Gawler Craton

Subsequent deformation on the craton has been largely epeirogenic forming shallow fault-bounded intracontinental depressions represented by Cainozoic basins, the southern continental margin and Spencer Gulf.

Although relatively undeformed, the Gawler Range Volcanics, which extend from the centre of the craton to its eastern margin, represent a major period of crustal deformation ca.

[citation needed] In the central Craton, the Yarlbrinda Shear Zone was likely formed by the Kararan Orogeny and it is host to several major gold prospects including those in the Nuckulla Hill region (Sheoak, Myall and Bimba) and at Tunkillia.

Economically important deposits found in the craton include gold, diamonds, copper, nickel, granite, iron ore, lead-zinc, uranium, coal, industrial minerals and arsenic.

[2] The Wynbring area, a large part of the western Fowler Domain, covers approximately 2,000 square kilometres and consists of fractures that may include intrusion of mafic-ultramafic bodies with potential for nickel sulfides, chromite and platinoids.

Exploration and regional drilling near the northern end of the Fowler Domain and within the Harris Greenstone Belt has identified numerous large mafic and ultramafic bodies which have the potential to host nickel sulfide mineralisation.

Previous explorations in the Wynbring area consisted of wide-spaced reconnaissance bedrock drilling by PIRSA that indicated the presence of a 30 kilometre-long zone of intermediate to ultramafic rocks adjacent to a major fault and geochemically anomalous in gold, nickel, chromium, platinum and palladium.