The Battle Creek Project is within EPM 14185 over which two Mining Lease application have been lodged by Consolidated Tin Mines Limited. The project is located about 6km east of Mt Garnet near the small village of Battle Creek close to  the Kennedy Highway.

Below is from independent Geologist Les Davis Report included in the Consolidated Tin Mines Limited Prospectus.

 

Previous Investigations

The Alluvial Gold Co Ltd purchased the Battle Creek and Nettle Creek alluvial dredging leases from BHP in 1949. RTD’s dredging operation in Battle Creek began in 1957 and finished in February 1965 with a recorded production of about 14 million bcm for 4170 tons (~4104 tonnes) of tin concentrate (about 298 g/bcm tin concentrate grade). The dredge then moved to Nettle Creek.

Battle Creek was in a reasonably confined valley, unlike that of Nettle, Return and Smiths creeks. However, volume of wash was sufficient for a dredging operation.

The starting point in Battle Creek was just north of the highway. Initial alluvial test drilling was by BHP in 1938 and AGL continued with further drilling in front of the dredge path. At the northern end of the proposed dredge path, about 6 km north of the start point, BHP and then AGL had found a very deep zone of mineralisation. It was believed to be a deep valley fill, and the dredge sought to dig as deep as possible through the area when mined in 1963.

AGL investigated this deep zone in 1970 and believed the deposit to be a “kaolinised lode” that had been buried by the Battle Creek channel sediments. Continued drilling in the mid 1970s, confirmed the kaolinised nature and interpreted the rock type to be a greisen zone, quite soft and clayey closer to surface. However, the prospect was known as the Battle Creek deep lead (see Figure 1). It was high-grade in terms of alluvial mining. With depth, the ground was harder and this limited the depth of drill testing using the specialised alluvial drill rigs.

Drilling showed that the greisenised granite was adjacent to limestone. Lumps of skarn recorded in the dredge tailings and there may be a hard-rock tin-bearing skarn within the greisen.

In 1982, after the introduction of a production quota, the Oakbridge group was forced to close the operations of the two dredges, RTD (in 1982, on Nettle Creek) and TTD (in 1984, on Return Creek) and re-examine high-grade areas. The Battle Creek deposit was re-evaluated in 1984. It was estimated that the high-grade altered granite/greisen contained 472 000 bcm grading 1080 g/bcm tin (617 000 cubic yards grading 41.6 ounces/cubic yard tin concentrate) extending to approximately 48 m below the surface. VWPL considers that this estimate is an Indicated Mineral Resource. A dragline for overburden removal was proposed.

In 1985, an aircore drill program was completed to test deeper sections of the altered granite (see Figure 1). Aircore drilling is a method specialised for drilling soft, weathered rock. Many aircore holes were drilled close to holes from the mid 1970s drill holes, but were able to penetrate to greater depths. The program of 1985 estimated the altered granite/greisen to contain 683 000 bcm grading 838 g/bcm tin. This is an Indicated Mineral Resource extending mineralisation to approximately 68 m below surface (see Figure 2). Most holes, at the end of hole, intersected lower grade granite but on one traverse, limestone was intersected.

In late 1985, a mine planning schedule was formulated. A strip ratio of overburden (1.1) to mineralisation (1.0) was estimated with low-angle pit walls planned because of the soft nature of the ground. Recommendations included drilling further alluvial mineralisation downstream of the altered granite deposit, which, if economic, would double the Battle Creek Project life.

RTD did not go ahead with any Battle Creek development. As with Nettle Creek, Norminco purchased this area in 1995 and by the same procedure, Battle Creek became a project in the Tin Australia prospectus. The 1985 estimate of 683 000 bcm grading 838 g/bcm tin concentrate (568 g/bcm tin) was quoted in the prospectus.

Tin Australia did no work on the project area.

Conclusions - Mineralisation Potential and Future Work

The Battle Creek altered granite/greisen mineralisation became known as the Upper Battle Creek Deep Lead, although it was not a buried channel of alluvial wash. The drilling programs through the years have defined the strike extent and depth extent and it is unlikely that significant extensions would be found.

It was believed the altered granite/greisen would behave like an alluvial deposit (free digging and the tin recoverable through jigs and spirals) and this assumption belief was based on the knowledge that if the specialised alluvial drills could penetrate the rock, then the material could be treated, and the tin recovered, by alluvial plant methods. CTM will need to confirm this amenability to alluvial mining and recovery methods by testing new drill samples.

CTM will need to follow up new alluvial targets within Battle Creek especially the alluvial mineralisation downstream from the Battle Creek greisen deposit.

CTM are uncertain which of the two projects, Nettle Creek or Battle Creek, will be mined first. Nettle Creek Project should be available sooner because of granted MLs and it is the larger resource, albeit an Inferred Mineral Resource.

Battle Creek Project contains Indicated Mineral Resources and at this point is higher in grade. However, confirmation of the mining and treatment procedures is necessary. A combined Battle Creek-Nettle Creek mine plan will allow the use of large mining equipment and associated reduced operational costs.

For exploration of new, possibly rich deposits at Battle Creek Project, CTM proposes geophysical surveys followed by drilling of the greisen and limestone terrane under the dredge tailings. The conceptual targets of high-grade skarn, similar to that of the Gillian or Pinnacles deposits, and bulk low-grade greisen deposits are valid. The Pinnacles Project area is only 2 km to the west.