Ozwtisgold and PIO Reference, page-78

As you say there is still ongoing debate however the Wits 1.0 gold has been dated as per below and appears to prove that the gold is originally deposited in greenstone belts formed during volcanic events. The greenstone has then been eroded and reworked in a marine environment which is why the conglomerates that host are silicified. At some stage after the reworking the conglomerates are progressed to meta-sedimentary which is likely due to later coverage by magma. The MRB is one example of this later coverage that also acts as a protective layer to reduce the later erosion of these conglomerates. The meta sediment which is no longer covered by these caps is thought to have largely eroded but the exception to this should be those that have deformed or folded to protect the deposit.

When you look at the PIO ground there are meta sediments (Constantine sandstone and Mallina) at the base of a greenstone belt (known to host gold) which has undergone folding to preserve it from erosion. The unit is several km deep, around half a km wide and appears to stretch around 20km along the north side of the greenstone belt with a quartz/pyrite fault running right through it.


This is why I believe that the PIO and surrounding Novo ground has the potential to be one of the best undiscovered accumulations in the Pilbara. Time will tell...