Clare History
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Most of the commercially exploited and exploitable Irish lead zinc deposits have been discovered in a NE – SW band of Carboniferous stretching across the centre of the country. The deposit types tend to be carbonate hosted such as the Lisheen mine in Co. Tipperary or a combination of Sedimentary Exhalative (SEDEX) and carbonate hosted deposits such as the Navan deposit operated by Tara Mines.
Belmore Resources’ 100% owned Clare block licenses are located in this most prospective carboniferous region and are host to the historical Ballyvergin copper deposit, discovered in 1957. This deposit marked the start of modern mineral exploitation in Ireland. The licenses are also on trend with the Tynagh zinc-lead-silver deposit which was discovered in 1961. It was this discovery of Tynagh that sparked interest for exploration for Lead Zinc deposits in Ireland and in 1962 the Silvermines deposit was discovered which lies just 30km to the east of the Clare Licenses.
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The geology over the co. Clare licenses broadly follows an East – West striking synclinal structure of sedimentary layers.  This means that in the North of the block, the layers are shallow dipping to the south. The most prospective geological formation to find mineralization is at the base of the Waulsortian reef. During 1995/1996, in the region of Milltown a [currently non-compliant] resource of 400,000t of ore @ 12% Zn + Pb was delineated at the base of the reef at an average depth of between 38 and 60 m below surface. At this point the Waulsortian reef is exposed on surface.
In April 2008, Belmore Resources Plc. announced the discovery of new mineralization in the region Kilbricken. While previous holes had been drilled in this area, none of them had tested the base of the reef which is found to be at approximately 450m depth, thereby confirming the that the Waulsortian keeps dipping to the South at this point.
Stratigraphy
The stratigraphy on the Clare licences is typical of that found in all Irish carbonate hosted /SEDEX deposits:
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Super-Reef of Calcarenite and Cherty Calcarenite
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Waulsortian Reef which thickens from north to south, 170 metres in north to at least 285 metres in south. Patchy partial dolomitisation. |
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Argillaceous Bioclastic Limestone, 110 to 120 metres thick above BV shale marker. |
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Ballyvergin Shale, 5 – 6 metres thick. |
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Ringmoylan Shale and Mellon House Beds, 37 – 42 metres thick |
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Old Red Sandstone |
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