The Daltons Project licence (E45/4681) comprises a single exploration licence of 3 blocks, equalling about 9km2, which was granted on the 13 July 2017, for a period of five years. The licence contains a line of old workings spaced over a length of about 2km, variously named Daltons, McLeods Reward, Thomas and Eclipse. The lease is remote and best accessed by driving 72km south on the Marble Bar-Hillside road (unsealed), crossing the Shaw River, and then driving 17km by weak tracks into the lease area – the 89km drive takes about 2 ½ hours and the last 17km of track driving is difficult. The long access time dictates that work in this area requires camping on site.
Project Information
MinRex Resources Limited completed its first site inspection, field trip evaluation and technical due diligence of the East Pilbara Projects in mid-December 2017. On this initial site visit a single small gold nugget, totalling 0.1 grams, was recovered from the Daltons Project tenement (E45/4681), but the summer heat and fires in the area prevented a more detailed evaluation of the area at that time. This lease area is quite large and holds the remains of an old battery, with old tracks that provide access to most of the workings. The mineralisation occurs as gold-copper in quartz veins with the highest copper content, shown by green malachite and red cuprite, being associated with the highest gold grades.
The old McLeods Reward mine has a recorded production of 409.5t for 5.543kg gold – a recovered grade of 13.54g/t Au. The old gold workings can be traced for about 1,500m strike length, with the main quartz lode marked by workings for about 700m, the maximum width is up to 10m and the strike is 170°. The quartz reefs are principally parallel with the schistosity, within the greenstones. There are several shafts, two of which extend to depths of about 20m and some open cutting – there are copper minerals as well as gold in the workings.
The geology in the project area strikes north-northwest is steeply dipping and layered with bands of jaspilite, quartzite, ultramafic, felsic, mafic and amphibolitic rocks. Greenstone schists and massive greenstones of the Warrawoona series are host to the quartz reefs, which are principally within the schists and lie parallel to the schistosity, with the schistosity striking north-northwest and dipping from steep easterly to vertical. A fault or tight fold displaces the sequence by about 400m and the area is structurally complex, with numerous shear zones and steeply plunging fold axes (NNW-NNE plunging).
In May 2018, a total of 60 rock samples were collected from the old mine workings, spoil piles and outcropping quartz veins. The samples were analysed for a total of 20 elements at Bureau Veritas in Perth; these included gold, silver, arsenic, cobalt, copper, chrome, bismuth, iron, lithium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, lead, antimony, tin, tellurium, thorium, uranium, tungsten and zinc.
The outstanding results were in the gold and copper assays which were up to 163g/t Au and 8.17% Cu, with the average grade of all 60 samples being 9.9g/t Au and 0.49% Cu, and 19 of the 60 samples assaying over 1.0g/t Au. The full assay results for gold and base metals are listed below in Table 1, while the gold results are also shown on the plan below (Figure 3).
The next phase of field work at the Daltons Project will comprise further rock sampling, soil sampling in colluvium and soil covered areas and detailed geological mapping to better understand this gold mineralised system. It is probable that this work will be completed in the next few months during the current field season in the East Pilbara.
