Legacy product - no abstract available

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.

The Brodribb deposit, located 13 miles north of the Rum Jungle mine was located by an aerial scintillometer survey in September 1952. A ground examination revealed an order of radioactivity sufficient to warrant geological and radiometric surveys. A total of 1026 feet of costeaning was bulldozed. The increase of radioactivity with little depth and the satisfactory sample values justify exploratory drilling and possibly underground development, which will be started in 1953. The information available to date places the Brodribb deposit in an entirely different geological category from that of the Rum Jungle deposit. Even if the Brodribb deposit proves to be only of very low grade uranium, an entirely new and extensive province for uranium exploration will be opened.

The Waterhouse uranium Prospect No. 4 is located 3.5 miles south of Batchelor siding on the North Australian Railway line, and was discovered by aerial scintillometer survey. A ground examination recommended radiometric gridding of the area. The Prospect is in lateritised rocks and is a broad area of twice the radiometric background count. Within this area are small local zones, rising to four times background, associated with quartz veins. The future of the Prospect is not encouraging.

Results are given of geophysical work done during 1952 at the Renison Bell tin field, Tasmania. The area surveyed is to the immediate south-east of those surveyed in 1950 and 1951 and includes the Federal open-cut, Dunn's workings and Stebbin's Hill. Self-potential and magnetic methods, which had proved satisfactory in the previous surveys were again used. Of five main anomalies which were found, three coincide with known workings, namely the Federal open-cut, Dunn's workings and Montana South workings. These anomalies do not indicate any considerable extension of the ore bodies already worked. Of the other two anomalies, one is slightly north-west of Dunn's workings and the other directly on Stebbin's Hill. Three drilling sites are recommended for testing these two anomalies.

A provisional isogonic map of Australia and New Guinea has been prepared showing predicted values of declination for the middle of 1955. Along with this map, and isoporic chart is given showing the expected annual rate of change of declination over the same area for the same epoch. This rate of change (secular variation) can be taken as applying for all practical purposes from the beginning of 1953 to the end of 1957. It is expected that by the time a new map will have been prepared showing predicted values for 1960.5. The main points to note about the present map, in comparison with that for 1950.5 are: i) that the declination over Tasmania is from two-thirds to three-quarters of a degree greater (i.e. more easterly) than would have been expected from the 1950.5 map; ii) the annual rate of change of declination over the south-eastern part of Australia shows an increase in positive (i.e. easterly) value; iii) the annual rate of change of declination over the north-western part of the mainland now shows a small negative (i.e. westerly) value instead of the small positive value shown in previous years.

Prospecting was carried out along favourable structures in an area of granite and sediments. One uranium prospect was discovered near the Yenberrie wolfram field but appears to be very small and low in grade. Some general notes on the geology of the area were also made.

Geiger-counts exceeding 4 times the background-count in the area were obtained early in 1953 by Mr. S. Tennyson at 6 localities along shear-zones 3.75 miles south-west of the bridge across the Edith River on the Stuart Highway. The area was inspected by R.S. Matheson and D.E. Gardner during May, 1953, and mapped later in the month in a plane-table survey by D.E. Gardner and N.O. Jones. Samples were taken from each of the localities where high geiger-counts were obtained, and then uranium-oxide content was determined radiometrically at Darwin. A base-line was pegged to facilitate geophysical investigation of the area.

Legacy product - no abstract available

Three widely separated scout holes totalling 566 feet of drilling were drilled to investigate the possibilities of open-cut mining sites on the Australasian Seam immediately to the west and south-west of West Wallsend, a suburb of the city of Newcastle. Only one hole intersected the Australasian Seam. This hole indicated that the seam was much banded and of inferior quality - below present open-cut coal standard. Analyses suggested that it may be possible to mine a section of coal 8 feet 7 inches thick excluding non-coal bands, and that this coal would have an ash content of about 29% and calorific value of 10,000 B.Th.U. per lb. after the exclusion of bands.