Byro Project
2. BYRO NICKEL-COPPER PGE PROJECT
2.1 LOCATION AND ACCESS
The Byro Project is located near Byro Station in the Gascoyne Mineral Field, of Western Australia. The centre of the project is approximately 250 kilometres from Geraldton and 300 kilometres from Carnarvon.
2.2 TENURE
Athena?s Byro Project covers 5,300 square kilometres and consists of ten Exploration Licence Applications. Athena has an 80% interest in the project contributing 100%.
2.3 GEOLOGY AND MINERALISATION
Athena?s Byro Project is located along the north-western margin of the Yilgarn Craton, within an Archaean Gneiss Belt which trends north-northeast for approximately 200km. The geology is predominately quartzo-feldspathic gneisses and migmatites with amphibolites, quartzites, BIF?s, flesic volcanics and layered mafic-ultramafic intrusions. Regional folding and thrusting has resulted in a steep dominant westerly dip and north northeast strike, although locally this varies from north to east. The magnetic and gravity data suggests a series of ultramafic and mafic layered intrusions which are located in the area are more extensive than previously interpreted and are covered by relatively shallow alluvium.
Past exploration in the region indicates the presence of anomalous copper-nickel-PGE and chromite mineralisation. Two altered, layered mafic-ultramafic bodies are found at Taccabba Well and Imagi Well where iron-rich chromite occurrences have been discovered. Athena?s discovery outcrop at Moonborough is approximately 20 kilometres west of Mithril Resources and Yilgarn Mining Limited?s Byro East Joint Venture, and 10 kilometres north of the Imagi Well chromatite occurrence. These occurrences confirm the Byro area as having ?fertile? mafic intrusions like those found in the West Pilbara and Halls Creek Mobile Belt.
Figure 7
Figure 8
The available magnetic data consists of broad spaced (1600 metres) regional surveys carried out by the Western Australia Geological Survey and Geoscience Australia. The Geological Survey of Western Australian (GSWA) recently commissioned a higher resolution survey at 400 metre line spacing to better resolve the geology of the area. The results of this regional survey are expected later this year.
2.4 WORK COMPLETED BY ATHENA
Athena has been actively compiling open file data held by the Geological Survey of Western Australia ahead of ground reconnaissance in the coming months. Assessment of past exploration includes the capture of historic surface and drill hole geochemical data as digital files. These data sets are currently being integrated with gravity, magnetic and remote sensing data from public sources to identify specific targets for ground checking.
Rock Chip Sampling
Athena rediscovered the Moonborough copper occurrence 2 kilometres north of Byro Station Homestead in September 2007. Assay results from two rock chip samples from this site subsequently confirmed the presence of platinum group metal (PGM)-gold mineralisation. One rock chip sample assayed 1.5% copper, 0.79g/t Pt+Pd and 0.44g/t gold, with another 0.75% copper, 0.36g/t Pt+Pd and 0.19g/t gold. This metal association is typical of mineralised layered complexes and results are indicative of gabbro hosted nickel-copper sulphide and PGM mineralisation.
Follow-up sampling at Moonborough (Figure 8) by Athena in early 2008 confirmed the tenor of Athena?s original assays. Results of 1.93% copper, 3.01g/t (3015 ppb) palladium and 0.53g/t gold, and are high for rock chip samples in ?greenfields? exploration. The assay results above 0.1% copper are shown in Table 4 and the location of these samples in Figure 7.
Geological mapping at Moonborough shows the copper-gold-PGM mineralisation to be hosted by sheared metagabbro (now amphibolite). The gabbro is bounded immediately to the west by pyroxenite and then lateratised cumulate-textured ultramafic. At this stage the relationships of these lithologies, which are typically found in layered mafic intrusions, is uncertain due to the lack of outcrop. However, the presence of these lithologies and the association with all known copper mineralisation in the area is particularly encouraging for the Company?s exploration model.
Elevated copper-gold-PGM mineralisation was also obtained from a sample of outcropping gabbro collected seven (7) kilometres northeast of the Moonborough Prospect. This sample (MBCR072 ? Figure 7) assayed 0.3% copper, 186 ppb palladium and 140ppb gold. Elevated values such as these are highly anomalous and potentially indicate a new zone of mineralisation. Visible copper mineralisation in the form of malachite (Cu2CO3(OH)2) staining of feldspars in gabbro is unusual and is evident at both Moonborough and this new, as yet un-named, zone. Athena?s regional geological reconnaissance has shown that mafic and ultramafic lithologies are more common with the Byro area than is apparent from government maps, providing confidence that more copper-nickel-PGM mineralisation will be found.
Table 4
Moonborough prospect - Rock Chip Assays above 0.1% Copper |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sample | Copper (%) | Platinum (ppb*) | Palladium (ppb) | Gold (ppb) |
| MBCR057 | 1.93% | 8 | 3015 | 525 |
| MBCR056 | 1.22% | 93 | 130 | 475 |
| MBCR058 | 0.96% | 84 | 166 | 413 |
| MBCR055 | 0.61% | 18 | 89 | 482 |
| MBCR060 | 0.55% | 43 | 337 | 272 |
| MBCR059 | 0.48% | 24 | 118 | 165 |
| MBCR070 | 0.47% | 52 | 81 | 329 |
| MBCR061 | 0.32% | 53 | 115 | 121 |
| MBCR069 | 0.11% | 12 | 130 | 10 |
| (*ppb = parts per billion, 1% = 10,000 parts per million, BD = Below Detection) | ||||
Figure 9
Figure 10
Figure 11
Figure 12
Soil Sampling
Following on from the rock chip results a focused soil sampling programme was completed at the Moonborough Prospect and the results have outlined a strong coincident copper-PGM geochemical anomaly. The Moonborough anomaly measures 750 metres long and 300 metres at its widest point, and is open to the north and south as the sampling was confined to the area of shallow cover and sub-cropping bed rock. Peak results include 492 ppm copper, 53 ppb palladium, 11ppb gold and 4 ppb platinum from 226 soil samples collected over the prospect.
The soil sample locations are showing the distribution of copper, palladium, gold, platinum and nickel are shown in Figures 9 to 12. One hundred and twelve (112) of the soil samples returned copper assays of 100 ppm or better, forty six (46) samples were 10ppb palladium or better, and 110 samples assayed over 30ppm nickel. These copper and palladium assays are considered by Athena to be exceptionally high for soil samples.
Geophysical Survey
The Company?s airborne geophysical contractor UTS carried out a combined aeromagnetic and radiometric survey over the majority of Exploration Licence Application 09/1507. This survey, which was flown on east-west lines 100 metres apart, is a considerable improvement on the existing government 1600 metre survey. This large survey is the first of its type in this area and will greatly improve the understanding of Athena?s Byro Project. The data from Athena?s aeromagnetic survey will be integrated with the recently completed GSWA 400 metre regional surveys to identify additional and classify existing targets on Athena adjoining Byro applications.