‘A Review of Australian Salt Lakes and Assessment of their Potential for Strategic Resources’
//In Chapter 5 , Australian salt lakes are assessed using the critical features of the above mentioned mineral systems. This has led to the development of preliminary favourability (prospectivity) maps (based on the limited data currently available) showing which Australian salt lakes have the highest potential for lithium, boron, potash and calcrete-hosted uranium or for combinations of these commodities.//
5.4.4.6 Lake Frome and Lake Eyre regions
The Lake Frome salt lake system consists of four major salt lakes (Lake Frome, Lake Callabonna, Lake Blanche and Lake Gregory, Figure 5.28) and is described in detail in Chapter 6 .
Hydrogeological connectivity: The non-perennial lake system is fed by surface waters and groundwaters. The groundwater flow is dominantly controlled by Paleogene and Neogene palaeovalleys filled by sands and shales which locally contain abundant plant material (Roach, 2012). Some infill sediments show high values of lithium (up to 250 mg/kg; ERO Mining, 2011).
Geothermal and mound springs: The Paralana Hot Spring System is located at the eastern margin of the Mount Painter Inlier (Brugger et al., 2005). Temperatures up to 60°C have been measured in the hot spring pool (Brugger et al., 2005). Several mound springs are reported in the Lake Frome region. These are interpreted to be related to groundwaters in the Great Artesian Basin (Sheard et al., 1995) and discharge waters with temperatures ranging between 20°C and 46°C.
Maximum concentration of lithium and boron in the catchments: These are 20 mg/kg and 1.25 mg/kg, respectively (Figures 5.28, 5.29). Salt lakes in the Frome system are located in catchments which contain felsic rocks with up to 20 mg/kg lithium. Mount Painter and Mount Babbage inliers, which are located to the west and southwest of the lakes, are known to contain an abundance of felsic and intermediate intrusive and volcanic rocks for which no lithium values have yet been reported. It is likely that these rocks may have even higher concentrations of lithium. Lithium-rich felsic and intermediate intrusive and volcanic rocks are located to the south and east of the lake system (units in the Olary Block and especially the Benagerie Volcanics). The rocks are of Proterozoic and Paleozoic ages and have been largely deformed and metamorphosed, hence volcanic glass in the volcanics (the most readily leachable source of lithium) has been destroyed.
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