Mary Kathleen JV Project, Queensland
(GOLDSEARCH Diluting to 30%)
Goldsearch with its joint venture partner China Yunnan Copper Australia (ASX:CYU) is exploring for Mary Kathleen-style uranium deposits, Shear-zone hosted copper and Iron oxide copper gold (IOCG) deposits in the highly prospective Mount Isa Inlier, North Queensland. The project area is located to the north and south of the former Mary Kathleen mine between Mount Isa and Cloncurry and is comprised of three granted tenements, EPM 14019, EPM 14022 and EPM 15257 covering a total area of approximately 160 square kilometres.
The joint venture is undertaking an ongoing exploration program at a number of areas targeted through previous work by Goldsearch and through evaluation of historical information. In November 2009 the joint venture commenced drilling at a number of targets including the Elaine Dorothy uranium target, with the aim of confirming previous drilling by Mary Kathleen Uranium and defining a JORC compliant resource.
Mary Kathleen JV Tenements and Targets
Regional Geology of the Mary Kathleen JV
(click on image for larger version)
Local Landscape
Uranium Exploration
Mineralisation at the Mary Kathleen mine is hosted in metamorphosed calcareous sediments of the Corella Formation proximal to the Burstall Granite, an upper plate granite with elevated uranium levels. Key factors in targeting further uranium mineralisation are the regional faults intersecting the reactive Corella Formation lithologies and an associated source granite.
Mary Kathleen Mine
Local Landscape, Prince Of Wales Area
Prince of Wales Historical Workings
Historical Mining Equipment
Goldsearch has a priority target at Elaine Dorothy six kilometres south of Mary Kathleen on the trace of the Mary Kathleen Syncline. The Elaine Dorothy target area is a distinct uranium anomaly in the airborne radiometric data. Limited drilling at this prospect by Mary Kathleen Uranium, the operators of the former mine during the late 1950's, intercepted high grade Mary Kathleen-style mineralisation in Corella Formation rocks. Goldsearch completed a small program of confirmation drilling in December 2006. This program confirmed the existence of the mineralised zone which extends over at least 500m in strike. Better results in the previous historic drilling include 2.3m @ 0.262% U3O8 from 26m in hole ED2, 9.5m @ 0.036% U3O8 from 13.5m in hole ED4 and 2m @ 0.134% U3O8 from 100m in hole ED11. Best results from four holes drilled by Goldsearch was 1m at 0.047% U3O8 and 0.988% Rare Earth Oxides from 83m in hole MKRC4.
Elaine Dorothy Drill Pad
Gold / Copper Exploration
The Joint Venture is targeting Ernest Henry / Olympic Dam style iron oxide copper gold (IOCG) and shear zone-hosted copper deposits similar to the nearby Rocklands/Double Oxide deposit where resource definition drilling is being undertaken by Cudeco Limited.
Nearby definition drilling is also being undertaken on a similar style of copper, gold, molybdenum, rhenium, uranium mineralisation discovered at the Kalman prospect by Kings Minerals NL.
Regional geochemical and geophysical programs have been completed at a number of priority targets. Initial drilling by Goldsearch of priority areas was completed in the first half of 2008.
At the Pindora target geochemical sampling has defined a mineralised trend over approximately 8km with peak assay results up to 5480ppm Copper and 132ppb gold. The trend is defined in the south of the tenement area by a number of shallow mines which exploited oxide copper mineralisation from a wide shear zone. In the north of the tenement area the trend is obscured by shallow transported cover. The mineralised trend at Pindora is located 3.5km east of the Kalman deposit and is sub-parallel to the Pilgrim Fault Zone which hosts this mineralisation. Drilling by Goldsearch has defined numerous zones of narrow but high grade copper (with gold) within an extensive zone of mineralisation up to 7km long (eg: 4m@2.5% Cu, 0.24g/t Au).
At Hardway a number of shallow open cut mines have exploited oxide copper mineralisation associated with a wide zone of shearing along the margin of the Hardway granite. Mineralisation is hosted by dolerite and Corrella Formation calc-silicate rocks. This mafic shear-hosted style has similar characteristics to the Rocklands/Double Oxide deposit currently being evaluated by Cudeco Limited and located approximately 49 kilometres to the east. Peak assay results from geochemical sampling include 0.5% copper and 195ppm cobalt. The zone of elevated copper geochemistry is defined over a strike length of approximately 2km and is open towards the south.
The mineralisation is generally hosted by re-crystallised limestones, calcareous siltstones and dolerite and is associated in places with silicification and silica/carbonate veining.
The RC drilling by Goldsearch along 7704400mN (GDA94) (MKRC024 – MKRC026) has defined potential multiple zones of shallow copper mineralisation over a 250m width within the 2.8km long mineralised Hardway zone. Drilling intercepted multiple zones of greater than 0.2% copper (eg: 49m@0.26% Cu) within high background copper values averaging approximately 500ppm. The mineralisation is associated with both extensive disseminated sulphides along with minor quartz carbonate veining and minor stock works. Further drilling is required to test the mineralisation along 7704400mN at depth. Further drilling is also required to test the potential for economic mineralisation elsewhere within the Hardway trend.
The carbonate dominated host rocks of the Corrella Formation at Hardway represent an attractive exploration target and elevated cobalt, uranium, gold, yttrium and phosphorus are of considerable interest given the metal association at the Mary Kathleen Mine.
At Mount Dorothy previous work by Mount Isa Mines in 1992 reportedly included soil geochemistry and the drilling of three RC drill holes and two diamond drill holes.
Mt Dorothy Field Area
The best intercept was 26m@0.86% Cu from 106m; this hole also intercepted 2m intervals up to 3.08% Cu. The mineralisation was said to be associated with sheared native copper and minor sulphides.
Host rocks were a sequence of variably altered andesites with zones of strong clay alteration and brecciation associated with faulting.
Other results included 12m @ 0.47% Cu and 16m @ 0.28% Cu.
Three Threes Copper gossan Mt Dorothy
RC Drilling at Wee Wyeems Prospect Mt Dorothy
At King Solomon shallow underground and open cut mines have exploited an extensive zone of near surface copper mineralisation hosted by re-crystallised limestones and calcareous siltstones of the Corella Formation. The mineralised zone extends for approximately 1.6km.
Outcropping Copper Mineralisation at Mount Dorothy