Some light reading for all of the new eyes on Medinah. Straight from the OFFICIAL website. No nonsense, just the facts. I kind of like the last paragraph. You decide for yourself.
SATELLITE IMAGERY REPORT OF CLEMENTE SEPULVEDA PEREZ (“REMOTE SENSOR ANALYST”) TRANSLATED FROM SPANISH
(Note that this report is truly a “Summary” report compiled after an exhaustive review of all of the information gathered to date which was then overlain with recent satellite imagery reports that successfully coalesced all of the prior information into the model utilized by nearly all of the major mining suitors involved in negotiations i.e. that of the existence of two “Classic Sillitoe type” porphyry systems. Sr. Sepulveda Perez was retained by 2 of the top 5 major mining firms in the world to perform this research and file this summary report.)
At the plateau at Lipangue, Medinah Minerals and Cerro Dorado have a mineral complex containing gold, copper, silver and molybdenum. Lead and zinc in lesser amounts was found out near the periphery of the deposit.
The mineral deposit underlies both the Lipangue plateau and its outskirts.
There are “at least” 2 porphyry bodies there. One is a low sulphide copper-gold type of porphyry and the other is a copper-moly type of porphyry.
The copper-moly porphyry was responsible for most of the mineralization in the “Lipangue Mining District”. (Note that a study of 55 porphyry deposits by Mutschler, Ludington and Bookstrom reveals that the average “Copper-gold” porphyry has approximately 300 million tonnes (metric or long tons) of economic mineralization while the average “Copper-moly” porphyry “weighs in” at approximately 500 million tonnes of economic mineralization or “ore”.)
The area in question is about 140 square kilometers.
The volume of mineralization between the surface level of the plateau and the 1,500 meter depth level below the plateau alone contains “Hundreds of millions of tons of resources
Mineral containing bodies include: Porphyries, stockworks, breccia pipes, mantos (Layered replacement deposits), Manto type skarns, fault zones (Shear zones) and mineralized veins.
Added to this are gold-bearing “Placer” deposits located on top of the plateau and peripheral to the porphyries (In the mountain’s watershed area both current and historical (Paleochannels)).
Over 30 years of recent exploration many roads have been built and access has been improved. Thousands of meters of tunnels and trenches have been completed and sampled. This included petrographic analysis of drill cores (Thin rock sections studies under a microscope.)
The petrographic analysis of 11/6/00 (Vancouver Petrographics) was very revealing in confirming the origin of the rocks (And the multi-phase nature of the mineralizing events).
There are high concentrations of gold, moly, copper and silver between the 60-meter and 120 meter level below the plateau (Which is at the 2,000 meter elevation above sea level). In general, the concentrations at or near surface average 5 to 20 times the concentrations of the valuable minerals at depth (perhaps from secondary enrichment blankets-“Supergene enrichment zones” which result from surface leaching of the metals which then trickle down through the strata to the areas of the water table where they precipitate out of solution).
The nature of the mineralization was poorly understood until recently when it was revealed that there were a series of intrusions involved over time (Petrographic analysis).
There were simultaneous mineralizing events and metasomatic events (the neighboring host rock contiguous with the intrusive was chemically altered.)
Skarns or “Stratiform” (Layered) deposits were formed as the permeable layers of rocks (Limestone-like “Carbonates”) were replaced with the mineralization provided by hydrothermal fluids.
As the intrusion of hot rock from below occurred the high gas pressures caused the mineralized fluids to dissect their way upwards and outwards through the areas of least resistance (Cracks and fissures). This resulted in gold, silver and molybdenum being deposited in veins and layered skarns.
When the releasing of this immense amount of pressure occurred in a violent manner the nearby rock actually broke up (Into gravel-like pieces) resulting in “breccia” pipes. Here the mineralization ended up in not only the fine-grained matrix gluing the fractured rocks together but also in the “Clasts” or gravel-like fragments themselves. This process was especially evident in the “Gordon breccia pipe” and the brecciated areas near the “Carrizo” copper-moly mine (The extensive “copper-moly breccias”)
The glue-like matrix is made up of crystalline quartz containing copper as chalcopyrite (Copper sulfide) as well as chalcocite (an “Oxide” form of copper). The chalcopyrite is converted (“Oxidized”) to chalcocite via oxygen containing rainfall trickling through the sulfur containing rocks near surface (Resulting in acid formation). Up to 15% pyrite is also contained in this matrix. Galena (Lead sulfide) is also in the matrix and is associated with silver and gold.