Table 1: Daltons Project - May 2018 Rock Sample Assay Results
Sample No. |
Easting m |
Northing m |
Au ppm |
Ag ppm |
As ppm |
Cr ppm |
Pb ppm |
Cu ppm |
Ni ppm |
Zn ppm |
DAR001 |
734304 |
7624815 |
0.02 |
0.15 |
2 |
65 |
1 |
356 |
29 |
37 |
DAR002 |
734306 |
7624815 |
0.05 |
0.1 |
2.6 |
90 |
2 |
328 |
44 |
38 |
DAR003 |
734305 |
7624815 |
0.02 |
0.05 |
1.6 |
80 |
1 |
405 |
30 |
38 |
DAR004 |
734304 |
7624815 |
0.05 |
0.1 |
2.4 |
70 |
1 |
233 |
43 |
29 |
DAR005 |
734304 |
7624815 |
0.05 |
0.05 |
3.4 |
120 |
0 |
168 |
64 |
63 |
DAR006 |
734303 |
7624815 |
0.05 |
0.6 |
4.4 |
170 |
2 |
249 |
78 |
73 |
DAR007 |
734302 |
7624815 |
0.11 |
0.0 |
3.8 |
140 |
2 |
152 |
61 |
75 |
DAR008 |
734299 |
7624807 |
11.2 |
4.45 |
12.6 |
110 |
2 |
15400 |
16 |
26 |
DAR009 |
734299 |
7624808 |
2.09 |
10.4 |
8 |
35 |
5 |
28500 |
44 |
52 |
DAR010 |
734299 |
7624809 |
0.00 |
0.0 |
74.2 |
150 |
1 |
109 |
151 |
162 |
DAR011 |
734312 |
7624804 |
140.0 |
26.6 |
9.6 |
65 |
2 |
81700 |
16 |
44 |
DAR012 |
734316 |
7624798 |
0.04 |
0.15 |
19 |
75 |
0 |
285 |
48 |
53 |
DAR013 |
734316 |
7624797 |
0.10 |
0.35 |
12.4 |
65 |
1 |
233 |
138 |
329 |
DAR014 |
734320 |
7624794 |
2.66 |
0.2 |
7.2 |
20 |
1 |
264 |
23 |
159 |
DAR015 |
734321 |
7624785 |
0.03 |
0.0 |
16 |
40 |
0 |
127 |
161 |
633 |
DAR016 |
734335 |
7624764 |
0.01 |
0.0 |
6.6 |
15 |
0 |
5 |
2 |
6 |
DAR017 |
734337 |
7624739 |
0.62 |
0.05 |
9.2 |
110 |
0 |
55 |
47 |
15 |
DAR018 |
734376 |
7624652 |
0.02 |
0.0 |
8.4 |
15 |
3 |
182 |
88 |
1160 |
DAR019 |
734374 |
7624656 |
0.20 |
0.0 |
8.4 |
15 |
1 |
84 |
92 |
98 |
DAR020 |
734408 |
7624568 |
1.10 |
0.1 |
23.6 |
65 |
2 |
147 |
138 |
120 |
DAR021 |
734413 |
7624559 |
0.22 |
0.0 |
6.6 |
30 |
2 |
1740 |
129 |
66 |
DAR022 |
734463 |
7624498 |
0.01 |
0.0 |
6 |
125 |
1 |
104 |
152 |
115 |
DAR023 |
734471 |
7624495 |
0.03 |
0.0 |
2.4 |
115 |
2 |
82 |
112 |
155 |
DAR024 |
734473 |
7624493 |
0.02 |
0.0 |
5.6 |
180 |
3 |
146 |
188 |
160 |
DAR025 |
734468 |
7624474 |
0.45 |
0.2 |
18.6 |
40 |
1 |
18600 |
230 |
241 |
DAR026 |
734468 |
7624472 |
2.94 |
0.5 |
14.2 |
40 |
0 |
17400 |
229 |
77 |
DAR027 |
734471 |
7624467 |
3.45 |
0.7 |
39.2 |
60 |
2 |
2740 |
222 |
1160 |
DAR028 |
734469 |
7624470 |
4.32 |
0.8 |
39.4 |
45 |
1 |
27700 |
315 |
115 |
DAR029 |
734464 |
7624417 |
0.00 |
0.0 |
7.2 |
75 |
0 |
134 |
225 |
