Edwards Creek (EL 32420), Northern Territory
Advanced copper and gold exploration targets primed for follow-up drilling
The Edwards Creek project is located within the Central Desert Region of NT The project is located approximately 85 km north-northeast of Alice Springs and can be accessed via Stuart and Plenty Highway. The project comprises a single granted mineral exploration licence (EL 32420).
The tenement covers an area of approximately 7,587 ha and the maximum distance across the project is about 11 km east–west and 8 km north–south. The nearest historical mine is the inactive Harts Range garnet mine (approximately 70 km to the east).
Exploration and Mineralisation
The Project has been held by a variety of companies that have been exploring the project area for decades. The discovery of green malachite staining prompted the acquisition of exploration licences over the prospect in the 1970’s.
During 1980–81, CRA Exploration Pty Ltd (CRAE) identified an EM conductor associated with the siliceous gossan. Rock chip sampling of the gossan returned anomalous values of Cu, Pb and Zn (CRAE, 1983a). The gossan was tested by two diamond drill holes (DD80EC01 and DD81EC02) to a depth of 121 m and 120 m respectively intersecting strata bound base metal mineralisation (CRAE, 1983a). Diamond drill hole DD80EC1), which was drilled underneath the siliceous rock, penetrated mineralised quartz-haematite ironstone and quartz-haematite-magnetite from 47.5–53.7 m. DD80EC1 intersected 4.5 m at 2.25% Cu, 0.11% Pb, 1.54% Zn, 0.14 g/t Au from 47.45 m downhole, including 0.72 m at 7.11% Cu, 1.9% Zn, 0.24 g/t Au and DD81EC2 intersected 18.6m @ 0.22% Cu, 0.17% Pb, 0.49% Zn, 0.14 g/t Au from 44.3m (CRAE, 1983a).
In 2021, TLPL (as part of a joint venture with Shree) conducted a reconnaissance trip was made during May to assess access, check previous geological mapping and conduct sampling of prospects and occurrences. 16 rock chip samples were taken at Edwards Creek and were submitted for analysis of Au, Cu and multi-elements. Sampling at a newly identified malachite-stained ironstone unit 700 m to the east of the main Edwards Creek gossan ridge returned a maximum value of 0.81% Cu with low levels of Pb and Zn (Refer to Shree’s ASX announcement “Geochemical Sampling Confirm Prospectively at NT Projects” dated 10 August 2021).
