A comparison of electromagnetic prospecting results at the Scuddles Cu–Zn massive sulphide deposit, Golden Grove area, Western Australia

Abstract

Scuddles is one of two potentially economic volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits known within the Murchison Province (Fig. 1) of the Yilgarn Archaean Shield of Western Australia, the other being the Gossan Hill copper deposit located 4 km to the south (Fig. 2). The in situ geological resource estimate for Scuddles is 21 Mt of 1.2% Cu, 0.6% Pb, 8.2% Zn, 67 g/t Ag and 1.0 g/t Au. It is a blind orebody which was discovered by Esso as operator of the Golden Grove joint venture in 1979. The top of the orebody lies 120 m vertically below the surface, the only surface expression being a thin weakly mineralized laminated cherty horizon which correlates with a chert in the upper part of the mineralized horizon at depth. In long-section (Fig. 3), tabular stratabound lenses of massive sulphide plunge steeply north over a strike length of 900 m, and dip 75° southwest to a drilled depth of 700 m.