Dr Ian Scrimgeour - NT Geological Survey - Challenges and opportunities for mineral exploration in...
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Transcript of Dr Ian Scrimgeour - NT Geological Survey - Challenges and opportunities for mineral exploration in...
State of mineral exploration
in the NT
Ian Scrimgeour
Executive Director, Northern Territory
Geological Survey
Exploration in the NT in 2015
• Mineral exploration downturn is ongoing
• Gold exploration activity is a standout
• Copper and zinc exploration continues to bring strong results
• Most mineral exploration is focussed on known deposits
• The McArthur Basin emerging as a world-class shale gas basin
NT Government is investing
in the most significant
exploration initiative
undertaken in the NT
NTGS is committed to
working with industry to
unlock the Territory’s
resource potential
2014 –
$108.0M
2011 –
$228.4M
ABS Definiton of Brownfields (Existing Deposits): delineating or proving up an
existing deposit, including extensions and infill, which has been classified as an
Inferred Mineral Resource or higher
Where minerals exploration is happening
Mineral ELs on which significant on-
ground exploration was reported to DME in
2013
Green = geophysics
Red = drilling
Blue = geochemistry
Notes:
1. This reflects exploration reported by industry in
technical reports submitted in 2014. Exploration
may have taken place during 2013 or 2014, and
not all exploration undertaken in 2014 is included
2. Only includes exploration on ELs, not MLs
3. Excludes petroleum exploration
Mineral ELs on which significant on-
ground exploration was reported to DME in
2014
Green = geophysics
Red = drilling
Blue = geochemistry
Notes:
1. This reflects exploration reported by industry in
technical reports submitted in 2014. Exploration
may have taken place during 2013 or 2014, and
not all exploration undertaken in 2014 is included
2. Only includes exploration on ELs, not MLs
3. Excludes petroleum exploration
Where minerals exploration is happening
A 4 year (2014-18) $23.8M investment in growing the exploration sector
• 4 year program to assess shale gas and oil resources ($2.0M pa)
• Major new geoscience programs to lower exploration risk
• Strong focus on copper and zinc mineral systems, and opening up
undercover regions
• Programs to attract investment into NT resources projects
• Co-funding of industry greenfields drilling and geophysics
Creating Opportunities for Resource Exploration
(CORE)
Major new geophysical surveys
Magnetic and radiometric surveys
Gravity surveys
Geophysics and Drilling Collaborations
• Funding for 50% of diamond
drilling or geophysical
programs, capped at $100k
• Change to guidelines
– Smaller scale programs
using innovative techniques
– Consider deep holes under
existing shallow drilling
• 10 projects funded in 2015, 4
already completed
• Next call for applications in
February 2016, to close in April
2016
www.minerals.nt.gov.au/collaborations
• McArthur Basin is a major base
metals and oil and gas basin
• New seismic data shows correlatives
at surface & beneath cover between
McArthur and Birrindudu basins &
Tomkinson Province
• > 500 000 km2
• informal package nomenclature until
formal correlations are established
McArthur Basin Birrindudu
Basin
Tomkinson
Province
Wilton package Roper Group Tijunna
Group
Renner
Group
Favenc
package
Nathan/Mount
Rigg groups
Bullita/Wattie
groups
Glyde package McArthur/Bulma/
Hapgood groups
Limbunya
Group
Namerinni
Group
McArthur
Basin
Birrindudu
Basin
Tomkinson
Province
Revealing the ‘greater McArthur Basin’
Pangaea Resources
3 wells drilled in 2014, four
drilled in 2015; major
investment from US
Origin Energy-Sasol
Nine well, $165M exploration
and appraisal program
commencing with 3 wells in
2015
Inpex
Awarded application in early
2015
Santos
4 km deep well in 2014
intersected significant shale gas
McArthur Basin: shale gas activity
Teck Australia-Rox Resources
• 10 km west of McArthur River
2013 drilling:
• 26.4m @ 13.3% Zn+Pb, from 1060m
• 20.1m @ 15.0% Zn+Pb from 944m
including 12.5m @ 19.5% Zn+Pb
2014 drilling:
• 14.7m @ 13.3% Zn+Pb from 796m
• 4.9m @ 11.8% Zn + Pb from 653m
Mineralisation extends
over 1.9km x 0.8km
MMG also actively
exploring Batten Fault
Zone
NTGS co-funding application of new
geophysical techniques for targeting
(eg seismic, MT)
Pacifico Minerals – Coppermine
Creek
10m @ 1.3% Cu
McArthur Basin: minerals activity
Elliot 1
Shenandoah-1A
Burdo 1
Walton 2
Borrowdale 2
Tarlee S3
Broughton 1
Friendship 1
Alexander 1Sever 1
Daly Waters arch
• Completion of modern geophysical
coverage
• 3D geological model
• Rock property dataset
• Shale analytical data
• Regional geological correlations
