Iron OreManganeseNickelGold

 

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Mt Ida

At the Mt Ida Prospect the drilling has shown the surface mineralization to comprise of thinly laminated hematite with no significant iron grades and of limited lateral and depth extensions.

However, nine RC holes drilled within a 2km zone of relatively flat banded iron formation (BiF) stratigraphy between 6764000N and 6766000N intersected considerable thicknesses of magnetite BiF averaging greater than 30% iron over thicknesses varying from an aggregate of 46m (hole 08RCm1978) to over 94m (hole 08RCm1989). Partial assay results are presented in table 1, below.

Hole number

From m

to m

thickness m

Fe%

easting
WGS 84

Northing
WGs 84

08RCm1978

32

78

46

31.87

248707

6765368

including

32

46

14

35.00

 

 

including

56

78

22

34.54

 

 

08RCm1979

80

130

50

37.54

248241

6765350

08RCm1980

70

142

72

30.15

249174

6765901

including

70

86

16

35.45

 

 

including

96

142

46

32.37

 

 

08RCm1986

0

12

12

38.23

248489

6764405

including

42

94 (EOH)

52

33.25

 

 

08RCm1987

0

18

18

31.9

248702

6764369

including

0

80

80

32.36

 

 

including

32

80 (EOH)

48

35.31

 

 

08RCm1988

0

88 (EOH)

88

32.50

248551

6764395

08RCm1989

0

94 (EOH)

94

31.00

248650

6764383

08RCm1990

0

70

70

33.57

248599

6764388

08RCm1991

5

44

39

34.82

248997

6764603

Table 1. Iron assay values for drill holes averaging over 30% Fe over an intersection of >45m.

Davis tube test work on three 9 m composites from the bottom of drill hole 08RCmi989 successfully produced >70% Fe magnetite concentrates with very low levels of impurities, phosphorus, silica and alumina. Detailed results and assays for the three samples are shown in table 2, below.

sample
ID Hole
08rCM1989
magnetite 1.

sample Av.
total Fe%

total
Fe%

p %

Davis tub e recovery

LOI %

DTR %
weight

siO2 %

Al2O3 %

 

67-76m

34.07

70.8                0.008

2.06

<0.01

~3.12              44.4

magnetite 2.

 

76-85m

29.31

70.4                0.008

1.92

0.01

~3.1                 37.2

magnetite 3.

 

85-94m

35.41

71.2               0.0055

1.32

<0.01

~3.3                 47.5

Table 2. Results of Davis Tube testwork on three samples from drill hole 08RCM1989

davis tube testing is used to separate ferromagnetic and non-magnetic fractions in small samples of approximately 20g at a time. this method is ideally suited to establishing the recoveries likely from a magnetic separation process.

Detailed geological mapping of the central portion of the Mt Ida Project area completed during the year confirmed the fact that the banded iron formation exposed along the western margin of the Mt Ida range occurs as two or three, gently easterly dipping, relatively thick units separated by thinner intercalations of metasedimentary or metavolcanic material. The BIF units can aggregate to over 70m in thickness (Photograph 1) (Figure 2).

Photograph 1.

View of Mt Ida lowest western BIF unit looking east. Photograph was taken from the road at approximately 6763000N. Note gentle easterly dips at 20 to 40 degrees and an estimated thickness of 45 metres.

This comprises one of the transects that was continuously rock chip sampled down the near vertical face


Figure 1. Mt Ida Project. Geological conceptual cross-section of central part of Mt Ida.


Figure 2. Mt Ida magnetite Cross Section

Rock chip sampling was completed in conjunction with the geological mapping and continuous samples of one or two metre lengths were collected across the near vertical BIF exposures. in all, 145 channel samples were collected over 287m forming 16 transects over a strike length of nearly 6 kilometres. Assay results showed that the average iron grade of the various BIF units was remarkably consistent over all 16 transects consistently returning average values of over 30% Fe (table 3).

 

start E
GDA94

start N
GDA94

Finish E
GDA94

Finish N
GDA94

transect
interval
(m)

Average
Fe (%)

Average
Al2O3
(%)

Average
P (%)

Average
SiO2
(%)

Average
LOI 1000
(%)

CH01

247815

6764288

247780

6764270

40

33.60

0.19

0.07

50.07

1.31

CH02

247825

6764292

247816

6764290

10

35.74

0.24

0.05

47.36

1.00

CH03

247737

6764879

247728

6764877

16

30.59

0.22

0.03

54.31

1.47

CH04

247916

6765526

247893

6765522

28

38.15

0.18

0.04

42.18

2.83

CH05

247832

6765583

247821

6765584

10

37.22

0.18

0.04

45.60

0.66

CH06

247877

6765847

247863

6765872

26

33.07

0.31

0.06

50.07

1.92

CH07

247900

6763935

247887

6763933

18

33.04

0.19

0.08

50.10

2.11

CH08

248239

6766257

248232

6766271

16

36.96

0.61

0.04

45.17

1.02

CH09

248388

6766896

248375

6766890

12

34.48

0.25

0.01

48.02

2.18

CH010

249083

6761454

249072

6761449

16

31.53

0.50

0.04

51.24

2.70

CH011

248766

6762334

248752

6762328

20

32.50

0.20

0.07

51.09

1.91

CH012

248547

6763061

248539

6763064

15

34.50

0.56

0.04

47.21

2.57

CH013

249189

6762293

249180

6762295

10

40.36

0.53

0.03

39.74

1.71

CH014

248380

6764052

248378

6764050

12

32.93

0.35

0.06

50.62

1.44

CH015

247857

6765262

247849

6765254

15

36.95

0.13

0.03

45.16

1.65

CH016

247780

6764183

247762

6764170

23

31.89

0.30

0.04

51.62

2.10

Table 3. Channel sample results with average grades

ALS CHEMEX - ME- XRF iron ore by Fusion/XRF

No cut off grades were used to calculate the weighted average of each transect.