Paterson Project

• Project description
• National Geoscience Agreement
• Aims of the Paterson Project
• Key objectives of the Paterson Project
• Project outcome
• Project outputs
• Regional geophysical surveys

• Paterson 3D model
• Constructing geologically-constrained 3D models using 3D GeoModeller

Project description

The Paterson Project conducts research into the geological and metallogenic framework of the Paterson region, Western Australia.

The region contains poorly exposed Neoproterozoic sedimentary successions in the northwest Paterson Orogen that are host to significant deposits of:

• gold-copper (Telfer, Magnum)
• base metal (Nifty, Maroochydore)
• uranium (Kintyre)

The Paterson region is considered highly prospective for gold-copper and base metal mineral systems.

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National Geoscience Agreement

The Paterson Project is a National Geoscience Agreement (NGA) project. The NGA is an umbrella for a series of bilateral work programs between Geoscience Australia and the state and territory geological surveys. The Paterson Project works in cooperation with the Geological Survey of Western Australia, by providing Geoscience Australia's specialist expertise. The project follows on from geological mapping of the region at 1:100 000-scale by the Geological Survey of Western Australia (Bagas and others, 1991-2003), who are also acquiring new airborne geophysical data for the project.

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Aims of the Paterson Project

The Paterson Project aims to develop an understanding of the depositional history of the Neoproterozoic stratigraphy, its subsequent deformation(s) and magmatism, and its mineral systems. This project will investigate and integrate sedimentary facies, geophysical properties, structural elements, and other post-depositional processes such as granite emplacement to understand their relationships to the mineral systems in the region.

Current geological maps of the Paterson Orogen divide the Neoproterozoic sedimentary successions into the Tarcunyah Group of the northwest Officer Basin, and the Throssell and Lamil Groups of the Yeneena Basin (Bagas, 2004). Each is separated by major regional NE-SW trending fault systems, and no established correlation of formations between any of the groups currently exists. This study will develop an independent sequence stratigraphic interpretation for the formations comprising each of the three groups. Constrained by detrital zircon U-Pb and carbonate Pb-Pb ages, this is expected to provide depositional constraints on any possible inter-group stratigraphic correlations.

The structures and sediments of the Palaeozoic Canning Basin and Cainozoic cover, which are present throughout the region, complicate resolving problems in the understanding of the stratigraphy. In particular, Permian sediments within the Waukarlycarly Embayment separate by a distance of at least 20 km the regions in which the Lamil and Throssell Groups crop out. Understanding the stratigraphy, structure and geometry of the Neoproterozoic rocks beneath the Waukarlycarly Embayment is a critical aspect of this project, and is expected to be achieved by integrating drillcore logs with structural information derived from potential field interpretations and new seismic data.

These issues will be addressed through the collection and analysis of geological, geochemical, geochronological and geophysical datasets, with an emphasis on the Neoproterozoic successions, necessary to determine the time-series basin and magmatic framework. To assist in constraining this third dimension, a semi-detailed gravity survey will be conducted in the Paterson region. These results will be used in combination with recent aeromagnetic data to model the 3D geologic architecture of this area. In addition, satellite hyperspectral techniques (ASTER), in conjunction with 'ground-truthing' using PIMA, will be used to investigate the background signatures of the Neoproterozoic successions as well as identify areas with anomalous signatures. The poor outcrop of the region will test the limits of the ability of the technique to pick up weak signals by "seeing through" sand dunes.

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Key objectives of the Paterson Project

• Construct basin-scale structural and sequence-stratigraphic framework of the Neoproterozoic sedimentary successions in the Paterson region
• Constrain timing and processes of basin development, felsic and mafic magmatism and tectonism during the Neoproterozoic in and adjacent to the Paterson region
• Develop a "depth to Neoproterozoic" contour map of the region
• Determine 3D crustal architecture of Paterson region

These datasets and knowledge will significantly improve the regional geological framework of the Paterson region and will result in significant new insights into the temporal and spatial controls on ore formation that will be of use to the mineral exploration industry in area selection and risk reduction.

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Project outcome

Enhanced mineral exploration strategies and promotion of the Paterson region for mineral exploration through provision of an improved geological framework.

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Project outputs

Paterson Project 2006-07 outputs include:

• Reports on the structure, stratigraphy, geochemistry, geochronology and mineral systems of Neoproterozoic sequences and events of the Paterson region, in collaboration with the Geological Survey of Western Australia.
• Reports on the evolution of the Palaeo to Mesoproterozoic Rudall Complex, and the influence of this basement on Neoproterozoic mineralisation.
• GIS and hardcopy solid geology interpretation of the Paterson Province at a nominal scale of 1:250 000.
• Explanatory report accompanying the solid geology interpretation.
• "Depth to Neoproterozoic" contour map for the northern Paterson Province.
• On-line report titled "Constructing geologically-constrained 3D models using 3D GeoModeller: An example from the Paterson Orogen.
• Presentation for the Central Australian Basins Symposium, in collaboration with the Geological Survey of Western Australia.
• Presentation for the 2006 Geological Survey of Western Australia open day.
• The age and genesis of the Nifty copper deposit: back to the future [PDF, 1.4MB]

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Regional geophysical surveys

In conjunction with Geoscience Australia, Geological Survey of Western Australia has conducted an extensive airborne magnetic and radiometric survey and a smaller ground gravity survey in the Paterson region. Over 200 000 line-kilometres of magnetic and radiometric data has been acquired over an area of approximately 70 000 km2 in the Paterson-Rudall region. The new data was acquired on lines spaced 400 m apart with a nominal clearance of 60 m above ground.

The gravity survey involved the acquisition and processing of approximately 4000 new gravity stations on a 2.5 km by 2.5 km grid.

For more information contact David Howard, Chief Geophysicist, Geological Survey of Western Australia, or visit Geological Survey of Western Australia to access the data.