Surface sampling by
The company has collected 2,711 samples from a 250-metre-wide zone of north-southerly and northeasterly trending strike slip faults dubbed the “structural corridor.” The latest round of sampling has extended the corridor by about 350 metres to the south. The strike length of the structural zone has been traced over 1,850 metres and remains open.
Based on the intensity of brecciation and the degree of mineralization, the structural corridor has been divided into three primary zones: Northeast, Central and South.
Samples from surface outcrops and historical underground workings returned an average grade of 1.82 grams gold per tonne.
At the Northeast zone, 527 chip samples, collected over an area measuring 700 by 400 metres, returned an average of 1.03 grams gold. Of these, 64% exceeded the 0.31-gram cutoff and averaged 1.52 grams gold. At the Central zone, 1,030 samples, collected over a 550-by-250-metre area, averaged 3.48 grams gold. Of these, 73% exceeded 0.31 gram and averaged 4.7 grams.
At the South zone, 461 samples averaged 1.29 grams gold over an area measuring 650 by 250 metres. Of these, 59% exceeded 0.31 gram and averaged 2.08 grams gold.
The gold mineralization is hosted in a series of sandstone units that underlie a shale unit. Sampling has tested the top 200 metres of the sandstone horizon, and the highest grades are reported to occur in the sandstones immediately beneath the shales and around fault intersections.
Higher grades were encountered near the centre of the structural corridor, which is covered by shale in the South zone. The company believes that the average grade in the South zone may be understated.
“Our confidence in the continuity and grade of the Luicho system grows as we continue to unravel details of the geologic controls of mineralization and increase the sample density,” says Thomas Shrake, Pacific Rim’s chief executive officer.
The 10-sq.-km property is 540 km southeast of Lima and represents a low-sulphidation epithermal prospect.
When it acquired the property, in October 1999, Pacific Rim agreed to spend US$1.4 million on exploration over two years and pay US$24.2 million in cash after the third year. At production, a maximum 3% royalty will be payable to the vendor, a private Peruvian company.
Surface sampling is ongoing and will be followed by a 12,000-metre program of drilling next spring.
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