EIS 1767 AA066857 Assessment of mineral resouru's in the Eden CRA study area MSW DEPT P1KARY IUS1RIES AA066857 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 :0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ( 0 0 0 0 0 I 0 ( 0 I I I I I Assessment of Mineral Resources in the Eden CRA Study Area A report undertaken for the NSW CRAIRFA Steering Committee 27 February 1998 ASSESSMENT OF MINERAL RESOURCES IN THE EDEN CRA STUDY AREA BUREAU OF RESOURCE SCIENCES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF NSW DEPARTMENT OF MINERAL RESOURCES A report undertaken for the NSW CRA/RFA Steering Committee Project Number NE 08/ES 27 February 1998 REPORT STATUS This report has been prepared as a working paper for the NSW CRAIRFA Steering Committee under the direction of the Economic and Social Technical Committee. It is recognised that it may contain errors that require correction but it is released to be consistent with the principle that information related to the comprehensive regional assessment process in New South Wales will be made publicly available. For more information and for information on access to data contact the: Resource and Conservation Division, Department of Urban Affairs and Planning GPO Box 3927 SYDNEY NSW 2001 Phone: (02) 9228 3166 Fax: (02) 9228 4967 Forests Taskforce, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet 3-5 National Circuit BARTON ACT 2600 Phone: 1800 650 983 Fax: (02) 6271 5511 © Crown copyright [June 1997] This project has been jointly funded by the New South Wales and Commonwealth Governments. The work undertaken within this project has been managed by the joint NSW / Commonwealth CRAIRFA Steering Committee which includes representatives from the NSW and Commonwealth Governments and stakeholder groups. The project has been overseen and the methodology has been developed through the Economic and Social Technical Committee which includes representatives from the NSW and Commonwealth Governments and stakeholder groups. The collection of information and drafting of this report were undertaken cooperatively between officers of the Geological Survey of New South Wales and the Bureau of Resource Sciences: Geological Survey of New South Wales David Suppel, Greg MacRae, Adelmo Agostini, Roger McEviliy, Alex Ramsland. Bureau of Resource Sciences Yanis Miezitis, Subhash Jaireth, Aden McKay, Keith Porritt, Don Perkin, Lloyd David, Stuart Girvan, Andrew Lucas, Tim Johns, Neil Corby (Australian Geological Survey Organisation). ISBN 0-7313-1575-8 Disclaimer While every reasonable effort has been made to ensure that this document is correct at the time of printing, the State of New South Wales, its agents and employees, and the Commonwealth of Australia, its agents and employees, do not assume any responsibility and shall have no liability, consequential or otherwise, of any kind, arising from the use or reliance on any of the information contained in this document. CONTENTS 8.7 VOLCANIC HOSTED MASSIVE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY SULPHIDE BASE METAL DEPOSITS (FIGURE 10) 28 8.8 TUNGSTEN MOLYBDENUM VEIN INTRODUCTION 1 DEPOSITS (FIGURE 11) 28 8.9 TUNGSTEN SKARN DEPOSITS (FIGURE ADMINISTRATION OF MINING AND 12) 32 EXPLORATION TITLES 2 8.10 T[N VEIN DEPOSITS (FIGURE 13) 32 2.1 MINERAL EXPLORATION AND MINING 2 8.11 SEDIMENT HOSTED COPPER DEPOSITS 2.2 CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL AND SANDSTONE URANIUM DEPOSITS (FIGURE 14) EXTRACTION 3 32 8.12 CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS AND DIMENSION STONE (FIGURE 15) 35 GEOLOGICAL SETTING 4 8.13 PYROPHYLLITE (FIGURE 5) 35 3.1 MAJOR EVENTS 4 8.14 POTENTIAL FOR OTHER COMMODITIES IN THE EDEN REGION 35 HISTORY OF MINING AND 8.15 SUMMARY OF POTENTIAL MINERAL MINERAL EXPLORATION 8 RESOURCES, EDEN REGION 3 KNOWN MINERAL RESOURCES AND CONCLUSIONS 41 MINERAL PRODUCTION 10 5.1 CURRENT QUARRYING AND MINING 10 5.2 MAJOR HISTORIC MINING AREAS 10 Figures 1 Exploration expenditure in the Eden region MINERAL EXPLORATION AND during 1969-1995 LAND ACCESS 16 2 Industrial mineral and construction material sites 3 Relation between levels of resource potential MINERAL POTENTIAL ASSESSMENT and levels of certainty METHODOLOGY 19 4 Slate belt gold tracts 5 Epithermal gold tracts 6 Gold in alkaline rocks tracts POTENTIAL MINERAL RESOURCES, 7 Granite hosted gold tracts EDEN REGION 21 8 Alluvial gold tracts 8.1 SLATE-BELT GOLD (FIGURE 4) 21 9 Porphyry copper-gold tracts 8.2 EPITHERMAL GOLD-SILVER DEPOSITS 10 Volcanic hosted massive sulphide base metals (FIGURE 5) 21 tracts 8.3 GOLD DEPOSITS ASSOCIATED WITH 11 Tungsten-molybdenum veins tracts ALKALINE ROCKS (FIGURE 6) 24 12 Tungsten skarn tracts 8.4 GRANITE HOSTED GOLD DEPOSITS 13 Tin veins tracts (FIGURE 7) 24 14 Sediment hosted copper and sandstone 8.5 PLACER GOLD DEPOSITS (FIGURE 8) 24 uranium tracts 8.6 PORPHYRY COPPER-GOLD DEPOSITS 15 Construction materials tracts (FIGURE 9) 28 CONTENTS Tables 1 Summary of geological and mineralising events 2 Identified resources in the Eden region 3 Summary of potential mineral resources as assessed by BRS abd NSW DMR for the various tracts in 1997 Maps