North Arunta Project
The North Arunta project area is located between 200 and 400km north-northwest of Alice Springs and 85km (at nearest point) to Newmont’s Callie / Granites Mine. The region is accessed by approximately 70 kilometres of well serviced tracks from the Tanami Road near Yuendumu.
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| Location Map North Arunta sub projects and highlight target areas for drilling 2010 |
Reynolds Range presents up to 24 known gold occurrences mainly associated with greenschist facies in shale and sandstone units of the Lower Palaeoproterozic Lander Rock Beds. This Formation is equivalent laterally to the <1,860 Ma Killi Killi Formation in the Tanami Group where numerous Gold deposits have been discovered.
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The Falchion and Sabre prospects showing all RAB, Vacuum, Aircore, RC and Diamond Hole locations plotted for maximum assay down hole. Assays and drilling conducted during several phases with various explorers. Gold is assayed predominantly using Aqua Regia and AAS methods and base metal assays using Aqua Regia and ICPMS methods. Intercepts calculated using 0.3g/t gold cut off, minimum 1m width and maximum 10metre internal dilution and second order intercepts (higher grade) calculated using a 1.0g/t gold cut off, minimum width of 1m and 10metres of internal dilution. MGA94 Zone 53
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Gold is present in poly-metallic associations as well as producing alteration halos associated with pathfinder elements such as antimony and arsenic. Quartz veining and doleritic relationships with gold anomalies have been described at several prospects in the area as well as geochemical fingerprints.
The Stafford Gold Zone covers a strike length of more than 20km with 10 individual prospects and a target area in excess of 80sq km. Fresh bedrock is largely untested and extensive target areas overlain by transported cover are not yet tested. ABM is planning a 10 to 15 hole RC/Diamond program and extensive RAB drilling to extend areas under cover proposed to commence in March 2010.
Previous drilling returned up to:
- 29m grading 2.32g/t gold including 12m grading 3.76g/t gold
- 43m grading 1.79g/t gold including 26m grading 2.73g/t gold
With bonanza silver grades up to 230g/t, along with 2.65g/t gold, 7.8% copper and 18.3% lead from rock chips in polymetallic zones.
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The Stafford Gold Zone showing all RAB, Vacuum, Aircore, RC and Diamond Hole locations plotted for maximum assay down hole. Maximum hole depth is 156m and average depth is 9.8m. Assays and drilling conducted during several phases with various explorers. Gold is assayed predominantly using Aqua Regia and AAS methods and base metal assays using Aqua Regia and ICPMS methods. Intercepts calculated using 0.3g/t cut off, minimum 1m width and maximum 10metre internal dilution. MGA94 Zone 53.
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The North Arunta Trans-Tanami Extension covers greater than 6000 square kilometres of Exploration License Applications. The region is intersected by the Trans-Tanami Fault Zone – the same structure that hosts Newmont’s Callie Mine (>5Moz gold). There is a request submitted to the Central Land Council to commence negotiations with the Traditional Owners in regards to this area.
Within the Barrow Creek sub project there is the Kroda gold project. Consisting of 4 individual prospects, it is located 18km northwest of the Stuart Highway and has the Northern Territory gas pipeline transecting the prospects. With a combined anomalous strike length of more than 14km the Kroda 3 prospect in particular consists of a 540m by 300m anomalous surface zone with 12 RC and 6 diamond holes (average depth 71 metres and maximum depth 114 metres). Drilling was widely spaced and intersected several high grade lodes. The zone remains open in all directions. Some of the best intersections ended in mineralisation and remain open at depth.
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Kroda 3 Anomaly. A 500 metre anomalous zone defined only by shallow drilling and open in all directions
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