Bruce Project (EL 31225), Northern Territory

Advanced REE, copper, gold, lead and zinc targets in the Arunta mineral field near Alice Springs

The Bruce Project is located within the Central Desert Region of the Northern Territory and covers an area of approximately 17,722 ha and the maximum distance across the project is about 25 km east–west and 10 km north–south.

The nearest historical mine is the inactive Harts Range garnet mine (approximately 80 km to the west-southwest) while the Molyhil tungsten-molybdenum project (Thor Mining PLC) is approximately 10 km to the northeast.

Exploration and Mineralisation

The Bruce Project tenement covers Lower Proterozoic rocks along, and flanking, the Delny-Mt Sainthill Fault Zone and Entire Point Shear Zone, which has developed within a wide west-northwest trending tectonic zone along the northern boundary.

The Bruce prospect falls within one of the two geochemical groups identified by Hoatson (2001) that Arunta intrusions fall into (i.e. the relatively sulfur poor (<300 ppm S) group amphibolites of the eastern Arunta); purported to both have potential for hydrothermal polymetallic mineralisation spatially associated with the intrusions.

Near the centre of the tenement lies the historical Bruce Au-Cu occurrence. The prospect is associated with quartz veins, where east-trending quartz veins contain Cu and also locally contain Au (up to 53 ppm Au; Wygralak and Mernagh 2005).

The presence of REE anomalism associated with Cu-Au and base metal mineralisation has recently been demonstrated in the western Arunta Region (Norwest Minerals ASX Announcement, 28 February 2022; the anomalous REE shows coincident cerium (Ce), lanthanum (La) and Yttrium (Y) extending along a geological contact between granite and sediments).

Significant heavy mineral air core assay results:
JI0007: 3m @1.48% Heavy Mineral, 21.40% Slimes, 10.89% Oversize
JI0008: 2m @2.50% Heavy Mineral, 17.00% Slimes, 5.50% Oversize
JI0010: 3m @ 1.45% Heavy Mineral, 28.90% Slimes, 8.00% Oversize
JI0011: 3m @ 1.50% Heavy Mineral, 22.20% Slimes, 9.80% Oversize.
JI0012: 3m @ 2.25% Heavy Mineral, 22.60% Slimes, 23.00% Oversize