The Hamersley Project lies 60 kilometres due west of Tom Price in the West Pilbara of Western Australia. The project comprises two Exploration Licences (E47/1868 and E47/1869) covering an area of some 48 square kilometres.
The tenements flank the Beasley River CID iron ore resource, with the eastern tenement E47/1869 immediately abutting the Hamersley Iron leases (Figure 1). The Beasley River deposit contains a resource of some 400Mt of iron ore that takes the form of a series of elongate mesas and ridges occupying an ancient drainage line. This drainage line extends from the Hamersley Iron Bedded Iron Deposits (“BIDs”) in the north including the Brockman ore bodies, to the far south within the Rocklea Dome. The southern extensions within the Rocklea Dome are largely under cover and have been subject to recent drilling by adjoining holders Murchison Metals Ltd (“Murchison”) and AusQuest Ltd (“AusQuest”). Murchison have recently released a scoping study showing a resource of 89Mt of ore grading 59.9% CaFe (53.2% Fe) using a 50% Fe lower cut off. The resource has low phosphorus, and moderate silica-alumina that can be reduced by simple scrubbing/jigging. AusQuest have subsequently sold their Rocklea CID resource to Dragon Energy Ltd. The Rocklea resource is stated to be 63.1Mt at 60.37% CaFe (53.38% Fe) using a 50% Fe lower cut off.
Figure 1: Hamersley Project - Quickbird Satellite Imagery showing 'high iron' targets in purple, central Beasley River CID deposit and Beasley River East Prospect on an eastern tributary to Beasley River
Field programs by Legacy Iron Ore in March 2010 discovered outcropping CID mineralisation at the Beasley River East prospect with sampling over a 300m strike producing an average assay of 61.1% CaFe with low contaminants (Table 1). This mineralisation appears comparable in type and grade with the Hamersley Iron Beasley River resource and those defined by Murchison Metals and Ausquest to the south.
The hill lies at the western end of a substantial tributary system into the Beasley River, contained within E47/1869 (Figure 2). The hill may represent an outcropping portion of a more extensive CID system extending to the east and north-east. Part of the outcropping mineralisation is shown in Figures 3 - 6 below.
| Sample No. |
Fe % |
CaFe % |
Si % |
Al % |
P % |
LOI % |
| HR001 |
56.0 |
62.9 |
6.56 |
2.17 |
0.058 |
10.9 |
| HR002 |
55.8 |
62.8 |
6.20 |
2.37 |
0.046 |
11.1 |
| HR003 |
55.5 |
62.6 |
6.52 |
2.17 |
0.032 |
11.3 |
| HR004 |
56.0 |
63.3 |
5.65 |
2.41 |
0.077 |
11.6 |
| HR005 |
55.1 |
< 61.9 |
7.52 |
2.41 |
0.049 |
11.0 |
| HR006 |
53.3 |
60.15 |
9.24 |
2.70 |
0.044 |
11.4 |
| HR007 |
54.0 |
60.7 |
9.65 |
1.88 |
0.036 |
11.1 |
| HR008 |
56.0 |
63.3 |
5.56 |
2.74 |
0.047 |
11.6 |
| HR009 |
56.0 |
62.9 |
6.06 |
2.54 |
0.041 |
11.0 |
| HR010 |
49.8 |
54.0 |
8.73 |
10.4 |
0.050 |
7.81 |
| HR011 |
53.0 |
56.9 |
6.78 |
6.58 |
0.053 |
9.68 |
| HR012 |
53.0 |
57.0 |
7.48 |
8.45 |
0.059 |
7.01 |
| HR013 |
53.8 |
60.9 |
6.17 |
4.97 |
0.047 |
11.7 |
| HR014 |
55.9 |
63.3 |
4.88 |
3.31 |
0.041 |
11.7 |
| HR015 |
56.8 |
64.5 |
4.39 |
2.33 |
0.068 |
11.9 |
| AVERAGE |
54.7 |
61.1 |
4.42 |
5.91 |
0.05 |
10.7 |
Table 1: Assay results for surface samples at the Beasley River East Prospect
The assays show:
-
High iron contents averaging 54.7% Fe, or as better expressed as a calcined product CaFe – 61.1%.
-
Low silica and alumina, at the low end of typical CID values.
-
Very low phosphorus, typical of CIDs.
The samples were taken from the slopes and top of the hill, extending over the whole extent of the hill. The resulting assays are notably consistent, particularly in iron and phosphorus contents.
The depth or thickness of the outcropping mineralisation is presently unknown. The width of the hill is some 150m, and the height of the hill above the surrounding creeks is some 25m on average. It is probable that the CID deposit extends below the valley floor as an incised channel, but this would need to be confirmed with proposed drilling.
These results are highly encouraging both for the potential for economic mineralisation at the Beasley River East prospect and for potential extensions to the east and northeast along the tributary drainage system.
Further investigation remains to target potential CID and DID deposits in the northern sectors of both Hamersley tenements. These targets represent potentially buried drainage systems originating from the Hamersley Ranges directly to the north which host the Brockman iron ore mines.
Figure 2: View to south showing central Beasley River East prospect on tributary drainage into the Hamersley Iron Beasley River CID deposit (on far right)
Figure 3: Beasley River East Prospect
Figure 4: Outcropping hematite-geothite mineralisation
Figure 5: Outcropping mineralisation at top of hill
Figure 6: Eastern part of prospect exposed iron mineralisation
An RC drilling program is planned to establish the thickness and grade of the Beasley River East deposit at depth, and extend the deposit along strike. A separate Aircore drilling program is also planned to reconnaissance test the potential for CID and DID iron ore mineralisation to the north (Figure 1) lying on the flanks of the Hamersley Ranges.
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Web page updated on 2 June 2011.