CRC LEME
Open File Report 86
ABSTRACT
Geochemical exploration in areas of transported overburden, Yilgarn
Craton and environs, Western Australia: Final Report
Butt, C.R.M., Gray, D.J., Robertson, I.D.M., Lintern, M.J., Anand,
R.R., Britt, A.F., Bristow, A.P.J., Munday, T.J., Phang, C., Smith,
R.E. and Wildman, J.E.
Areas with substantial transported overburden present some of the
most significant exploration problems in the Yilgarn Craton and
its environs, as well as in many other parts of Australia. It is
estimated that such overburden conceals as much as 50% of the prospective
terrain in the region, and greatly exceeds this in some districts.
The previous and current AMIRA projects, Yilgarn Lateritic Environments
(projects P240 and P240A) and Weathering Processes (P241, P241A),
have shown that research can result in markedly improved methods
of exploration in areas of transported cover and this project developed
these further by studies of geochemical dispersion in a range of
different depositional environments. Geochemical techniques are
perceived to have considerable, but largely untested, potential
in these environments. This project sought to investigate this potential.
The aim has been to develop, if possible, suitable exploration geochemical
methods for sediment-covered areas based upon an improved knowledge
of the nature of the cover sequences and by reaching a better understanding
of the mechanisms of element dispersion that may occur within them.
To reach this end, a number of districts and sites were selected
with the aid of the sponsoring companies and, following further
selection based on some pilot studies, detailed investigations made
at those that best typified many of the problems being encountered.
The outcomes of these specific studies are given in the various
investigation reports issued during the project; the purpose of
this report is to summarize these results and to develop some more
general conclusions and recommendations.
Last updated: Friday, July 21, 2000 04:24 PM
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