Geological Characteristics and Ore Genesis of the

Welcome Gold Deposit

Gregory Clapin1 Zhaoshan Chang1 Gregg Morrison2 Nick Lisowiec3 and Richard Wormald1

1: EGRU (Economic Geology Research Unit), School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811 Australia
2: Klondike Exploration Services, 7 Mary St., Townsville, Qld 4810, Australia
3: Carpentaria Gold Pty Ltd / Resolute Mining Ltd, Ravenswood, QLD 4816, Australia

1. Regional Geology 2. Regional Geology 3.Local Geology

Welcome Deposit

.Locally, the Mingela

Modified from Fergusson et al 2007
Queensland is comprised of three main Palaeozoic orogens, the Thomson Orogen
(Neoproterozoic-Ordovician), the North Queensland Orogen (Silurian-Devonian),
. and the New England Orogen (Devonian-Triassic). The Welcome deposit is located
within the Lolworth-Ravenswood Batholith, within the Charters Towers Province in
the north-eastern section of the Thomson Orogen.
4. Rock Types - Granodiorite
The host rock in the Welcome
deposit area is Ordovician Mingela
granodiorite. The granodiorite is
comprised of 3-5mm Quartz~30-
35% 3-5mm Feldspars~40-45% 5-
7mm Hornblende ~15-20% 1-2mm
Biotite ~5-10% 1-2mm Magnetite ~2-
5% . The granodiorites are typically
cut by epidote , quartz/carbonate
and carbonate veins.
Granodiorite has
been intruded by
ENE trending
Modified from Kreuzer et al 2007 diorite and
microgranodiorite
The Charters Towers Province consists of three major intrusive bodies; the
dykes and
Ravenswood Batholith, Lolworth Batholith and the Reedy Springs Batholith. The
subsequently by
Ravenswood Batholith which is situated in the eastern portion of the batholith
WNW trending
makes up the majority of the Charters Towers Province.
aphanitic andesite
The Ravenswood Batholith is predominately comprised of early-mid Ordovician dykes. U-Pb dating
hornblende and/or biotite bearing I-type granitoids of the Macrossan Igneous is currently in
Province, intruded by I-type and lesser S-type granitoids of the Pama Igneous progress to
Province during the late Silurian to early Devonian. Minor granitoids and sub- determine the ages
volcanics of the late Carboniferous to early Permian Kennedy Igneous Province are of the intrusives.
also represented within the Ravenswood Batholith and are associated with
mineralisation at the Mt Leyshon, Ravenswood and Mt Wright deposits.
The Welcome Deposit is located within the Mingela Granodiorite of the Macrossan
Province. A major crustal scale fault (Alex Hill Shear Zone) is located approx 1km to
the south of the deposit, and is thought to have been reactivated multiple times
10. Au Mineralisation
from the Ordovician onwards.
8. Breccias and Veining

Diamond Drill Hole WED002 158.8m Au Diamond Drill Hole WED002 175.3m Au
association with quartz carbonate sericite association with quartz vein. Reflected light
5. Rock Types Micro-Granodiorite Vein and surrounded by sphalerite, Plane Polar Mag X5.
marcasite, and pPyrite. Reflected light Plane
There are two types of micro- Polar Mag X5
granodiorite present Mineralization occurs in the AQS domains and veins in the breccia pipe and also in the AQS
equigranular and porphritic. veins surrounding the pipe. The metallic minerals include pyrite, dark sphalerite, and minor
The micro-granodiorite is galena, pyrrhotite, arsenopyrite and chalcopyrite.
comprised of the same
composition as the granodiorite
but with smaller grain size. They
have intruded the Mingela
11. PIMA Alteration
Granodiorite as part of a north- WED_038 White Mica Pos2200nm versus Au
WED_002 White Mica Pos2200nm versus Au
east trending dyke swarm . In Grade g/t 7
Grade g/t
2230
sections of drill core there is .The breccia pipe in the Welcome deposit is an elongated pipe-shaped zone ranging in 19
Au Gold Grade g/t
2206
17 Au Gold Grade g/t 2225
evidence of porphritic micro- size from 15-20m wide, 50-80m long and over 700m deep. The breccia is mainly matrix- White Mica 2200
2204 SWIR 2200nm White Mica
6
15 White Mica 2200 2220

SWIR 2200nm White Mica

granodiorites as chill margins supported with some clast-supported zones. Between the clasts there are various Values 5 Values
Au Gold Grade g/t

Au Gold Grade g/t

13 2202 2215
of equigranular proportions of rock flour domains and coarse-grained ankerite-quartz-sulfides (AQS) 11 4 2210
2200
microgranodiorite being domains. There are also AQS veins cutting through both the rock flour and clasts in the 9
2205
3
intruded by andesites. breccia, and extending up to 20m into the wallrock adjacent to the breccia body. 7 2198
2200
5
Throughout the breccia there are zones of silica-sericite, silica-sericite-chlorite, and 2196
2
2195
3
base metal sulfide infill (cement). 1 2194
1 2190
0 200 400 600 800
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 WED_038 Depth in Metres

6. Rock Types Diorite

WED_002 Depth in Metres

WED_006 White Mica Pos2200nm versus Au WED_003 White Mica Pos2200nm versus Au
Grade g/t Grade g/t
26 2225 181 2212
The diorite dykes typically 2220
161 2210
Au Gold Grade g/t
trend in a NNE/SSW 21 141 Au Gold Grade g/t 2208
SWIR 2200nm White Mica

