The opening of the Yandal gold province during the 1990s provides a detailed case history of repeated exploration successes. First highlighted in 1992 with the discovery of the Bronzewing gold deposit, the resources of the Yandal gold province grew rapidly through the 1990s with a series of discoveries. By 2000, the gold endowment of the province was 470 tonnes (t), and it was producing 25 t Au p.a. from the Jundee, Bronzewing and Darlot mines. The exploration activities in the deeply weathered and mostly covered Archaean Yandal greenstone belt during this period set the standard for Australian gold exploration in deeply weathered terrains through a twofold approach that involved drilling 100 000 holes, and at the same time making a strong commitment to ore deposit research. Confidence came from an understanding of Archaean gold deposits and the regolith, including the effects of gold dispersion in the weathered zone and the necessity to properly penetrate the Cainozoic cover for effective drill testing. Special emphasis was placed on gold distribution, alteration, lithologies and structural geology, and these soon became the focus of both data collection and drill targeting during the exploration process. Aeromagnetic data provided the platform for interpolation between geologically constrained areas in this province of less than 10% outcrop. Rapid and effective communications and data handling were critical issues for managing large exploration programs involving many geologists in remote areas.
AnandR.R., 2000. Regolith issues in the Yandal greenstone belt, in Yandal greenstone belt, (ed. , PhillipsG N, AnandR R), Bulletin 32, 73–77, Perth, Australian Institute of Geoscientists.
2.
AnandRR. 2003. Importance of regolith for gold exploration in the Yandal gold province, Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia. CSIRO Explores 1, 27–52, Melbourne, CSIRO Exploration and Mining.
3.
AnandRR, WildmanJE, VargaZS, PhangC. 2000. Regolith evolution and geochemical dispersion in residual and transported regolith – Bronzewing gold deposit, in Yandal greenstone belt, (ed. , PhillipsG N, AnandR R), Bulletin 32, 313–332, Perth, Australian Institute of Geoscientists.
4.
AnandRR, WilliamsonA. 2000. Regolith evolution and geochemical dispersion in residual and transported regolith – Calista deposit, Mt McClure district, in Yandal greenstone belt, (ed. , PhillipsG N, AnandR R), 333–349, Bulletin 32, Perth, Australian Institute of Geoscientists.
BennettMA, BuckPS. 2000. Discovery and geology of the Thunderbox gold deposit, Yandal belt, in Yandal greenstone belt, (ed. , PhillipsG N, AnandR R), Bulletin 32, 373–379,, Australian Institute of Geoscientists.
7.
BinnsRA, GunthorpeRJ, GrovesDI. 1976. Metamorphic patterns and development of a greenstone belt in the Eastern Yilgarn Block, Western Australia, in The early history of the earth, (ed. , WindleyB F), 303–316, New York, John Wiley and Sons.
8.
BucknellW. 1995. The discovery of the Centenary gold deposit, Darlot, Western Australia, in New generation gold mines: case histories of discovery, 13·1–13·8, Adelaide, Australian Mineral Foundation.
9.
BuntingJA, WilliamsSJ. 1976. Explanatory notes on the Sir Samuel 1∶250 000 geological sheet, Geological Survey of Western Australia Geological Survey Records 1976/8, Perth, Australia.
10.
CameronE. 1990. Yeelirrie uranium deposit, in Geology of the mineral deposits of Australia and Papua New Guinea, (ed. , HughesF E), Monograph 14, 1625–1629, Melbourne, Australasian Institute Mining Metallurgy.
11.
DugdaleAL, HagemannSG. 2001. The Bronzewing lode gold deposit, Western Australia: P-T-X evidence for fluid immiscibility caused by cyclic decompression in gold-bearing quartz veins, Chem. Geol., 173, 59–90.
12.
EliasM, BuntingJA. 1982. Explanatory notes on the Wiluna 1∶250 000 geological sheet, Geological Survey of Western Australia Records, Perth, Australia.
13.
EiluP, MikuckiEJ, DugdaleAL. 2001. Alteration zoning and primary geochemical dispersion at the Bronzewing lode-gold deposit, Western Australia, Miner. Depos., 36, 13–31.
14.
ElyK. 2000. Bedrock lithologies, mineralisation and deformation and their relationship to weathering in the Yandal Belt, in Yandal greenstone belt, (ed. , PhillipsG N, AnandR R), 115–123, Bulletin 32, Perth, Australian Institute of Geoscientists.
15.
EshuysE, HerbisonI, PhillipsN, WrightJ. 1995. Discovery of Bronzewing gold mine, in New generation gold mines: case histories of discovery, 2·1–2·15, Adelaide, Australian Mineral Foundation.
16.
GilesCW. 1982. The geology and geochemistry of the Archaean Spring Well felsic volcanic complex, Western Australia, J. Geol. Soc. Aust., 29, 205–220.
17.
GrovesDI, BattWD1984Spatial and temporal variations of Archaean metallogenic associations in terms of evolution of granitoid-greenstone terrains with particular emphasis on the Western Australian shield, in Archaean geochemistry: the origin and evolution of the Archaean continental crust(, KronerA, ..), 73–78, Berlin, Springer-Verlag.
18.
HallbergJA, ThompsonJFH. 1985. Geological setting of the Teutonic Bore massive sulfide deposit, Archean Yilgarn Block, Western Australia, Econ. Geol., 80, 1953–1964.