• Hylogger analysis of drillcore
Depth to base of Roper Group
McArthur Basin: new geoscience
Ongoing release of updated datasets
throughout CORE
Pine Creek’s polymetallic potential
Iron Blow
JORC 2012 resource:
2.6 Mt @ 2.4 g/t Au, 130 g/t Ag, 4.8%
Zn, 0.9% Pb, 0.3% Cu
2014 drilling:
• 50.39m @ 10.12% Zn, 2.66 g/t Au,
283 g/t Ag, 0.57% Cu, 1.39% Pb
Mount Bonnie
2015 drilling:
• 8m @ 12.3% Zn, 2.41g/t Au, 321g/t
Ag, 0.5% Cu, 2.5% Pb
• 12m @ 8.4% Zn, 2.57g/t Au, 228g/t
Ag, 0.7% Cu, 2.0% Pb
Phoenix Copper – JV with Newmarket
Gold (formerly Crocodile Gold)
Central Tanami project
(Tanami Gold-Northern Star)
• 25.5 Mt @ 3.2 g/t Au
• Includes Groundrush deposit
(6.72 Mt @ 4.8 g/t Au)
• Northern Star Resources - major
JV with plan to bring Central
Tanami back to production by
2017
Callie mine (Newmont Australia)
• Expansion being considered
Buccaneer (ABM Resources)
19m @ 5.83 g/t Au
The Tanami ‘ Australia’s latest gold hotspot’
Old Pirate gold mine
The Territory’s newest mine: first gold poured in June quarter 2015
Tennant Creek’s resurgence
Emmerson Resources
• $25M exploration farm-in by Evolution Mining to
underpin aggressive exploration
• 28,000m drilling program underway
Blaze International-Meteoric Resources JV
• Bluebird prospect, 30 km east of Tennant Creek
• 20m at 8.17g/t Au, 0.61% Cu, 0.22% Bi from 157m
Metals X Ltd – Rover 1
• 20.9m @ 14.5 g/t Au,6.0% Cu, 0.22% Bi
Metals X Ltd – Curiosity
• 11.7m @ 4.86% Zn, 3.73% Pb, 1.02 g/t Au,
33 g/t Ag, 0.24% Cu
Curiosity
Discovery through NT Government co-
funded drilling under CORE
NTGS partnering with industry at
Tennant Creek
June 2015: NTGS partnering in 60 km
seismic traverse across Tennant Creek
field
July 2015: NTGS co-funded 1,279m
drillhole below Gecko
• Shallow copper discovery:
7m at 5.98% Cu from 123m including
3m at 10.4% Cu
• New zones of copper, pyrite and
bismuth intersected 400m below
Gecko
Information to be open filed 6 months
after project completion
Geological implications discussed at
AGES 2016
New geoscience at Tennant Creek
Copper – central Australia
KGL Resources Ltd – Jervois Cu-Ag-Pb-Zn-Au
• 30.5 Mt @ 1.07% Cu, 23.0 g/t Ag
• 327,000t contained Cu, 22.6 Moz Ag, 190,000t contained Pb-Zn
• 12 km long mineralised zone
• Notice of Intent submitted, PFS being finalised
• Mineralisation drilled to >800m from surface
Resource includes:
• Bellbird – 5.4 Mt @ 1.62% Cu
• Marshall-Reward 10.6 Mt @ 1.37% Cu
Rox Resources – Bonya Cu
• 2014 discovery of high-grade
vein-hosted copper, 20 km
west of Jervois
38m @ 4.4% Cu from 60m 13m
@ 5.4% Cu from 111m
8m @ 7.6% Cu from 97m
stratiform mineralisation
New geological framework
for Jervois area
New mineral deposit
studies on Jervois deposit
– hybrid VMS-Sedex
deposit
NTGS cofunding deep
conceptual hole at Jervois
New geoscience in Jervois area
• Fertile bimodal magmatism emplaced into basins regionally at 1.8 to 1.76 Ga
• VMS-SEDEX District associated actively/passively with magmatism in E Arunta
• Most other Australian Proterozoic metallogenic belts >120 my younger
VMS eg Utnalanama
Hybrid
eg Jervois
Alice Springs
Implications for copper potential in central Australia
Mount Peake progress
TNG Ltd – Mount Peake
• 160 Mt @ 0.28% V2O5 , 5.3% TiO2, 23% Fe
• Mafic-hosted vanadium magnetite
• Close to railway and gas pipeline
• Potential production of V2O5, Fe2O3 and TiO2 through
patented hydrometallurgical technique
Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) released July 2015:
• pre-tax internal rate of return of 41%
• pre-production capital cost of A$970 million,
• estimated life-of-mine net cash flow of A$11.6B
• operating cash flows of A$13.6 billion
• initial 17-year project life
• 3 Mtpa ramping up to 6 Mtpa
• proposed Darwin location for refinery
NTGS undertaking geochronology on deposit
Rum Jungle Resources – Karinga Lakes
Upgraded resource: 8.4 Mt K2SO4 (19 Mt schoenite)
• Resources in brines in acquifers beneath salt lakes
(in lake sediments and Devonian siltstone)
• Scoping study released December 2014
Amadeus Basin – Potash and salt
Tellus Holdings – Chandler salt
• >200m flat lying salt unit within
Chandler Formation
• Measured Resource 309 Mt NaCl
• Total resource >4.5 Bt NaCl
• Average grade 88.6%, individual
layers of 98% NaCl
Summary
• The downturn in the resources
sector continues to impact on
greenfields exploration
• Significant activity and promising
results for gold, base metals and
shale gas
• NT Geological Survey is working
on major geoscience programs
and collaborating with industry to
stimulate exploration in the
Territory through the CORE
initiative
March 15-16, 2016,
Alice Springs Convention Centre
Annual Geoscience
Exploration Seminar (AGES)