Department of Industryand Resources REPORT 97 MINERAL OCCURRENCES AND EXPLORATION POTENTIAL OF THE PATERSON AREA by K. M Ferguson, L. Bagas, and I. Ruddock Keep 3 mm border around photo. Resize white box as required. Geological Surveyof Western Australia GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA REPORT 97 MINERAL OCCURRENCES AND EXPLORATION POTENTIAL OF THE PATERSON AREA by K. M. Ferguson, L. Bagas, and I. Ruddock Perth 2005 MINISTER FOR STATE DEVELOPMENT Hon. Alan Carpenter MLA DIRECTOR GENERAL, DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRY AND RESOURCES Jim Limerick DIRECTOR, GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA Tim Griffi n REFERENCE The recommended reference for this publication is: FERGUSON, K. M., BAGAS, L., and RUDDOCK, I., 2005, Mineral occurrences and exploration potential of the Paterson area: Western Australia Geological Survey, Report 97, 43p. National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-publication entry Ferguson, K. M. Mineral occurrences and exploration potential of the Paterson area. Bibliography. ISBN 1 74168 018 2. 1. Mines and mineral resources — Western Australia — Paterson Range Region. 2. Minerals — Western Australia — Paterson Range Region. 3. Geology, Economic — Western Australia — Paterson Range Region. 4. Paterson Range Region (W.A.). I. Bagas, L. (Leon). II. Ruddock, Ian. III. (Title. (Series: Report (Geological Survey of Western Australia); 97). 553.409941 ISSN 0508–4741 Grid references in this publication refer to the Geocentric Datum of Australia 1994 (GDA94). Locations mentioned in the text are referenced using Map Grid Australia (MGA) coordinates, Zone 51. All locations are quoted to at least the nearest 100 m. Copy editors: A. S. Forbes, L. Day Cartography: M. Prause Desktop publishing: K. S. Noonan Published 2005 by Geological Survey of Western Australia This Report is published in digital format (PDF), as part of a digital dataset on CD, and is available online at www.doir.wa.gov.au/gswa/onlinepublications. Laser-printed copies can be ordered from the Information Centre for the cost of printing and binding. Further details of geological publications and maps produced by the Geological Survey of Western Australia are available from: Information Centre Department of Industry and Resources 100 Plain Street EAST PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA 6004 Telephone: +61 8 9222 3459 Facsimile: +61 8 9222 3444 www.doir.wa.gov.au/gswa/onlinepublications Cover photograph: Coolbro Sandstone (foreground and background) in the Throssell Range about 12 km south-southwest of Nifty copper mine, looking east (MGA 348650E 7591950N). Coolbro Sandstone is overlain further east by poorly outcropping Broadhurst Formation that is highly prospective for stratabound base-metal mineralization; to the south the Coolbro Sandstone overlies the unconformity with the Rudall Complex that is highly prospective for vein and hydrothermal uranium mineralization Contents Abstract ..................................................................................................................................................................1 Present study ..........................................................................................................................................................2 Location and access ................................................................................................................................................2 Climate and vegetation ...........................................................................................................................................2 Physiography ..........................................................................................................................................................2 Carboniferous to Permian land surface ...........................................................................................................2 Cenozoic land surface .....................................................................................................................................3 Erosional, relict or residual land surface ..................................................................................................3 Depositional land surface .........................................................................................................................3 Previous work .........................................................................................................................................................5 Regional geology ...................................................................................................................................................5 Paterson Orogen ..............................................................................................................................................5 Paleoproterozoic to Mesoproterozoic Rudall Complex ...........................................................................6 Talbot Terrane ..................................................................................................................................6 Connaughton Terrane ........................................................................................................................6 Paleoproterozoic orthogneiss ............................................................................................................6 Paleoproterozoic deformation and metamorphism in the Talbot and Connaughton Terranes ..........7 Tabletop Terrane ...............................................................................................................................7 Pungkuli–Taliwanya Formations .............................................................................................................7 Taliwanya Formation .......................................................................................................................7 Pungkuli Formation .........................................................................................................................7 Unassigned sandstone ......................................................................................................................8 Neoproterozoic northwestern Offi cer Basin ............................................................................................8 Tarcunyah Group ..............................................................................................................................9 Sunbeam Group ...............................................................................................................................9 Boondawari Formation ....................................................................................................................9 Disappointment Group .....................................................................................................................9 Durba Sandstone ..............................................................................................................................9 Neoproterozoic Yeneena Basin ..............................................................................................................10 Throssell Range Group ...................................................................................................................10 Coolbro Sandstone ...................................................................................................................10 Broadhurst Formation ..............................................................................................................10 Isdell Formation .......................................................................................................................10 Lamil Group ....................................................................................................................................10 Malu Formation .......................................................................................................................10 Telfer Member ..................................................................................................................11 Puntapunta Formation ..............................................................................................................11 Wilki Formation .......................................................................................................................11 Age of the Throssell Range and Lamil Groups ..............................................................................11 Miles Orogeny ........................................................................................................................................11 Mount Crofton Granite and associated granitic rocks ..........................................................................11 Paterson Orogeny ...................................................................................................................................11 Possible kimberlite dykes ......................................................................................................................12 Phanerozoic Canning and Gunbarrel Basins .................................................................................................12 Carboniferous to Permian rocks .............................................................................................................12 Paterson Formation ........................................................................................................................12 Poole Sandstone and Noonkanbah Formation ...............................................................................12