16 m averaging 1.14
g/t gold.
- Random - 27 m averaging 1.68 g/t gold.
- Gold Mount -19 m averaging 1.64 g/t gold.
Ross Mining Ltd estimated a possible Inferred
Resource at Queenslander North of 200 000 tonnes
of oxidised material averaging 1.2 g/t gold to 50 m
depth from 12 drill holes.
Mineralisation is open-ended in all directions.
Exploration of these vein systems will involve reconnaissance IP surveys to establish their lateral and depth persistence and scout drilling of resultant detail target areas along with infill drilling of known resources to increase their size and resource status.
Epithermal Vein Type Mineralisation
Ross Mining Ltd recognised discrete epithermalstyle
veins at a number of localities in the tenement
area (Figure 4) and a general overprint of the quartz
reefs by epithermal-textured veins. The possibility
that this overprinting is related to a younger magmatic event is supported by the frequent
association of younger (Permo-Carboniferous)
acid dyke structures with the known reef systems,
the occurrence of gold mineralisation in a dyke
structure at Random and gold mineralisation
associated with the brecciated contact zone of a
Permo-Carboniferous intrusive plug at Spion Kop.
The possibility of a younger auriferous epithermal
event encourages exploration for the characteristically
erratic but high-grade epithermal styles of
mineralisation (such as the Pajingo-Vera Nancy
deposits in north Queensland) within the project
area (see Section 9). Epithermal overprinting of
pre-existing reef structures could also be responsible
for local grade increases and indicative of a
more-highly developed epithermal system at depth.
Initial exploration of these systems will rely on reconnaissance IP surveys to indicate hidden centres of mineralisation that will be tested by scout drilling.
Intrusion-Related Type Mineralisation
Similarities in geological setting and mineralisation
styles have been noted with the giant Kidston
deposit of northwest Queensland and the Donlin
Creek deposit of Alaska, both of which are considered
to be the Intrusion-related style of gold
deposits. A number of target areas have been
delineated for ground follow-up using the Intrusionrelated
exploration model and the results of the
recent airborne geophysical survey which has
outlined areas of altered and subsurface granitoids
associated with brecciation, and/or anomalous
stream sediment, soil and/or rock chip gold
geochemistry. Most of
the target areas fall within a major cross-cutting
structural feature, the Flying Fox – Lapunya Linear zone, but a large untested feature has been outlined
in the Ebagoola area (see Section 9). This style of
mineralisation has been largely untested in the
tenement area and offers potential for both large
tonnage, low-grade deposits (Kidston) and low
tonnage, high-grade deposits (Pogo, Alaska).
Exploration of these target areas will involve reconnaissance and detailed IP surveys to determine their depth potential followed by deep scout drilling.
Exploration Programs and Budgets
Exploration programs will initially involve geological mapping, geochemical sampling, reconnaissance and detailed induced polarisation (IP) and radiometric geophysical surveys and scout reverse circulation percussion and diamond drilling (7500 m in the first two years) of the detailed target areas. If initial exploration is successful during Year 1, this will be followed by delineation and definition drilling programs at priority target areas.
Although exploration programs have been designed for all initial target areas, exploration budgets are presented only for those targets within granted tenements.
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