CSIRO gossan geochemistry and district scale-laterite geochemistry at the Archaean Golden Grove base- and precious-metal ore deposits, Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia. Carried out by Ray Smith and colleagues, 1977 - 2007.

The study is located on the Yalgoo, 1:250 000 map sheet, SH50-2. Gossan Hill, named because of the gossan discoveries there in 1971, is located at latitude -28.774, longitude 116.9633. This legacy geological and multi-element geochemical data underlies several geoscience journal publications, listed in an attached file as part of this data entry. The data arises from 597 regolith samples including 104 gossan samples analysed in 1977 to 1985. Data includes re-analysis in 1993 of 341 samples as well as analyses of some additional samples (total 436 samples) spread from Gossan Hill to the Scuddles Deposit which was discovered in 1979. \nThe original sampling is referred to as the "Old Golden Grove geochemistry", the follow-up data as the "North Golden Grove geochemistry". The original analyses are carried over to the new data file for the North Golden Grove geochemistry. \nThe sampling and data were to (a) enable gossan identification, (b) test for geochemical signal in lateritic residuum and colluvium about the Gossan Hill location, and (c), with (b) being successful, to carry out trial laterite geochemistry as an exploration procedure over some 25 km of strike length of the prospective sequence. At the time, this was a novel approach to mineral exploration, believed to be the first of its kind.\nLineage: An unprocessed reference sample was collected at each sample site along with a sample for crushing and milling for chemical analysis. Crushing used a hydraulic press with alumina plates for most samples followed by milling in a motorised agate mortar and pestle. The purpose was to provide where possible non-metallic sample preparation for the use of sensitive chemical analytical methods that would continually improve for whatever future studies could be considered. Laterite sampling focused on laterite pisoliths, nodules or duricrust. One hundred individual lateritic gossan nodules were collected at random at a chosen site at Gossan Hill. For crushing of these gossan nodules (generally about 2 cm in size), the hydraulic press used hardened steel plates followed by milling in an agate mortar and pestle. All samples were ultrasonically washed in deionised water to avoid contamination from any nearby exploration drilling. Most sampling was carried out between 1977 to 1983, well before mining development commenced: circ.1989 at Gossan Hill and 1990 at Scuddles. \nOriginal samples, their crushed pulps, polished blocks (typically 25 mm diameter), and petrographic photographs are curated in the CSIRO reference collection at Kensington/Waterford, Perth, Western Australia, for reference and for future studies. Gossan sample positions at Gossan Hill are located on a copy of the detailed map (presented here) by Max Frater, the company project geologist at the time. As Gossan Hill became a mine site (now a hole in the ground) these samples provide a valuable, unique opportunity for further research. Dates of activities were 1976 to 2025, including data checking.\nSome folders were inadvertently omitted in previous version. https://doi.org/10.25919/a9w1-7s17 \n