The Los Domos gold-silver project is well located, being just 10km south of the township of Chile Chico, Region XI, Chile and the project area´s altitude range of 800-1200m and a dry, moderate climate permits year-round exploration. The project area is located 15km southeast of the operating Cerro Bayo gold-silver mine and treatment plant which is owned by Mandalay Resources and is currently producing around 30 Kozpa gold and 3 Mozpa of silver.
Mapping and rock chip sampling to date throughout the Los Domos Project area has delineated multiple structural corridors hosting chalcedonic – saccaroidal quartz veins and hydrothermal breccias for which results include:
- 0.15m (float) @ 110.1 g/t Au & 51 g/t Ag – LD00014
- 0.40m @ 81.1 g/t Au & 1996 g/t Ag – LD00013
- 0.40m @ 50.7 g/t Au & 326 g/t Ag – LD00007
- 0.40m @ 32.7 g/t Au & 227 g/t Ag – LD00035
- 0.70m @ 17.2 g/t Au & 449 g/t Ag – LD00008
- 0.40m @ 5.7 g/t Au & 1340 g/t Ag – LD00081
- 2.50m @ 5.6 g/t Au & 116 g/t Ag – LD00086
- 0.10m (float) @ 4.9 g/t Au & 179 g/t Ag – LD00009
- 1.50m @ 4.8 g/t Au & 134 g/t Ag – LD00065
Los Domos Gold-Silver Project & Interpreted Structural Corridors
Apart from reconnaissance style mapping and sampling, these newly discovered structural corridors have never received any modern systematic exploration and hence have never been drill tested.
Vein mapping and sample results indicate typical vertical precious metal, pathfinder element and quartz texture zonation with high grade gold and silver grades returned dominantly in veins which outcrop at lower relative altitudes throughout the Los Domos Project area. Sampled areas where high grade gold and silver grades were reported in veins at lower altitude between 850m and 1150m are shown as areas T1 and T7SE (See Los Domos Gold-Silver Geochemical Sampling Results Map page). Sampled areas where relatively higher antinomy and arsenic and other pathfinder element values were reported in veins at higher altitude above 1150m are shown as areas T2, T3, T4, T5, T6 and T7NW.
The vertical geochemical and textural zonation evident at Los Domos is comparable to zonation reported at the nearby Cerro Bayo mine. Higher Au-Ag grade zones are dominantly defined to occur in the topographically lower portions of the host structures indicative that the precious metal bearing zones maybe preserved below lower altitude portions of the project. To date, 6 of the 8 sampled structural corridors which host veining appear to occur at topographic levels interpreted to be above both the potentially preserved, enhanced gold and silver depositional zone, and underlying stratigraphy with characteristics more favourable for vein development.
Understanding of vertical metal zonation within the epithermal vein system at Los Domos will guide future exploration drill testing. Increased recognition of geochemical, vein quartz texture and alteration zonation of epithermal Au-Ag systems is delivering the next generation of discoveries of concealed deposits, such as those of Cerro Bayo (Mandalay) and Cerro Negro (Goldcorp).
Fieldwork to Commence Immediately at Los Domos
Field work to better define and extend known high grade gold-silver mineralisation has commenced. Traverses have been planned to carry out continuous channel sampling with a diamond saw across the entire structure associated with high grade gold-silver veins so far identified. Continuous channel sampling with a diamond saw is generally comparable in sample quality to that of core drilling. See Photo 1.
The aim of the systematic sampling and mapping of surface gold – silver bearing vein and breccia structures and peripheral stockwork zones is to better define potential extensions to mineralised structures at surface and provide vectors to mineralization at depth for subsequent drill testing.
It is estimated that 300 – 400m of diamond saw rock channel sampling is to commence in October/November.
Photo 1. Example of Diamond Saw Cutting for Continuous Channel Sampling
