MRG Resources

Project Summary

The Christmas Creek Project is located approximately 35km east of Greenvale in north Queenslandand is considered prospective for intrusion-related Au (IRGS), polymetallic skarn, and shear-hosted Au mineralisation. The project consists of a single granted Exploration Permit for Minerals (EPM 27774) covering 300km² and lies north of Liberation’s Gill Creek Epithermal Au Project.

Northeast Queensland is an underexplored terrane hosting >50Moz Au in past production and current resources from numerous deposits, including: Kidston, Red Dome/Mungana, the Charters Towers Field, Pajingo, Mt Leyshon, and the Ravenswood Field. At Christmas Creek, exploration is focussed on The Ridge prospect.

Figure 1: Project Location.

Figure 2: Stream sediment anomalism highlighting Au enrichment along the Perry Creek Fm. that is dominated by sandstone-siltstone with intraformational chert and limestone beds.

The Ridge Prospect

Historical exploration at The Ridge in the 1980-90’s identified a series of Au mineralised shear zones that occur over >3km of strike. The mineralisation, which forms a notable stream sediment anomaly, was advanced by the then tenure holder through soil sampling, rock chip and trench sampling, trial IP surveying, and limited, shallow percussion drilling.

The mineralised, quartz-rich, subparallel shears are hosted by the Perry Creek Fm along the contact of an intraformational chert lens and the contact with the Kangaroo Hills Fm. Discontinuous Au-As soil anomalies occur over an area c. 600m by 3km in size with a peak of 3.27g/t Au from limited rock chip sampling. Extensive trenching orientated perpendicular to soil anomalies returned numerous elevated results, as below, while trial IP surveying along selected trenches identified subsurface responses coincident with surficial Au-As enrichment:

4m @ 1.525g/t Au + 2,585ppm As
18m @ 0.573g/t Au + 938ppm As
2m @ 0.43g/t Au + 620ppm As
11.7m @ 0.296g/t Au + 485ppm As
14m @ 0.196g/t Au + 216ppm As
30m @ 0.184g/t Au + 301ppm As

10m @ 0.175g/t Au + 455ppm As
10m @ 0.16g/t Au + 694ppm As
2m @ 0.138g/t Au + 220ppm As
24m @ 0.128g/t Au + 142ppm As
6m @ 0.123g/t Au + 253ppm As
2m @ 0.10g/t Au + 143ppm As

Historical drill testing of the extensive shear zones was limited to a seven-hole percussion program for 296m with maximum hole depth of 50m @ -60° dip. Significant intercepts were recorded, as below, with mineralisation remaining open at depth and along strike:

PD4/1

2m @ 0.23g/t Au from 8m

and, 3m @ 0.36g/t Au from 14m

and, 4m @ 1.48g/t Au from 29m

PD21/1

24m @ 0.93g/t Au from 15m

incl, 6m @ 1.96g/t Au from 18m

and, 5m @ 1.49g/t Au from 26m

and, 1m @ 1.35g/t Au from 34m

and, 1m @ 1.13g/t Au from 38m

PD21/2

4m @ 1.58g/t Au from 18m

PD3/2

11m @ 0.36g/t Au from 3m

Prior to Liberation Resources work, no material exploration has been conducted at Christmas Creek since the early 1990's.

Liberation Resources postulates that the source of Au hosted by The Ridge shears is a series of Kennedy Igneous Association (KIA) intrusions interpreted in magnetics that lie along a >10km north-south strike within EPM 27774. While further exploration is required to test this hypothesis, the potential occurrence of metal-endowed intrusions at depth and along strike of the mineralised shear zones raises the potential for large-scale IRGS mineralisation to occur. Where limestone units are contacted by such intrusives, and their hydrothermal fluids, potential also exists for polymetallic skarn mineralisation.

Figure 3: Reprocessed detailed magnetics with intrusions interpreted to occur beneath, and along strike of, the outcropping auriferous shears.
Figure 4: -110m depth slice of The Ridge magnetic susceptibility model showing structurally controlled intrusions below and adjacent to Au-in-soil anomalies, auriferous shear zones, and VTEM features.
Figure 5: The Ridge schematic exploration model showing mineralised Au shears and conceptual IRGS and skarn targets that warrant exploration.

Exploration undertaken by Liberation, to date, includes geological reconnaissance and rock chip sampling, detailed airborne magnetic-radiometric surveying, versatile time-domain electro-magnetic (VTEM) surveying, and collaboration with The University of Queensland to undertake a structural analysis of Christmas Creek as part of a Broken River Province focussed PhD thesis.

In addition to walk up shear-hosted Au drill targets, exploration activities have identified several large, early to mid-time VTEM conductive features that occur along the limestone-rich contact between the Perry Creek and Kangaroo Hills Fms. These VTEM features, which lie in the hanging wall of a major northward plunging KIA intrusive body, could relate to a mineralised system and be caused by:

Steeply dipping sulphide bodies located near surface;
Deeper weathering over structures or sulphide mineralisation (i.e. thicker conductive oxidised zones or clay-filled faults); or,
IP effects caused by polarisable clays in the regolith or shallow disseminated sulphides.

Reconnaissance of these features reveals generally poor outcrop with an abundance of hydrothermal, pyritic quartz vein float, in addition to subcropping magnetite lodes and strongly silicified hydrothermal breccia, indicating the VTEM features are a high priority for exploration endeavours.

Future exploration at The Ridge is anticipated to include a combination of extensional soil sampling, induced polarisation surveying, and drill testing for IRGS, polymetallic skarn, and shear-hosted Au.

Liberation is currently assessing commercialisation pathways for Christmas Creek to advance exploration towards mineral resource discovery. Expression of interest are welcomed.