103 |
DAR030 |
734480 |
7624407 |
7.03 |
1.75 |
34.2 |
20 |
0 |
756 |
52 |
22 |
DAR031 |
734494 |
7624393 |
0.81 |
0.2 |
46.6 |
105 |
0 |
42900 |
190 |
65 |
DAR032 |
734488 |
7624404 |
0.04 |
0.15 |
5.8 |
60 |
0 |
405 |
163 |
127 |
DAR033 |
734489 |
7624376 |
24.3 |
11.2 |
507 |
10 |
4 |
17500 |
483 |
47 |
DAR034 |
734485 |
7624385 |
0.01 |
0.05 |
25.8 |
10 |
0 |
299 |
18 |
26 |
DAR035 |
734488 |
7624411 |
0.92 |
0.15 |
8.4 |
50 |
0 |
163 |
31 |
20 |
DAR036 |
734472 |
7624358 |
0.01 |
0.0 |
2.8 |
15 |
0 |
41 |
21 |
12 |
DAR037 |
734469 |
7624357 |
0.01 |
0.0 |
14 |
60 |
0 |
218 |
122 |
115 |
DAR038 |
734464 |
7624363 |
5.86 |
1.0 |
25.4 |
25 |
0 |
438 |
144 |
28 |
DAR039 |
734481 |
7624384 |
0.01 |
0.0 |
9.6 |
10 |
0 |
55 |
29 |
21 |
DAR040 |
734535 |
7624400 |
0.02 |
0.0 |
14.4 |
20 |
0 |
52 |
24 |
19 |
DAR041 |
734527 |
7624409 |
0.00 |
0.0 |
21.8 |
30 |
0 |
45 |
50 |
57 |
DAR042 |
734502 |
7624307 |
0.02 |
0.0 |
60.4 |
15 |
0 |
26 |
29 |
21 |
DAR043 |
734498 |
7624311 |
0.02 |
0.0 |
76.6 |
20 |
0 |
88 |
85 |
49 |
DAR044 |
734501 |
7624274 |
0.01 |
0.0 |
13.6 |
15 |
0 |
17 |
19 |
12 |
DAR045 |
734586 |
7623995 |
0.05 |
0.0 |
12.8 |
15 |
0 |
213 |
18 |
24 |
DAR046 |
734527 |
7624018 |
0.02 |
0.0 |
5.8 |
20 |
0 |
69 |
11 |
19 |
DAR047 |
734494 |
7624047 |
0.00 |
0.0 |
1.2 |
5 |
0 |
3 |
36 |
43 |
DAR048 |
734530 |
7624068 |
0.00 |
0.0 |
5.6 |
10 |
0 |
166 |
52 |
54 |
DAR049 |
734413 |
7623706 |
0.00 |
0.0 |
44.6 |
15 |
0 |
66 |
160 |
207 |
DAR050 |
734360 |
7623595 |
13.3 |
0.6 |
94 |
25 |
1 |
387 |
39 |
158 |
DAR051 |
734724 |
7623370 |
62.4 |
6.25 |
31.8 |
10 |
0 |
4130 |
78 |
9 |
DAR052 |
734728 |
7623368 |
103.0 |
8.1 |
154 |
15 |
3 |
10400 |
216 |
348 |
DAR053 |
734731 |
7623368 |
12.4 |
1.0 |
25 |
20 |
0 |
4410 |
105 |
59 |
DAR054 |
734731 |
7623365 |
1.24 |
0.15 |
23.2 |
15 |
0 |
3810 |
66 |
112 |
DAR055 |
734727 |
7623363 |
25.1 |
2.25 |
25.2 |
15 |
0 |
1400 |
42 |
64 |
DAR056 |
734710 |
7623387 |
0.51 |
0.05 |
2.8 |
10 |
0 |
69 |
7 |
1 |
DAR057 |
734720 |
7623370 |
163.0 |
10.1 |
5.2 |
10 |
0 |
8500 |
40 |
52 |
DAR058 |
734725 |
7623373 |
3.62 |
0.55 |
22.2 |
10 |
0 |
428 |
22 |
54 |
DAR059 |
734784 |
7623043 |
0.03 |
0.0 |
18.4 |
10 |
0 |
210 |
28 |
27 |
DAR060 |
734787 |
7622755 |
0.05 |
0.0 |
0.8 |
10 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
1 |