Thanks for picking up the 'serious smoke' comment JJ but I'm no geo. Like others, I was just curious about Ross' comment and was just guessing what he meant by...
@Kalenn said "A few in here that understand what this means might like to comment?"
OK here's my 5 cents worth, even tho Ross hasn't been specific (we'll find out this week), like @aubin IOCGs are all about contact zones between magnetite and hematite.... and a 500m interval of iron with all the right ingredients is a lot!
Chemical and thermodynamic modelling shows that the contact zones between magnetite- and hematite-rich alteration is highly favourable for the formation of higher grade copper-gold mineralisation (Bastrakov et al., 2007). Such redox gradients also appear to be important in the high grade gold-copper-bismuth deposits of the Tennant Creek district, where both magnetite- and hematite-rich deposits are present in association with chlorite ± sericite alteration (Wedekind et al. 1989; Skirrow 2000). Therefore, the most attractive copper-gold exploration targets identified in Figure 5.3 are those relatively small bodies (e.g. <15 km width) where exceptionally dense and magnetic material (magnetite ± pyrrhotite) is laterally or vertically in contact with exceptionally dense bodies of low magnetic susceptibility (e.g. hematite ± pyrite ± copper sulphides).https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334625939_Producing_magnetite_and_hematite_alteration_proxies_using_3D_gravity_and_magnetic_inversion_method_and_results_for_the_Tennant_Creek_-_Mt_Isa_Project_northern_Australia
He talks about finding these redox boundaries by using, wait for it, radiometrics (uranium/magnetics has a 1:1 correlation)...
And why is this important? Rob first used radiometrics to find our hot ET blocks before others...
Check out Rob's final report to NT Gov to justify our funding it outlines Inca’s exploration concept using radiometrics…
“The two most useful datasets were found to be radiometrics (principally thorium, Th, uranium, U, and the ternary diagram), and the digital terrain model. As can be seen in Figures 8 to 10, Th, U, and ternary radiometrics display a series of strong anomalies in the correct approximate location as per the 1960’s observation, with Th-U considered indicators of granitic lithologies. These anomalies display distinct, roughly circular geometries within regionally Th-U barren sedimentary rocks, which suggests a cluster of intrusive features may occur within Frewena Fable. Furthermore, when these radiometric anomalies (Th was preferenced due to its lesser mobility) are plotted over the digital elevation model, a strong coincidence is seen with a low series of hills or rises, as shown in Figure 11. Like the radiometric signature, these topographical features are distinct within an otherwise flat region which strongly suggests a different lithology occurs. Taken together, these radiometric and topographical features are considered highly supportive of the 1960’s observation.” – Rob Heaslop https://geoscience.nt.gov.au/gemis/ntgsjspui/bitstream/1/91641/1/GDC_FrewenaAMAGRAD_FinalReport.pdf
If you want more, check out "IOCG & Radiometrics for Dummies" thread... https://hotcopper.com.au/threads/iocg-radiometrics-for-dummies.6528502/Anyway, long story short, that's why I consider the 500m iron interval with all the right ingredients in 007 serious smoke... and for this reason topped up with another 600k of shares this week.
Poet
PS Few, if any, geos focus on radiometircs to find IOCGs... that's why imo Rob is a smoking young gun geo!
(20min delay)