Jundee South Gold
The Jundee South Gold Project, comprises a tenement suite covering more than 720 km2 of the Yandal Greenstone Belt. The Yandal Greenstone Belt hosts several significant gold deposits, including the world class Jundee Mine (10Moz), Bronzewing (4Moz) and Darlot (3.5Moz) deposits (Figure 1).
The Jundee South Project area is located within 3km of the operating Jundee Mine and covers more than 60km strike of highly prospective greenstone stratigraphy. The project area contains major regional structures interpreted to control gold mineralisation through the Yandal Greenstone Belt and contains a number of historically defined gold occurrences.
Access is via a well-established road network, and given the number of operating mines in the area, there is ready access to accommodation and services.
Figure 1: Jundee South Project location map
Tenure
The Jundee South Project comprises four granted exploration licences covering more than 720km2:
| Tenement ID | Status | Area (approx km2) |
| E53/1856 | Granted | 117 |
| E53/1859 | Granted | 192 |
| E53/2078 | Granted | 197 |
| E53/2079 | Granted | 217 |
| Total | 723 |
Previous exploration
Previous exploration relied on a geochemical approach with surface geochemistry surveys followed up by shallow Rotary Air Blast (RAB) and Air Core (AC) drilling. Deeper Reverse Circulation (RC) drilling was targeted purely on the RAB assays rather than testing geologically based gold mineralisation models. Only the highest geochemical gold anomalies were drill tested. A considerable dataset was accumulated which, particularly given its location relative to major operating mines and interpreted regional structures, provide considerable opportunity to re-evaluate the area using modern exploration techniques. The dataset includes comprehensive geological mapping, aeromagnetic surveys, as well as regional surface geochemical surveys and systematic, but generally wide spaced shallow RAB and AC drilling.
Limited RC drill testing of only the highest assays from RAB and AC has taken place. The lack of a driving gold mineralisation model has resulted in this drilling having mixed results.
Systematic Application of Empiric Models for Gold Mineralisation
Avenira has identified untested areas of the project that exhibit key geological characteristics to those that host the Jundee Mine 2km to the north. The common features of Jundee, Bronzewing, and Darlot are:
- Suitable host rocks. At Jundee, these are a package of mafic rocks (basalts) and sediments intruded by dolerite sills and dacitic porphyries, at Bronzewing and Darlot they are tholeiitic basalts, often with epicalstic rock sequences
- Association with major regional north-west to north-east trending structures, typically shears
- Localised brittle-ductile faults and fractures, usually representing linkage faults, host the gold, typically in quartz stockworks and veins
- A proximal heat source, such as dacitic porphyries or andesite intrusives, may have driven the gold mineralisation
An example of the setting being sought by Avenira is the Jundee Mine. Here, gold mineralisation is situated in mafic rocks (green) east of felsic volcanic and sedimentary rocks (orange, Figure 2). Aeromagnetic imaging of the mine area shows a dominant north west trend, primarily due to ultramafics but also reflecting the Nimary and Leak Fault directions. Gold mineralisation at Jundee is closely associated with the Leak fault. Archean granites occur to the north east (pink in Figure 2).
Figure 2: Jundee Mine: mapped geology (left), aeromagnetic image (centre) and summary geology interpreted from the aeromagnetic image (right)
Exploration targets have been identified by Avenira that meet these criteria. One example is an area on E53/1859 that shows similar characteristics to the Jundee setting. Mafics east of a felsic volcanic unit and a north west structure are interpreted from the aeromagnetic data (Figure 3). The Exploration Target is conceptual in nature as there has been insufficient exploration to define a Mineral Resource. It is uncertain if further exploration will result in the determination of a Mineral Resource under the JORC Code (2012).
Figure 3: Prospective area in E53/1859: mapped geology (left), aeromagnetic image (centre) and summary geology interpreted from the aeromagnetic image (right). Scale is the same as Figure 3.
Proposed program
Avenira is in the process of reviewing the historical database to seek to further investigate already identified targets and to seek to identify additional priority targets which, if positive, will underpin the development of a future exploration program.
