Vancouver —
Exploration has focused on a 65-sq.-km area of Minefinders’ wholly owned Northern Sonora property. Geologic mapping and geochemical sampling defined extensive areas of anomalous-to-ore-grade gold mineralization associated with volcanic calderas.
The junior has identified two new gold targets, which it has dubbed Cerro Palomino and Canon Perdido. Cerro Palomino represents a gold-mineralized hot-springs system exposed over a 2-km strike length. Near-surface epithermal gold mineralization can be seen in preserved hot-springs sinter terraces and underlying volcanic rocks that have pervasive hydrothermal alteration and stockwork veining.
Preliminary chip sampling over intervals of 2-7 metres returned 0.4-1 gram gold per tonne, with highly anomalous mercury, antimony and arsenic. Minefinders believes that the presence of these elements at high levels in a hot-springs environment indicates a possible gold system at depth.
At Canon Perdido, gold-bearing quartz-stockwork-veined alteration zones have been identified at the southern end of the La Matanza caldera. These zones extend for more than 2 km and measure up to 200 metres wide. Minefinders reports that both high-and low-angle mineralized structures, hosted within large volumes of mineralized conglomerate, occur along this structural zone.
Chip samples averaging 3 metres in width returned 0.2-2 grams gold per tonne. Anomalous gold-quartz stockwork mineralization can be found farther to the west. Initial geochemical samples of this area returned values ranging from from 0.3 to 2.8 grams gold over 2-metre sample widths.
Meanwhile, exploration continues on the mineralized El Malacate caldera system. Minefinders has received significant results for four primary targets. Highlights are as follows:
Ahumada — The northern portion of the Ahumada prospect hosts stockwork-veined and altered conglomerates, felsic dykes and andesitic volcanic flows that stretch for more than 2 km and up to 600 metres wide. Samples from this area returned average gold values of 1.25 grams gold over 56 metres and 2.78 grams gold over 19 metres. Select chip samples range from 3 to to 7.7 grams gold over 1 metre.
The southern portion of the Ahumada prospect hosts hydrothermal breccias, open space and cockscomb quartz with calcite replacement textures over an area that measures 2 km by 100 metres. Sample results from this area averaged 0.3-4 grams gold over several metres.
El Ruidito — At this prospect, a high-grade gold-bearing calcite-quartz vein measures 1-15 metres in width and outcrops continuously for more than 600 metres of strike length. Strongly banded vuggy and brecciated quartz-veined material assayed up to 9.3 grams gold over a 2-metre interval.
Bordo Blanco — At the Bordo Blanco prospect, an altered and stockwork-veined conglomerate can be traced over a strike length of 2 km, with widths reaching 300 metres. Sampling has returned grades of 0.4-5.3 grams gold over 1-to-5-metre intervals. The southwestern section of the target zone hosts altered andesite volcanics. Sampling over the central 30-metre portion returned an average grade of 1.95 grams gold.
La Dura — This prospect, 5 km northwest of the El Malacate caldera system, hosts a high-grade silver vein system with an overall strike length of 600 metres. Chip sampling has returned grades ranging from 200 to 1,400 grams silver per tonne (6-42 oz. per ton). About 200 metres of the vein system is exposed in open cuts where historical, small-scale mining has occurred. The vein system also contains copper, lead and zinc. Combined copper-lead-zinc assay values have ranged from less than 1% to 18%.
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