Peripheral to the porphyry bodies can be found “innumerable” examples of fracture lines and veins and veinlets containing gold, copper, lead and silver.
The “Mining District” at Lipangue is famous for gold, copper and silver production dating all the way back to Colonial times before the Spaniards arrived. The most famous vein in the area is the “Fortuna Vein” (Associated with the “Fortuna Mine”).
The satellite images reveal the “Hydrothermal alteration” patterns surrounding the plateau (which is 4Km long by 1.5 Km wide). One type of alteration pattern is associated with the porphyry areas and a different type of alteration is associated with the skarns.
The skarn zones have copper, gold and silver. They are located peripheral to the porphyry bodies. Intense alteration patterns occurred here as the mineralizing events took place.
The skarns have been tested and confirmed by various geological professionals.
The contact between the porphyry proper and the skarn located at the Dos Marias property has been identified.
Many areas of prior mine workings rich in gold and copper have been located. One of the most recent skarns found has massive pyrites of considerable volume.
A skarn has been located north of the Fortuna Mine near the (Northern) access road to the properties.
South of the plateau at Lipangue breccia pipes rich in copper, moly, gold and silver have been located (the extensive “copper-moly breccias” near the adits to the past-producing moly mines)
The satellite imagery has revealed about a “Dozen” intrusives running in a northeasterly to southwesterly direction south of the plateau. These areas are either partially or intensely altered by hydrothermal activity
This swath of intrusives runs at surface for 7Km in length and is 900 meters wide. The intrusives are mineralized with copper and moly
Three mines exist in this area including the Carrizo copper-moly mine, the Cobriza copper mine and the Andacollo copper mine.
“Zamarano” in 1979 wrote a report for Codelco and verified the superficial mineralization of chalcopyrite and moly in the area. He cited a complex body of porphyric rocks of “Endless dimensions” in the middle of an area of many intrusions. (Codelco reportedly dropped their interest in these moly mines back in the late 1970’s when the price of moly collapsed due to the introduction of moly substitutes by the Japanese. Sr. Quijano tied down these properties when the price of moly rebounded and Codelco now holds the properties to the south of this area bordering Sr. Quijano’s acquisition.)
The Carrizo mine has intense hydrothermal alteration present near its entrance which corresponds with the upper part of the copper-moly porphyry there (This implies a close proximity (little overburden) of the Cu-Mo porphyry. This area is now reachable by the refurbished “South access road”).
The analyst (Clemente Sepulveda Perez) gained access to a valuable study by Mr. E. Tidy Finch (A past professor of his) who was working on behalf of Codelco at the time and a geologist Mr. Francisco Ortiz regarding microscopic and macroscopic study of 3 samples of intrusive rocks taken from the Curizo mine.
They found heavily altered quartz diorite intrusive rocks with molybdenum copper and pyrite (Iron sulfide). These mineralizations came in a late phase intrusion.
They also found disseminated mineralization containing gold, moly, silver and copper “From an underlying porphyry”.
The above information allows the analyst to confirm that the plateau is underlain by a copper-gold porphyry which gave rise to the “Gordon pipe” and to the south underlying the 3 mines mentioned is a copper-moly porphyry some 7 Km “On the whole”.
References from 6 sources were identified.
HIS CONCLUSIONS: 2 PORPHYRIES ARE PRESENT AND A VARIETY OF MINERALIZATION TYPES WERE IDENTIFIED. AT LEAST “HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF TONS OF RESOURCES” ARE PRESENT IN THE UPPER PARTS OF THE PORPHYRIES AND SKARNS. HE SUGGESTS GEOLOGICAL MAPPING, GEOPHYSICAL STUDIES AND DRILLING. HE CITES THAT THIS IS WITHOUT A DOUBT A “WORLD CLASS” DEPOSIT.
AI
