2014

Chris Masters and Linda M Glass

Frances Creek Mine Operations

Territory Iron: Frances Creek Mine Operations

• Located 26km north of Pine Creek

• Mine Est. 2007

• 1.6million Tonnes of Iron Ore pa

• Workforce >300

• Annual Expenditure >$150m

• Economic Impact – supports >80 NT Businesses

• Owned by the Noble Group (2011)

Processing

• $10m New fixed plant crushing circuit

Mining

• Proposed Elizabeth Marion Mine Extension

• 1.8m tonnes

• Strip ratio <4:1

• Haematite and Goethite

• Close to mine

• Awaiting Approvals

Territory Iron: Key Mine Project Developments 2014

WE ARE THE TERRITORY’S BIGGEST

MINERALS EXPLORER

2013

• $15.4 Million AUD

• 55 people directly employed.

• Doubled resource

• 10m in 2012

• 20m in 2013

2014

• $11.5 Million AUD

• 48 people directly employed

• 6-9 million tonnes of reserves

• Noble Group’s vision; looking to the

future

• We know that a resource sector down

turn is the time to do business.

Territory Iron: Exploration 2013 and 2014

Frances Creek Iron Ore Deposit

Chris Masters, Linda M Glass, Daemon de Chaeney

on behalf of Resource Development, Exploration and Geology Teams – Territory Iron

Rum Jungle

Project

Frances Creek

Project

McCarthy Hill

Project

Frances Creek

Iron ore mine site

Location of Territory Iron project areas

1:750 000

Production: ~1.5 Mt

of ore p.a. (average

grade 55.5% Fe)

Frances Creek tenements and ironstone surface outcrop

Ironstone outcropEL tenements

ML tenements

Frances Creek

mine site

Ironstone outcrop

post to syn-

deformation granite

Upper Wildman Siltstone

Mundogie Sandstone

Koolpin Formation

Masson Formation

Nam

oo

na

Gro

up

Mt

Part

rid

ge

Gro

up

So

uth

Allig

ato

r

Gro

up

Regional deformation D3

Lower Wildman

Siltstone

Stratigraphy

Zamu Dolerite

Lower Wildman Siltstone

• dominantly pelitic

• pyritic carbonaceous shale

• highly angular iron-rich breccia

• laminated brown, red and cream

metashale/metasiltstone

Iron Oxides

• Hematite Fe2O3

• Goethite FeO (OH)

• abundant carbonate (dolostone)

identified in drill intersections

goethite

± manganese

minerals

distal to

granite

hematite

proximal to

granite

Distribution of iron oxide minerals

Frances Creek Helene pit

Frances Creek Helene pit map

Map compilation by Dr Richard Russell

A A’

Hematite ore

Mineralised iron breccia

Unmineralised breccia

Dolerite

shale/metasiltstone

High-grade zones

comprise irregular

“pod-like” ore bodies

Overturned NNW-plunging,

SW-dipping, isoclinal,

non-cylindrical folds –

parasitic folds

Map compilation by Dr Richard Russell

Cross-section through Helene pit

Hematite outcrop at Frances Creek

Hematite ore – Frances Creek

Hematite breccia grading into purple,

microplaty hematite and ultrafine

hematite ore

HQ drill core

“Skeletal” textured

hematite

Late-stage hematite crystals

in vug in massive hematite

Porous texture in goethite

HQ drill core

Frances Creek Iron Ore Mine Site

ca. 1820 Ma

granite

Mirasol

trend

Helene trend

Rosemary

JasmineElizabeth

Marion

prospect

Fe-mineralisation

dolerite

dolostone

Oblique view of Frances Creek Fe-mineralisation

wireframe

first view of subsurface geology

Wireframing by Alison Ovenden

Mirasol trend

Helene trend

Large cavities within

dolostone

Dolostone – Fe-mineralisation association

at Elizabeth Marion prospectFe-mineralisation

Fe-siltstone

Shale

Dolerite

Dolostone

Summary - Frances Creek Iron mineralisation

• Economic mineralisation primarily in Lower Wildman Siltstone

• Mineralisation “pod-like” and often highly porous (abundant

irregular vugs and skeletal textures)

• High-grade hematite ore proximal to granite, goethite (± Mn

minerals) distal to granite

• Mineralisation concentrated in hinge zones and limbs of

synclines

• Strong association with breccias

• Association with dolerite and dolostone

• Mineralisation not strictly strataform

Thank you

Central Domain Pine Creek Orogen

Archaean Rum

Jungle

ComplexPalaeoproterozoic

Cullen Supersuite

“Preliminary” Genetic Model for

Frances Creek-style Iron Mineralisation

• Intrusion of granite: long-lived heat source, heat oxidising, meteoric

fluids

• Source of iron: Metasedimentary strata?

Oxidation of pyrite? Fe2+ , H2SO4 - dissolution of

dolostone

• Brecciation: dolostone dissolution collapse breccias , flexural slip on

strata of differing competencies - dolerite, cataclastic deformation

along faults

• Formation of iron carbonate minerals (siderite/ankerite). Interface

between pyritic shale & carbonate units

• Oxidation of siderite/ankerite to iron oxides - 50% volume reduction –

(creates further brecciation)

• Spatial distribution: hematite high-T, goethite low-T

• Supergene enrichment - late-stage tropical weathering?