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Location: 27 km NW from Balranald, New South Wales, Australia
Level 17, 240 St Georges TerracePerthWestern Australia, Australia6000
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West Balranald is located in the Murray Basin, a shallow, intra-cratonic Cainozoic basin covering an area of 300,000km2 in south-eastern South Australia, south-western New South Wales and northwestern Victoria. The Murray Basin is flanked by low mountain ranges of Proterozoic and Palaeozoic rocks which are interpreted to be the originating source for the HM. Much of the sedimentary sequence within the basin is the result of repeated marine incursions from the southwest, with the latest transgressive-regressive event resulting in deposition of the Late Miocene to Late Pliocene Loxton Parilla Sands (LPS). These sediments were deposited in shallowmarine, littoral and fluvial conditions and comprise of fine- to coarse-grained, generally well-sorted sand, with minor clay, silt and gravel and host the Murray Basin mineral sand deposits. Overlying the LPS in the northern and eastern Murray Basin is the Shepparton Formation. This unit consists of mixed fluvial channel and flood-plain deposits, including some aeolian sediment. The lithology of the Shepparton Formation varies between gravel and clay. The source material varies between regions, leading to the subdivision of the unit based on geomorphic forms and soils; however, all are consistent with Riverine Plain sedimentation (Brown & Stephenson 1991). The West Balranald deposit is hosted in the LPS and is interpreted to represent shoreface facies in a beach barrier sedimentary environment, formed in response to concentration and winnowing during storm events. The southern end of the West Balranald strand has been interpreted to be affected by variable compaction of the underlying thick sediment pile with the majority of the deposit believed to be underlain by the Pitarpunga Granite. The strand plunges gently to the north over 17km strike length (- 0.6º) north of about 531,700N (local grid). South of 531,700mN the strand plunges down about 45m over 3km of strike and then continues its (0.5º) southward plunge for another 3km as presented in Figure 4. Drilling also indicates about a 10m step in level at around 549500 mN. The magnitude of the plunges exhibited indicate that the strand has been affected by post emplacement slumping resulting from faulting of the basement rocks at depth. Notably the magnetic survey coverage did not indicate the presence of a break in the strand over the area where the strand plunges 20m lower.The LPS often contain trace organics and iron sulphides in the form of pyrite, which may react and become acidic when exposed to surficial oxidation.Interpreted geology zone descriptions as applied to the resource block model:Zone 9: Strand interpreted above a 3% HM cut-off grade Zone 12: Interpreted upper high slimes layer present from surface in the Shepparton Formation Zone 14: Interpreted low slimes, sand layer present below Zone 12 in the Shepparton Formation Zone 16: Interpreted high slimes layer present in the Shepparton Formation at the contact with the underlying LPS sands. Zone 50: Interpreted upper LPS sands Zone 55: Interpreted lower LPS sands which host the strand.DimensionsThe West Balranald deposit has a 29km strike extent for the strand interpreted above a 3% HM cut-off grade with an average thickness of five metres and strand widths of up to 280m along the middle of the deposit, which narrows down to 120m at the extremities. The strand occurs beneath overburden depths of 47m midway along strike and up to 99m at the southern extremity.
