Location: Gawler Craton / Olympic Dam precinct, South Australia
Tenements: EL 6819 & EL 6870 – total area of 1,993km2
Ownership: 100 % Aruma Resources Ltd (ASX: AAJ)
Multi commodity upside – IOCG, uranium plus heavy mineral sands (HMS) potential – in a Tier 1 location within the Gawler Craton, which hosts the world-class Olympic Dam and Prominent Hill Copper-Uranium Deposits.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
The Wilan is located in the Olympic Dam precinct in South Australia, 140km from BHP’s Olympic Dam Deposit, the world’s largest single source of copper-gold-REE and uranium. The Project was acquired by Aruma for its IOCG and uranium potential at the Cypher Uranium Prospect and an IOCG prospective target in the southern area of the Project. Aruma is also assessing the Heavy Mineral Sands (HMS) potential within the Wilan tenure.
GEOLOGICAL SETTING AND OPPORTUNITY
Wilan is situated on the eastern edge of the Gawler Craton, underlaid by Neoproterozoic Burra Group sediments, and capped in places by Eromanga Basin cover. It abuts major basement structures and multi‑commodity mineral systems typical of IOCG‑U mineralisation environments.
The Project is interpreted to host structural IOCG copper‑gold potential and a structurally controlled calcrete-hosted uranium target.
EXPLORATION TARGETS
Heavy Mineral Sands (HMS)
The Gawler Craton hosts a number of significant heavy mineral sands deposits, including Petratherm’s (ASX: PTR) Muckanippie Critical Minerals Project. The presence of ancient river systems, lacustrine deposits, and sedimentary basins at the Wilan Project suggests potential for heavy mineral sands. Such environments are known to host significant concentrations of minerals like ilmenite, rutile, zircon and monazite.
Altitude Minerals (ASX: ATT) has a large landholding adjacent to Aruma’s Wilan Project, and has assessed its Peake Project as being prospective for heavy mineral sands including high-value zircon and titanium minerals (rutile, ilmenite and leucoxene). Aruma is assessing the heavy mineral sands potential of the Wilan Project as a potential priority exploration opportunity.
Cypher Uranium Prospect
The Cypher Prospect is interpreted as a structurally controlled, calcrete-hosted uranium target. It is located in the north-west region of the Wilan Project, at the intersection of the Karari Shear Zone and a major NW‑trending fault. The prospect shows strong multispectral and gravity anomalies, suggesting uranium-rich fluids may be focused into trap zones, forming the basis of a strong exploration model.
IOCG
In the Gawler Craton, IOCG deposits have been identified with magnetic anomalies coincident gravity anomalies. The Wilan Project hosts an IOCG target in the south-east of the project, which is interpreted as having this signature – and has never been drill tested.
Aruma plans to explore for IOCG mineralisation in the Paleoproterozoic basement rocks at this target area, as well as potential sedimentary-hosted copper mineralisation in the basin rocks above the basement. Exploration is planned to include detailed gravity and geophysical surveys with the aim of identifying conductive bodies for drilling.