HI GT, yes it was an interesting point of discussion & one described as a problem you have when you don't really have a problem.
As yet it could mean something or it could mean nothing.. Assays will tell & there in lies part of the non problem.. Typical costs are $16-$18 a metre with $45 a metre being cost for a full sweep..
Obviously you don't want to test everything so the plan was/is to xrf sample as they go and decide which/what holes are sampled & to what extent.
What you've got is typical of the Murchison region so is no surprise to anyone.. Whereby twin granitic intrusions are squeezing a known greenstone belt and that's creating what they call a deep regolith & with that comes potential..
Earlier MMI sampling pointed out the usual gold, copper, nickel which is typical again of mafic/ultramafic intrusions..
Its just the depth of the regolith encountered which is interesting due to the depth being 80-100m as opposed to the 20-40 you might expect..
Comparisons might be drawn from the text
"Regolith geology of the Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia:implications for exploration" which explains the phenomena and highlights the potential..
Not that the Murchison region itself does not by way of previous exploration findings..
I believe it was 10 holes that had gone deep and the qualifying & prioritising of assays by way of xrf analysis was commencing the weekend following the agm.
The drilling campaign we know is in a known area for mineralisation & the depth being below pre drill expectation gives an insight into the potential.. Of course nothing can be confirmed until assays are on the table but you'd rather be deep than not?
And then of course, there's the Pilbara ;-)
gltah h8tey
Ref:
The Yilgarn craton is believed to have remained at or above sea level for a considerable length of time.[10] Some of the Yilgarn regolith is the oldest in the world, recording weathering events as early as the Cretaceous Period. This has been created by the generally subtropical latitudes and conditions of the Yilgarn craton, with minimal to no glaciation and generally flat topographical relief resulting in comparatively minor erosion.The regolith is extremely deeply weathered, in some areas completely converted to saprolite up to 100 metres below surface. This is considered to have been produced during Caenozoic to Palaeocene tropical conditions, as evidenced by mottled duricrust which records fossilised tree roots, some over 60 million years old. Previous weathering events have been recorded in magnetically remnant ferruginous laterite of a Jurassic age, at about 180 Ma.The regolith of the Yilgarn impacts directly on the flora and fauna, as some of the soil is essentially fossilised. Much of the groundwater of the Yilgarn is hypersaline, with some being supersaturated in salt. This renders swathes of land barren, with significant salt lakes, and high saline water tables. The origin of this salt is thought to be from precipitation of sea salt carried over the Australian landmass for the past several dozen million years, and the high evaporation rate leaving the salt behind.The greenstone belts of the Yilgarn Craton include:Southern Cross Greenstone BeltNorseman-Wiluna BeltDuketon BeltGullewa Greenstone Belt
Ref:Geochemical haloes in laterite cover ‘ a breakthrough in mineral exploration
Areas of widespread cover by lateritic duricrusts and gravel were once considered a substantial impediment to mineral exploration. Building upon a previous study by Mazzucchelli and James (1966), Ray Smith’s research in 1979 at Gossan Hill/Golden Grove in the Murchison district, WA, revealed a kilometre-scale geochemical halo in lateritic regolith characterised by a broad suite of indicator elements. The halo was far greater in size than the ore deposit itself, a substantial advantage in exploration.
In 1980, Smith’s follow-up research achieved a further milestone by recognising a large (12 by 20 km), multi-element halo in regolith cover about the Greenbushes pegmatite deposit in WA. Collectively, results from the Greenbushes, Golden Grove and other sites showed haloes in a broad suite of indicator elements (Cu, As, Sb, Bi, In, Mo, Sn, W, Se, Ta, Nb, Li, B, Be, Au). Results demonstrated a break-through in exploration methods for a wide range of ore deposits, including base metal, rare metal, polymetallic and gold deposits.
(20min delay)