Synopsis

The Drake Goldfield is located within far north-eastern NSW, close to the Queensland border and some 55km east of Tenterfield. This goldfield is within the New England Orogen, with most of the mineralisation hosted within the Middle Permian Drake Volcanics.

The Strauss deposit is one of the richest deposits within the Drake Goldfield and contains both Au and Ag resources, along with Zn and Pb. Although previously mined in the 1980’s, little if any research has been conducted on this deposit.

Aims

The project: “Mineralisation & Alteration of the Epithermal Sphalerite-Rich Strauss Deposit” aims to:

  • Map the Strauss open-cut in detail
  • Determine the structural evolution of the Strauss deposit
  • Characterise the vein assemblages within the Strauss deposit
  • Develop the relationship between host rocks, alteration assemblages and ore minerals

Student benefits

During this project you’ll learn:

  • How to use and apply a wide range of analytical and statistical methods
  • Detailed transmitted and reflected light petrography
  • Volcanic systems and associated epithermal deposits

Supervisors: Dr Ian T Graham, Ms Hongyan Quan (PhD student), Dr Dane Burkett (UNSW Research Fellow) and Mr Rohan Worland (White Rock Minerals Ltd).

Get involved

To learn more about this project, contact Dr Ian T Graham.

E:i.graham@unsw.edu.au 
T: +61 2 9385 8720