The Cobar region to the north has produced a significant amount of metal since production commenced in 1870. (Stegman and Stegman, 1996).
This includes:
2.5 million ounces of gold
0.6 million tonnes of copper
1.5 million kilograms of silver
0.6 million tonnes of lead
1.2 million tonnes of zinc
In addition, an exploration program between 1995 and 1999 by Peak Gold Mines identified further resources of 1 million ounces of gold (Stegman 2002).
There are currently four operating mines in the district. These are CSA, Elura, Peak/New Occidental and Mt Boppy. Production from all of these mines and much of the historic production in the district has come from the Devonian rocks of the Cobar Basin. The only significant production outside of the Devonian occurred at the Girilambone Copper Mine (now closed). This and the nearby, unmined, Tritton massive sulphide deposit are hosted in Girilambone Group rocks.
In order to understand the geological setting of the various prospects within the Licence GCR undertook a comprehensive compilation and review of existing exploration data. This work suggested that known mineralisation, especially on the western side of the tenement, was preferentially located at the margins of large circular structures which where visible in aeromagnetic images. (diagram below)
GCR followed up this work with extensive geochemical sampling of soils using a Partial Leach technique. This data suggested that not only did the known mineralisation occur peripheral to these structures, but that a geochemical zonation occurred from the centre to the periphery of these. Generally soils in the centre were copper-enriched whilst on the margins they were lead-zinc enriched. This style of zonation is similar to intrusive porphyry-like geochemical halos. This led GCR to speculate that mineralisation encountered to date by previous explorers, was related to intrusive centres and/or flow-dome/cryptodome volcanic complexes perhaps associated with caldera collapse during volcanic activity. |