SWIR 2200nm White Mica

White Mica 2200 2215 White Mica 2200 2206
Au Gold Grade g/t

direction (similar to the 121

Au Gold Grade g/t

16 Values Values 2204

2210 101
micro-granodiorite dykes), 2202
2205 81
and also a NNW/SSE 11
61
2200
2200 2198
direction. They are 6 41 2196
2195
comprised of fine grained 21 2194

mafic minerals (<1mm) 1

0 100 200 300 400 500
2190 1
0 200 400 600 800
2192

with <10% quartz and ~45- WED_006 Depth in Metres WED_003 Depth in Metres

50% feldspar. Around the breccia pipe in the footwall and hanging wall are shear veins with qtz/carb
WED_005 White Mica Pos2200nm versus Au WED_039 White Mica Pos2200nm versus Au
sulfides and sheeted veins of qtz/carb/ sufides and shear veins of carb/chlorite +-Pyrite. Grade g/t Grade g/t
61 2215 26 2215
Au Gold Grade g/t Au Gold Grade
g/t
51 White Mica 2200 2210
SWIR 2200nm White Mica

21 2210
SWIR 2200nm White Mica

Values
41 2205
Au Gold Grade g/t

Au Gold Grade g/t

16 2205
31 2200
11 2200
21 2195

6 2195
11 2190

1 2185 1 2190
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 0 200 400 600 800
WED_005 Depth in Metres WED_039 Depth in Metres

Line Graphs showing the relationship between Au gold grade g/t and White Mica 2200nm
Values. The graphs begin at the top of the deposit and continue down through the deposit
to the deepest diamond drill hole. Top-WED002,WED038. Middle- WED006, WED003.
7. Rock Types - Andesite Bottom- WED005, WED039.

Andesite dykes with either Three types of breccia have been observed in the Welcome deposit. Matrix supported The breccia, gold, and white mica values
aphanitic or porphryritic push up breccia is the most common type of breccia in the deposit. Fault related crackle relate quite well and the breccia can be
textures have been breccias have been observed in WED007 and areas of clast supported cracle breccias distinguished from the background by white
observed to cut the have also been recorded. micas >2200nm and within the breccia itself.
granodiorite and micro- The higher Au grade is associated with
granodiorite units in the higher wavelengths (>2203nm).
Welcome deposit. 9. Sulfide Isotope Analyses
In the deepest drill holes to Hole ID Metres 34SCDT Av Sulfide Type
This information is a more interesting one
date, a porphryritic WED002 175.2 4.1 Sphalerite from a near mine point of view as you may
255.6 3.8 Sphalerite
andesite intrudes the WED003 416.3 3.9 Sphalerite be able to plan and target further drilling
breccia zone in between 549.5 3.7 Pyrrhotite based on this information.
WED007 428.2 3.9 Sphalerite
two diorite intrusions. 443.7 4.1 Sphalerite
Deeper in the hole an 428.2 4.5 Pyrite The broad recognition that the breccia is
WED010 280.9 3.7 Sphalerite
aphanitic andesite appears WED039 503.7 3.3 Sphalerite distinguishable from the background has
to also be spatially 590.3 4.0 Sphalerite more regional implications as this may be
585.3 3.5 Sphalerite
associated with a diorite 543.6 4.4 Pyrite able to be detected from the air or from
WED040 289 1.7 Pyrite
dyke.. Samples calibrated with international standards IAEA-S1 and IAEA-S2
satellite imaging with software such as
Results to be quoted as 0.3 HyMap or Aster.
Three different types of andesite have been observed on the surface around the
Welcome deposit. The first is an aphanitic andesite which cuts the Welcome open pit in A total of 13 sulfide samples were obtained from drill core in the Welcome deposit.
a WNW/ESE direction. The second type is a porphritic andesite which is trending in a Samples were taken from the top, middle, and bottom of the deposit to give a good
NNE/SSW direction. The third type is an aphanitic andesite which is heavily cut by representation of the entire deposit . Results indicate magmatic igneous type sulfides for
calcite veining and trends in an almost N/S direction. all sulfide samples analysed.

Gregory Clapin
References: Acknowledgements : Ph: +61 424790162
O.P. Kreuzer, T.G. Blenkinsop, R.J. Morrison, S.G. Peters. 2007. Ore controls in the Charters Towers goldfield, NE Australia: I would like to sincerely thank Resolute Mining for their financial assistance in attending and presenting this Email:
Constraints from geological, geophysical and numerical analyses. Ore Geology Reviews 32 (2007) 3780. poster for the SEG Peru Conference. I would also like to thank the James Cook University School of Earth and greg.clapin@my.jcu.
Environmental Science and EGRU for their financial assistance to present and attend at the SEG Peru edu.au
C. L. Fergusson, R. A. Henderson, I. W. Withnall, C. M. Fanning, D. Phillips, Conference. Special thanks go to Nick Lisowiec from Carpentaria Gold Pty Ltd and Zhaoshan Chang from EGRU
and K. J. Lewthwaite. 2007. Structural, metamorphic, and geochronological constraints on alternating compression and extension in the Early at James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia. Special thanks also go to the SEG for their
Paleozoic Gondwanan Pacific margin, northeastern Australia. TECTONICS, VOL. 26, TC3008, doi:10.1029/2006TC001979. financial assistance to attend the SEG Lima Peru Conference.