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Strategy - Exploration Summary
It is vital to look in the right
place, and also to use a technique that will record some type of anomalous
response when near a mineral deposit. Without these features much money
could be spent in the wrong place, or work could be carried out over a
deposit without detecting its presence. This emphasises the strategic importance
of having conceptual exploration models to help predict "the right
places" and innovative exploration techniques to make sure that if
present, a deposit is detected. Flinders' methods of satisfying these strategies
are detailed below.
Conceptual Models
Flinders has used two particular
conceptual models which predict that diamondiferous kimberlites are likely
to occur within the Company's tenements.
Gravity
Corridors
The Australia-wide transcontinental
gravity corridors, as shown on the project location map, are seen as deep
and long-lasting zones of weakness in the earth's crust along which primary
diamond source rocks have been intermittently emplaced during periods of
local crustal tension. These zones may act as loci for other types of mineralising
activity such as at Olympic Dam, located about 100 kilometres along the
G2 Corridor southeast of the Company's G2 Project.
The intersections of gravity corridors
are even more important loci of interest. The Strangways Project lies at
the intersection of G1, G2 and G3, and the Springfield Project is near
the intersection of the G2 and G7 gravity corridors.
Global
Emplacement Model (GEM)
The Company has recently
adopted a global emplacement model developed by Mr John Towie of Independent
Diamond Laboratories. The model is described on Independent Diamond Laboratories'
website at www.diamondlab.com.au/gem.html. The Company has modified the
model slightly to suit its local information. Mr Towie's model has general
application but is particularly applicable to the Springfield and Leigh
Creek Projects. The model is based on observation of global kimberlite
occurrences.
Kimberlites are thought to be
diamond bearing if they intrude the crust at or near mantle pressure. When
high energy kimberlite magma is trapped beneath brittle lithosphere, the
energy can be rapidly released by volume and pressure reduction during
a volcanic eruption.
Innovative
Exploration Techniques
Heavy Mineral
Concentration
Undercover
Sampling
Regolith
Studies
Collaborative
Research with PIRSA
Prospectivity
Flinders has
selected diamond exploration projects that it believes have high prospectivity,
with a strong likelihood of a kimberlite discovery which will lead to a
commercial diamond mine. This is demonstrated by the presence of 369 diamonds
in the Springfield Project area and diamonds at or near all the other projects
except Leigh Creek, which is conceptual at this stage. At Echunga in the
Adelaide Hills, the size (up to 5.3 carats) and presence of many gem quality
stones is also promising. The presence of known kimberlites at Springfield
and Skeleton Flat and several carbonatite occurrences at Strangways also
demonstrates the strong chances for additional kimberlite discovery. It
should be noted that diamond occurrences and kimberlites are rare and that
a significant amount of previous exploration has already been completed
to identify the current promising situations.
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