The Capricorn Project is located along the northern margin of the western Bangemall Basin in the Ashburton region of Western Australia. It covers the northern side of the mid-Proterozoic aged Bangemall Basin and includes 150km strike of the major Talga Fault, recently identified by the Geological Survey of Western Australia, and a further 80km strike of interpreted extensions to the southeast. The Talga Fault separates shallow dipping rocks of the Pingandy Shelf to the north and the more steeply dipping compressed and folded sedimentary rocks of the Edmund Ford Belt to the south.
In 2004 detailed mapping by the Geological Survey of Western Australia (GSWA) identified the Talga fault in the western part of the Proterozoic Bangemall Basin of Western Australia and recognized it’s significance in both the formation and sedimentation of the Bangemall Basin.
Basin margin growth faults within other Proterozoic terrains in Australia and the world can sometimes host world class base metal and uranium deposits. Aurora’s exploration model is to explore for Mt Isa style lead, zinc, silver and copperdeposits which are associated with major faults.
In early 2006 the GSWA released a large geochemical database of historical surface exploration results across the Bangemall Basin and adjoining basins in Central Western Australia. Aurora had already been compiling airmagnetic data, and during 2006 it greatly expanded its airmagnetic and uranium channel radiometric databases.
The compilation of this data led to the recognition by the Company of the potential significance of the Talga Fault and resulted in Aurora expanding its Capricorn Project exploration licence applications.
Aurora’s research to date indicates that there has been only limited previous exploration along the Talga Fault; most previous exploration appears to have been concentrated mainly on the Pingandy Shelf sediments to the north east, where stratiform lead and zinc mineralization was discovered.
Targets sought are base metal massive sulphide deposits, such as the large lead-zinc deposits of Northwestern Queensland (HYC, Century, Lady Loretta & Mt Isa), replacement copper and stratabound uranium deposits.