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Exploration Properties

San Anton Photo Library

Exploration Properties :: San Anton

Deposit Types   The Cerro del Gallo gold-silver-copper deposit at San Antón de las Minas shares characteristics with both intrusion-related gold systems and porphyry gold-rich copper deposits. At Cerro del Gallo most of the gold is hosted by intensely silicified and quartz-sulphide veined wallrock proximal to a small upright fractionated felsic intrusion in what would have been traditionally classed as a “wallrock” porphyry deposit using porphyry copper nomenclature. The recent discovery of a number of intrusion-related gold deposits sharing similar characteristics in the Tintina Gold Belt extending from Alaska to the Yukon over the past decade has been the catalyst for research and subsequent development of the Intrusion-Related Gold System (“IRGS”) model for exploration. Cerro del Gallo shares many characteristics of this new IRGS model. Peripheral mineralization to Cerro del Gallo consists of epithermal low sulphidation silver-gold vein-breccia deposits occurring dominantly in north northwest trending structures (Carmen-Providencia), but also east northeast (Ave de Gracia) and west northwest (La Paz) trending structures. These structures were the focus of historic mining and prospecting activities. These epithermal vein-type deposits are common in the Mexican silver-rich metallogenic belt and have been the major source of Mexican silver production. The Valenciana mine on the Veta Madre (Mother Vein), located 23 km west of the San Anton Property, was arguably one of the richest epithermal vein systems in the world. The epithermal silver-gold deposits are characterized by multiple alteration-mineralization events manifested as several phases of silica veining ranging from chalcedonic to comb quartz to milky quartz, tectonic and hydrothermal breccias, bladed carbonate replacement, and two stages of sulphide mineralization. Gold skarns have been intersected on the southern flank of Cerro del Gallo. The intersections were encountered during systematic exploration to test a zone of magnetic depletion within the alteration halo associated with the porphyry system. The gold zone remains open to the south in an area of strong hydrothermal alteration but no previous drilling or old workings. The gold skarn description of these rocks bears many similarities to other highly productive gold skarn deposits known from other parts of the world.