back pocket 1 Geology of Eden CRA 2 Mineral occurrences, deposits, and major faults 3 Composite mineral potential 4 Cumulative mineral potential 5 Weighted composite mineral potential Appendices 42 Methodology for assessment of potential (undiscovered) mineral resources Mineral resource assessment and mineral deposit models Metadata sheets Mineral occurrences, old mines, deposits and current operations within the region and outside the region Mining titles in the Eden region References 103 Addendum 1 105 An Economic Assessment of Selected Forest Uses in the Eden Region of New South Wales: Interim Report I .I EXECUTIVE SUMMARY I This report has been prepared for the joint particular types of mineral deposits. An Commonwealth/State Steering Committee which assessment of the potential resources of an area is oversees the comprehensive regional assessments then an estimate of the likelihood of occurrence of I of forests in New South Wales. mineral deposits which may be of a sufficient size and grade to constitute a mineral resource. The comprehensive regional assessments (CRAs) provide the scientific basis on which the State and In this study mineral potential tracts were I Commonwealth governments will sign regional identified for eleven types of metallic mineral forest agreements (RFAs) for the major forests of deposits (which included different styles of gold, New South Wales. These agreements will silver, base metal, tungsten, and tin deposition), for • determine the future of the State's forests, pyrophyllite (a mineral used in the ceramics • providing a balance between conservation and industry) and for construction materials. The tracts ecologically sustainable use of forest resources. were then combined to present a weighted composite mineral potential of the region. This This report was undertaken to provide a regional result provides some perspective to the relative I assessment of the mineral resources of the Eden region, which occupies the southeastern corner of economic significance between different types of mineral deposits (an area with high potential for New South Wales. The assessment is based on the • gold mineralisation would rate higher than an area known mineral occurrences and resources of the I region and on the potential for undiscovered with high potential for pyrophyllite, given the relative market prices of the two commodities). mineral resources, based on mineral exploration, I geology and other geoscientific information of the Seven hardrock quarries, three construction I area. sandpits and numerous pits winning unprocessed road materials currently operate in the Eden The assessment of the mineral resource potential region, and milling of pyrophyllite occurs on a I was conducted for the whole of the Eden region limited scale at Back Creek west of Pambuia. and is based on data and recent geological reports provided by the NSW Department of Mineral In the past, production of metals from the Eden Resources (DMR). Professional staff of the region has been largely from alluvial and primary Commonwealth Bureau of Resource Sciences gold deposits and granite-hosted bismuth- (BRS), the Geological Survey of NSW (a division molybdenum deposits. The study indicates that the of DMR) collaborated in the preparation of the highest potential for future discoveries is for I assessment. The Australian Bureau of Agricultural epithermal gold-silver, granite-hosted gold, and and Resource Economics (ABARE) provided an slate-belt gold. economic assessment of mineral resources and mining. The methodology adopted by BRS and DMR to I assess the mineral potential of the region followed that developed by the United States Geological Survey, which has been used for mineral resource assessments of forest areas in North America and I elsewhere. This methodology identifies geological I units (referred to as tracts) which could contain I 27th February 1998 Eden Region Mineral Assessment 1. INTRODUCTION The Eden region comprises an area of about 8100 niagnetics and landsat images. square kilometres and occurs in the southeastern It is important to note that Eden has not been corner of New South Wales (Map 1). It extends subjected to a regional coverage of detailed high from east of Bombala and Nimmitabel to the coast, resolution airborne geophysical survey; such and from the Victorian border to just north of surveys would generate new data and an improved Bermagui. Known mineral resources and potential understanding of mineral deposition in the region. (undiscovered) mineral resources have been assessed as part of the Comprehensive Regional Conclusions published on the Lachian Fold Belt in Assessment (CRA) of the forest areas in the Eden a 1995 issue of Economic Geology were also region. This region is referred to in this report as considered in this assessment. 'Eden', or 'the Eden region'. Appendix C contains data documentation for The assessment of the mineral resources was mineral occurrence locations, geological and conducted on a regional scale for the whole of airborne geophysical data, and for mining Eden and is based on data and recent geological tenements.