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CRC LEME
Open File Report 89
ABSTRACT

Progress statement for the Kalgoorlie study area - Kurnalpi Prospect, Western Australia

Lintern, M.J. and Gray, D.J.

Investigations from previous AMIRA Projects have indicated that Au deposits may have geochemical expression throughout the regolith. In Project 409, knowledge gained from these earlier projects, dominantly in areas of erosional and relict landforms, is being extended to determine whether previously developed methods can be applied or adapted to depositional regimes. In the Kalgoorlie area, the work program has been to investigate potential sample media in the transported regolith above mineralization at a number of dominantly palaeochannel environments. Specifically, the study has investigated the presence of:

  1. Gold in surficial horizons;
  2. Sub-surface gold in transported overburden;
  3. Pathfinder elements in transported and relict regolith and bedrock.

This progress statement summarizes the recent investigations undertaken at the Kurnalpi Au deposit (Mt Kersey Mining N.L.) located 70 km NE of Kalgoorlie. The Kurnalpi site was chosen for further study for several reasons including the moderate grades of Au mineralization and the remoteness of the deposit from potential contributing upstream sources.

The results indicate:

  1. Total, water-soluble and iodide soluble Au exhibit no anomalies over mineralization;
  2. Gold is associated with Ca in the top metre of the soil profile;
  3. Arsenic may be a useful pathfinder element in lateritic material at the palaeosurface.

More information needs to be gathered from the Kurnalpi area. Specifically, there is a need:

  1. To analyse buried lateritic material for As as well as Au. Arsenic appears to be associated with mineralization and has also been found in high concentrations in the lateritic samples analysed thus far;
  2. To obtain Mn and other element data for the two remaining auger traverses to examine whether anomalous values occur over the palaeochannel as with Traverse 2. If Mn and other associated element anomalies are located over the palaeochannel for all 3 traverses then there is a further need to test whether the anomalies can be enhanced or decreased using selective extraction techniques that dissolve Mn oxides.

Last updated: Friday, July 21, 2000 04:24 PM

 

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