Ewan Edward - Tennant Creek, NT
(EL23897 (Truscott 90%); EL25497, EL25577, ELA26122 (All Truscott 100%))
Ewan Edward Project
Truscott's Ewan Edward Project is located in the Warramunga province of the Northern Territory, twenty five kilometres east of Tennant Creek. The project area covers more than 7 kilometres strike length of an interpreted line of strongly mineralised lode and covers 34.65 km2.
Ewan Edward lies within a defined zone of previously mined high grade gold mineralisation striking west-northwest, known as the Mt Samuel-Eldorado-Juno-Nobles Nob-Comstock Line. This line of lode includes the Nobles Nob mine (1.2 million ounces of gold produced) and Juno mine (0.9 million ounces of gold equivalent), the former situated only 10 kilometres west of Ewan Edward. The high average tenor of these deposits (16-65g/t gold equivalent) sets them apart as a class of mineralisation that has extremely high economic potential.
Exploration Developments
A large fault zone flexure within the mineralised trend identified at Ewan Edward from geophysical and geological interpretation is considered to be a dilation environment potentially favourable for mineral deposition. A number of significant gravity anomalies related to this structure have been defined by a detailed ground survey.
RC drilling by Truscott of the narrow but linear gravity anomaly TC1 (Figure 5) has shown it to be associated with a hematite-altered and sheared quartz porphyry intrusive, striking subparallel to the regional line of lode for at least 500 metres. Such intrusives are often associated with mineralisation in the Tennant Creek mineral field. Remodelling of the gravity data has shown that adjacent anomalies TC2, TC3 and TC4 could be caused by ironstone concentrations below or outside Truscott's existing RC drill coverage. Both TC3 and TC4 are aligned along directions which are known to be preferentially sheared and mineralised elsewhere in the district.
Previous historical records also show high anomalous copper, bismuth and molybdenum rock geochemistry at surface just outside the eastern boundary of EL23897, although sampling has not been completed on Truscott's ground due to lack of outcrop. Such surface geochemical anomalism is considered to be significant, as mineralisation in Tennant Creek commonly exhibits strong zonation with copper and bismuth haloes, surrounding major zones of gold enrichment.
Figure 5: Ewan Edward Gravity Anomalies
Further ground magnetic and gravity surveys have resulted in better target definition of a number of coincident and overlapping magnetic and gravity anomalies associated with shearing, intrusive porphyries and ironstone, with the gravity anomalies (TC1-TC4, Figure 5) in the vicinity of TRT6 (Figure 6). A number of geophysical and structural targets lie within the area, including the historic Desert Gold workings where a small amount of gold was produced in 1935-36 from haematitic ironstones at a very rich average grade of 40g/t Au.
Figure 6: Coincident Gravity/Magnetic Drill Targets, EL23897, Ewan Edward.
Previous exploration adjacent to the boundary between EL23897 and EL25497 drilled to test a magnetic target at 250m depth. The hole intersected a much shallower alteration zone with 35% haematite/magnetite ironstone and 30% chlorite over 4 metres width from 106m down-hole. Interpretation of the current detailed and combined geophysical dataset shows that the anomaly centre is further south than previously believed and not been properly tested by drilling (gravity/magnetic anomaly TRT3, Figure 6).
Drill pads and access tracks have been cleared in preparation for the upcoming RC drilling programme.