AlterationsOramaque and Sabourin - ´´Also at Oramaque and Sabourin, a geology and prospecting program has identified a new area of chalcopyrite-pyrite-pyrrhotite mineralization in altered volcanic rocks, near a gold-copper prospect. This is previously unidentified and undrilled.´´ I mentioned in the past that chalcopyrite can be a good pathfinder for copper and pyrite can be a good pathfinder for gold.
Rock alternations can also be good pathfinders for minerals.
Essentially, all rocks roll up into 3 categories – igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary. Igneous has 2 primary sub-categories – plutonic and volcanic.
A pluton is a intrusive body of igneous rock that is crystallized by magma slowly cooling beneath the surface of the earth. It includes dykes, sills, plugs and porphyries. In terms of rock composition, it includes diorite and granite. Of note, the large East Sullivan Instrusion/Centre Post Intrusion (partly on Alexandria`s property) is composed of granite rock. Integra`s Triangle Plug, Alexandria`s Triangle Too Quartz-Tourmaline Plugs and Alexandria`s Triangle Too Porphyry Instrusive bodies are all composed of diorite material.
Plutonic rocks can intrude upwards (to the surface or near-surface) after directly interacting with the magma deep below. The magma is often the source of the minerals. It can be a hit and miss situation though. I guess it depends on if the magma is pregnant with minerals at the time it interacts with the plutonic intrusive (igneous) rock, prior to the intrusive rock moving closer to the surface area.
The other type of main igneous rock is volcanic. This type is known as extrusive. They erupt to the surface and cool quickly. Some common volcanic rocks are andesite, basalt, rhyolite and tuff.
This new Alexandria target (at Oramaque and Sabourin) appears to be in a volcanic (igneous) setting - not an intrusive target.
This volcanic rock environment appears to be altered. This is a key early observation.
Water (from rain, hot spring, etc.) sometimes goes down deep below to where the liquid magma is located (where minerals can be found). The water interacts with the extremely hot magma. The water heats up then rises back to the surface area. The hot water is sprayed onto the surface/near-surface area/rocks. It alters the composition of the upper level rocks.
Essentially, if the water gets pregnant with minerals from the deep magma, it will deposit the minerals onto the upper level rocks. However, there are no guarantees that the magma was carrying minerals when it interacted with the water deep below. Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn`t, I guess. As such, sometimes the alterations from the hydrothermal fluids on the upper level rocks are non-mineralized (at least not the valuable minerals we search for - gold, silver, copper.....). However, quite often the alterations can lead to mineral discoveries.
This new target is a good one to kick a little:
* there is chalcopyrite
* there is pyrite
* the volcanic rocks have been altered
* it is located near a known gold-copper prospect
* it probably has good geophysical readings (as part of the property wide surveys)
* prospecting rocks probably look decent (rocks are at the lab, being tested)
* it is probably near a fault structure (maybe the Cadillac Break, or an offshoot), which provided a channel for the hydrothermal fluids to flow through (below altering the volcanic rocks)
It`s probably worth a shot.