home subscribe for email announcements
|
Lilydale Iron Ore Project SummaryThe Lilydale iron ore project is focused on a thickened part of the Braemar Iron Formation, where magnetite concentrations have been enhanced by the heating effect of the Anabama Granite. Reconnaissance drilling has returned 29-33% Fe in magnetite bearing ironstones in three widely spaced locations, representing a new discovery with considerable tonnage potential. Davis Tube test results on RC drill samples show that high iron concentrates, containing up to 68% Fe, can be obtained from a relatively coarse 106 micron grind size. The levels of impurity elements such as alumina, phosphorous and titanium are extremely low, indicating that a high purity, high value magnetite concentrate can be produced. LocationThe Lilydale iron ore project occurs within EL 3519, which straddles a rural public road, 60 km southeast of the small regional centre of Yunta. The Barrier Highway and the Transcontinental Railway, along which ore is shipped from Broken Hill to Port Pirie and Adelaide, pass through Yunta. A favoured railway corridor connecting the project to the main railway line would be about 53 km in length.
Click to enlarge
Location Map of EL 3519 and the Lilydale iron ore project with respect to the Transcontinental Railway line and Yunta, South Australia GeologyThe Lilydale iron ore project is hosted by the Neoproterozoic Braemar Iron Formation, which forms a discontinuous belt in northeastern South Australia. This area is a rapidly emerging iron ore province, based on extremely encouraging drilling results reported by several companies over the past twelve months. Approximately 35 km strike length of folded Braemar Iron Formation occurs within EL 3519 as indicated by aeromagnetic data and sparse outcrops. PIRSA records indicate that no exploration work has ever been conducted for iron ore at Lilydale. Havilah ExplorationShallow reconnaissance percussion drilling by Havilah targeted the area of highest combined gravity and magnetic response along a poorly exposed portion of the Braemar Iron Formation, where it was interpreted that the concentration of iron would be highest. Consistent grades of 29-33% Fe in magnetite bearing ironstone were returned from three widely spaced locations, representing a new discovery with considerable tonnage potential.
Click to enlarge
Drilling results from area of highest combined magnetics and gravity Davis Tube test results on RC drill chip samples produced iron concentrates containing up to 70% Fe, with extremely low levels of impurity elements such as alumina, phosphorous and titanium.
Davis Tube test results for composite drill chip samples from Havilah drillholes for three grind sizes At the coarsest 106 micron grind size, 68% of the total iron in the sample is recovered, which is a 33% improvement over the total iron recovered for the finest grind size of 38 microns. This is achieved for only a minor reduction in the Fe concentrate grade (from 70% to 68%) and marginal increases in impurity element levels. These results compare more than favourably with those published by other explorers in the region and indicate that a high purity, high value magnetite concentrate can be produced from Lilydale. Ample tonnages of iron ore are potentially available, given the more than 35 km strike length of iron formation within Havilah's EL 3519. The Lilydale project has the advantage that potentially economic widths of iron formation extend almost from the surface, with negligible overburden and minimal oxidation. It is also apparent that the material is considerably softer than silica-rich magnetite iron formations elsewhere in Australia, thus requiring less energy for grinding.
Click to enlarge
Coarse-grained magnetite recovered from drill sample by a hand magnet
|
