Observations from yesterday`s news``Field work over the last several months by the Northair technical team has advanced an evolving exploration model that predicts the occurrence of robust silver zones
beneath impermeable quartzite cap- rock that outcrops over areas of the property. This concept is supported on the property where high-grade silver has been identified. The current priority targets include areas where previous sampling has identified zones where anomalous to
high grade silver was channeled through the cap-rock along open channel-ways created by faulting. The proposed work program is designed to prioritize these target areas where the
mineralized faults project beneath the quartzite to the favorable host environment.``
With permeable material, some substances can sometimes go through (i.e. water). With impermeable material, essentially no substances go through.
Quartzite material is very hard.
Surface outcrops are rocks exposed at the surface (can be mineralized). La Cigarra seems to have a number of quartizite rocks that outcrops at the surface.
Northair`s model appears to be consistent in predicting (though the model is still evolving) robust silver zones underneath these (impermeable) quartzite outcrops.
Although this quartzite material is impermeable, the strong silver zones below exist due to channels created by the faults. I guess the faults have cut openings in the hard (impermeable) quartzite material where the mineralized fluids can go directly through the created channels and settle in beneath the quartzite rock.
This appears to be the model for the existing 43-101 areas at La Cigarra. And, it appears that this model has been replicated at many other locations on the property. The trapped areas may be more concentrated with fluids, perhaps leading to higher grades in those areas (i.e. maybe parts of RAM).
There are 4 zones Northair is especially focus on right now:
1) La Soledad Fault
There seems to be tremendous potential here. It is 1,000m long. ``The Company believes that this mineralization represents leakage along open fractures through the normally impermeable quartzite unit. Further, the model predicts that the cap-rock tends to confine the mineral system at the base of the quartzite.``
2) Canyon -
This is a new zone. ``.....lies between the high grade silver target located at
RAM and the
Las Carolinas Zone where fault zones cutting the quartzite are strongly quartz-veined. Previous sampling taken here in 2011 identified up to
8.0 meters of 96.3 g/t silver.``
3) RAM
In my opinion, RAM has exceptional potential. It looks like the RAM target has been exposed a little (below the quartzite cap-rock) which allowed them to gain further confidence in the model. I`m glad they will be changing the first round drill plan a little bit, to now include prelim test drilling of RAM. A total of 14 samples within the RAM adit average 258 g/t silver. The mineralization was directly within a fault (specifically, on a hanging wall within the fault). If the fault (going down) is still so rich then it should be interesting to see the silver content that have flowed down and settled underneath the quartzite rock.
``The program will include a preliminary drill test of the high-grade silver
RAM target that is exposed through an erosional window below the quartzite cap-rock. This occurrence strongly supports the Company's current exploration model.``
4) La Nogalera
Results look very good. Adit samples (essentially underground, but usually through a side of a hill/mountain) are more representative than surface samples. The surface rock samples (especially loose ones) tends to get eroted over time, from rain, wind and other weather conditions, and thus is not fully representative of the vein. Using the La Cigarra model, it wouldn`t fully what has flowed down through the fault openings and is likely residing below the hard quartzite rock. I think La Nogarlera`s samples were mainly surface channel samples, outcrops in the hard quartzite rock and sample of the dumps of already processed ore.
I think this 475m by 220m area is only the first La Nogalera zone. I think there are others further north along the fault line they can look at later on, which show mineralized windows exposed through quartzite.
Map 1:
Link, if the image doesn`t show up:
https://media3.marketwire.com/docs/2015-11-09_LaCigarraGeochemAgRockTargets_PR.jpg
Map 2:
Link, if the image doesn`t show up:
https://file.marketwire.com/release/LaCigarraGeochemRockAll.jpg