Michael Hills Cu project, Wingellina Community (Irrunytju), West Musgrave Block, Ngaanyatjarraku Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Michael Hills Cu project	Project
Wingellina Community (Irrunytju)	Community
West Musgrave Block	- not defined -
Ngaanyatjarraku Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

(Ni-)Cu sulfide mineralisation in gabbro complex.
Located on Aboriginal land 9 km south of the Wingellina Ni-Laterite Deposit.
Owned by Redstone Resources.



The Michael Hills prospect is found in the centre of the Michael Hills intrusion, one of the larger intrusions in the Giles Complex. The Michael Hills intrusion straddles the Western Australia and South Australian border. The deposit is hosted within a sequence of highly variable mafic and ultamafic rocks.

The north north-west dipping sequence of the deposit shows pyroxene, mela-gabbronorite, gabbronorite, leuco-gabbronorite and anorthosite. Gabbronorite is dominant with gradual contacts into mela-gabbronorite. Pyroxenite horizons are 1 to 20 metres thick with sharp lower contacts.

The intrusion is gently folded into a north-west plunging synform, and bounded to the north by the Birksgate Complex. The surrounding geology to the prospect shows highly variable lithological repetitions and layers. The prospect is predominantly within pyroxenite, overlain by mela-gabbronorite and underlain by anorthosite and gabbronorite sequences. Cu mineralization accumulated during the replenishment of the magma chamber with a new pulse of magma.

The Michael Hills intrusive shows mafic and ultamafic rocks of varying abundance of plagioclase, clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene, olivine with biotite, ilmenite, magnetite, apatite, and trace pyrrhotite, pentlandite and chalcopyrite. At its base pyrrhotite forms ovoid inclusions in ilmenite and trace sulphides occurring as small interstitial grains. The area was sulphur saturated prior to the intrusion emplacement, the magma emplaced at mid crustal levels. The near surface weathering has produced malachite along micro-cracks and pervasive replacments with clay after feldspar.

The Mindat co-ordinates only show the geographic Michael Hills, which covers a large area.

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