19.
HarrisJL. 1998. Mount McClure gold deposits, in Geology of Australian and Papua and New Guinean mineral deposits, (ed. , BerkmanD H, MackenzieD H), 137–148, Monograph 22, Melbourne, Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.
20.
HergtJM, PrestonP, BrightRMJ, PhillipsGN. 2000. Differentiated dolerite sills in the Yandal greenstone belt, in Yandal greenstone belt, (ed. , PhillipsG N, AnandR R), Bulletin 32, 55–67, Perth.
21.
HoSE, GrovesDI, PhillipsGN. 1990. Fluid inclusions in quartz veins associated with Archaean gold mineralisation: clues to ore fluids and ore depositional conditions and significance to exploration, Geology Department and Extension, University of Western Australia Publication 23, 35–50.
22.
HoustounSM. 1987. Competency contrasts and chemical controls as guides to gold mineralisation: an example from the Barberton mountain land, in Recent advances in understanding Precambrian gold deposits, (ed. , HoS E, GrovesD I), Geology Department and University Extension, University of Western Australia Publication 11, 147–160.
23.
KohlerEA, BeardsmoreTJ, DaviesB, VearncombeJR. 2003a. Yandal gold province, Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia: an overview of tectonic setting and host rock controls, structural framework and gold mineralisation styles.CSIRO Explores 1, 53–80, Melbourne, CSIRO Exploration and Mining.
KohlerEA, PhillipsGN. 2003. Jundee goldfield, Yandal gold province, Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia.CSIRO Explores 1, 81–138, Melbourne, CSIRO Exploration and Mining.
26.
KrcmarovRL, BeardsmoreTJ, KingJ, KellettR, HayR. 2000. Geology, regolith, mineralisation and mining of the Darlot-Centenary gold deposit, Yandal belt, in Yandal greenstone belt, (ed. , PhillipsG N, AnandR R), Bulletin 32, 351–372, Perth.
27.
LewingtonG. 1995. The discovery of the Nimary gold camp, in New generation gold mines: case histories of discovery, 4·1–4·10, Adelaide, Australian Mineral Foundation.
28.
MessengerPR. 2000. Geochemistry of the Yandal belt metavolcanic rocks, Eastern Goldfields Province, Western Australia, Aust. J. Earth Sci., 47, 1015–1028.
29.
OttermanDW, de San MiguelGF. 1995. The discovery and development of the Mt McClure gold deposits, in New generation gold mines: case histories of discovery, 3·1–3·15, Adelaide, Australian Mineral Foundation.
30.
PhillipsGN, AnandRR(eds.)2000. Yandal greenstone belt, Bulletin 32, 400, Perth, Australian Institute of Geoscientists.
31.
PhillipsGN, GrovesDI. 1983. The nature of Archaean gold-bearing fluids as deduced from gold deposits of Western Australia, J. Geol. Soc. Aust., 30, 25–39.
32.
PhillipsGN, GrovesDI, KerrichR. 1996. Factors in the formation of the giant Kalgoorlie gold deposit, Ore Geol. Rev., 10, 295–317.
33.
PhillipsGN, VearncombeJR, EshuysE. 1998. Yandal greenstone belt, Western Australia: 12 million ounces of gold in the 1990s, Miner. Depos., 33, 310–316.
34.
RotherhamJF. 2000. Gold mineralisation in the oxide-transition zone – Mt Joel prospect, Yandal greenstone belt, in Yandal greenstone belt, (ed. , PhillipsG N, AnandR R), 273–281, Bulletin 32, Perth, Australian Institute of Geoscientists.
35.
SkwarneckiMS. 1987. Controls on Archaean gold mineralisation in the Leonora district, Western Australia, in Recent advances in understanding Precambrian gold deposits, (ed. , HoS E, GrovesD I), Geology Department and University Extension, University of Western Australia Publication 11, 109–135.
36.
TravisGA, WoodallR, BartramGD. 1971. The geology of the Kalgoorlie goldfield, Geological Society of Australia, Special Publication 3, 175–190.
VearncombeJR, KohlerE, MeyerJ, PhillipsGN, RotheryE, RyanD. 2000. Regional, structural and exploration geology in a terrain with minimal outcrop – the Yandal belt, Western Australia, in Yandal greenstone belt, (ed. , PhillipsG N, AnandR R), Bulletin 32, 17–39, Perth, Australian Institute of Geoscientists.
39.
WorleyB, PowellR, ParkesC, KotzA, CahillJL. 2000. Gold related hydrothermal alteration: the view from Bronzewing, in Yandal greenstone belt, (ed. , PhillipsG N, AnandR R), 303–311, Bulletin 32, Perth, Australian Institute of Geoscientists.
40.
WrightJH, PhillipsGN, HerbisonID. 2000. History of exploration in the Yandal greenstone belt, in Yandal greenstone belt, (ed. , PhillipsG N, AnandR R), Bulletin 32, 187–198, Perth, Australian Institute of Geoscientists.
41.
ZhouT, PhillipsGN. 2000. Geology of the Mt Joel goldfield, Yandal belt, in Yandal greenstone belt, (ed. , PhillipsG N, AnandR R), Bulletin 32, 261–272, Perth, Australian Institute of Geoscientists.
