prospectivity
Type of resources
Keywords
Publication year
Scale
Topics
-
Report on the activities of the administrative and technical sections in the Katherine-Darwin area, November, 1954. A brief account is given of geological and geophysical operations. The results of prospecting and development work are summarised.
-
This report describes the geophysical surveys made by the Geophysical Section of the Bureau to assist in the search for oil in the Carnarvon Basin (North-west) of Western Australia. The geophysical work completed to the present time consists of gravity and seismic surveys.
-
A geophysical survey, comprising self-potential and electromagnetic methods, was made during the 1952 and 1953 field seasons at the Labour Victory Copper Mine, about 7 miles north-north-west of the Mt. Elliott Copper Mine, near Selwyn, Northern Queensland. The self-potential survey covered an area of 2,400 feet x 900 feet, but owing to other operational commitments during the 1953 season, the electromagnetic survey was confined to the southern part of the area. The primary object of the work was to determine the extent of the mineralisation associated with the known lode, which strikes north-south through the centre of the surveyed area. The self-potential survey revealed a well-defined anomaly nearly 1,000 feet long, in the northern part of the area. The axis of this anomaly is parallel to, but about 75 feet west of, the known lode. The disused main shaft of the now idle mine is at the southern end of the anomaly, which in this vicinity deviates slightly towards the south-east, i.e. towards the known lode. No workings exist in the area of the indication, and no outcrops were found, the rock formations being hidden for the most part by alluvium. The electromagnetic results confirmed those of the self-potential survey, but the electromagnetic indication extends farther to the south. The results suggest that the indication may be caused by lenticular bodies and that these are disturbed by cross faults. No mineralised deposits were indicated by the electrical results in the southern part of the area. It is recommended that some trenching and geological and geochemical work be done in the area of the strong electrical indication. If the results of the testing show that the indication is not due to graphitic or pyritic schists, it is recommended that a number of diamond drill holes be put down. Suggested locations for five such drill holes are given. If the anomaly is due to ore the geophysical results suggest an ore body of considerable size.
-
The prospect covers an area originally enclosing three first order and one second order anomaly located by the Airborne Scintillometer Survey if 1952. Preliminary ground investigation was carried out in October 1952 and is contained in 'Preliminary Report on Airborne Scintillometer Surveys by N.H. Fisher and J. Sleiss'. Carborne equipment was first used to locate the anomalies and determine their extent in July, 1953. An Auster aircraft carrying a Halross scintillometer also flew over the area at the same time locating a high only near the first zone. This was carried out by the Territory Enterprise Limited. A survey grid was laid down to serve both the geological and geophysical work. The base line runs north-south for 3,300 feet and traverse lines run across it at 100 ft. intervals. The detailed radioactive survey covered the whole area. Traverse lines were read at 300 foot intervals in the outer sections where closer work was not warranted. The work commenced in August and was completed in October 1953.
-
Wellington is a small town on the Macquarie River about 200 miles north-west of Sydney (see Plate 1). These are several old mine workings - shafts, pits, costean, etc. - about 7 or 8 miles south-east of the town. Massive sulphide ore has been found and developed in one of these workings, namely, the main shaft of the Commonwealth Mine. A fairly big dump, which shows signs of good ore and some smelted material, is evidence that there was once a good bit of mining activity in the area. In 1951, the Consolidated Zinc Corporation became interested in the abandoned mine and arranged for the lease owner, Mr. George Wilkins, to de-water it. As pointed out in the report of the Company's geologist, nothing is known from the numerous old workings regarding the extent of the sulphide orebody. The purpose of the geophysical investigation was to determine if there is any extension to the known orebody and to provide the Company with drilling targets. The geophysical work was carried out from the end of July to the beginning of September, 1952, and it covered the whole of the old mining area, some 6,000 feet in length. The Consolidated Zinc Corporation carried out the necessary surveying work, such as pegging and levelling traverses, and the Company's drilling party assisted where necessary. The general results of the survey were discussed with representatives of the Company as soon as the field work was completed.
-
Mt. Fitch Prospect is situated five miles on a bearing of N30°W from Rum Jungle siding. It was first visited in October 1949 by [an] officer of the Bureau (Ward, 1950). During 1950 Geologists Ward and Gates discovered the presence of yellow secondary uranium minerals in limestone. Radio-metric contouring and geological mapping was undertaken in May 1950 and a plan was produced on a scale of 100 feet to an inch. In 1950 a plan of the workings was produced on a scale of 40 feet to an inch and an aerial photograph enlarged to a scale of approximately 400 feet to an inch was used to map the Mt. Fitch area. The limited amount of prospecting work at Mt. Fitch has as yet not indicated the presence of an important uranium ore body in the area but further testing is warranted. The area of radioactivity is adjacent to the limestone slate contact and is similar in this respect to Brown's Deposit, (Ward, 1953).
-
The area described in this report extends for 6.5 miles south of the southern boundary of the Hundred of Goyder, and for approximately 8.5 miles west of the Stuart Highway. The North Australian Railway runs approximately through the centre of the area. No uranium-bearing minerals have yet been discovered in the Waterhouse Area, but copper mineralization, associated with some radioactivity is known to occur. A slate formation, which is partly graphic, carries the main signs of copper and uranium mineralization noted to date, and is underlain by a quartzite breccia. Those beds are similar to, and are possibly identical with, those carrying the uranium and copper ore at Rum Jungle, where surface showings were not impressive. The mineralized slate at Waterhouse warrants prospecting and at least one known deposit warrants drilling. Other parts of the area, in which radiometric anomalies have been found by the airborne scintillometer, need further ground investigation.
-
Abstract for initial submission; see Geocat 71429 for conference paper version
-
Since 1949 a considerable amount of geological and geophysical investigation as well as diamond drilling and some underground development has been undertaken in the search for uranium ore in the Darwin-Katherine region, and in the course of this work information has been gained which, it is thought, may be of interest to prospectors and companies who are now beginning to pay considerable attention to the possibilities of the area, but have had little or no experience of prospecting for uranium in the Katherine-Darwin region. Investigations of the area by the Bureau, by private companies, and by prospectors [are] now proceeding more vigorously than ever, and without doubt a good deal more remains to be found out concerning the uranium deposits of this province. In these circumstances the notes supplied below are put forward tentatively as being some facts known to the present writer at this time (July, 1953) as well as some more controversial opinions. It is expected that more information will be made available as the investigation proceeds. (The following notes should be read in conjunction with Pamphlet No. 3 (Radioactive Mineral Deposits) of the Bureau of Mineral Resources, Geology and Geophysics and a copy of the Mineral Map (NT32B-4) would greatly aid in their understanding).
-
The area described in the report lies between latitudes 12°48' and 12°56' S., and longitudes 130°56' and 131°11'E. Most of the mapped region lies between the Stuart Highway and the North Australian Railway. The investigation of this area is still in the early stages and has consisted of general geological mapping, and detailed investigation (including drilling) of areas found to have been radioactive during airborne scintillometer surveys carried out in 1952. At Brodribb and Ella Creek superficial hematite-rich deposits have been found to be radioactive to the extent of up to ten times background, but drilling of this type of deposit at Brodribb has not yet proved the existence of payable primary ore. Further drilling is proceeding. A new discovery at Ella Creek in July this year gave high radioactivity over a length of about 300 ft. and two pits sunk to a depth of 3 ft. of this line have shown counts of 5,000 per minute and 10,000 per minute respectively. The field geologists recommend further testing here. In the Frazer area, laterite, which contains a belt of radioactivity up to eight times background, is known to exist, but, apart from limited trenching, has not yet been adequately tested.