El Oculto
EL OCULTO
The Oculto property is located in the Olacapato segment of the Calama-Olacapeto-El Toro transverse zone, near the northwestern border of Chile and Argentina. It is hosted in clay-silica-alunite alteration associated with the emplacement of Miocene biotite-feldspar porphyry dykes, sills and plugs intrusive into red-bed sediments of the Cretaceous Salta Group. The property is one of a number of high sulphidation, epithermal precious metal showings located along a major extensional area in the Olacapato segment, and contains mineralization of gold, silver, copper and bismuth. It is a large claim block of 1,800 hectares, and as of 2009, much of the property remains untested. However, Oculto appears to have at least three strong mineralization zones, labelled zones A, B and C.
THE Au/Ag ZONES AT OCULTO, VIEW WESTERLY
All zones are similar in that the gold and silver mineralization appears to be hosted in argillic altered volcanics, possibly tuffs or ignimbrites, as well as argillic altered basin sediments. Stockwords of brown siliceous material appear to be the mineralization setting of the gold and silver.
Zone A
The area of stockworks and alteration is about 60 metres or more wide in Zone A. The veining is typical stock work with the smaller veins and veinlets appearing to go all directions with the larger, stronger veins having a trend of about 70 degrees and were traced for more than 100 metres along trend into overburden cover. The outcrops are on a small knoll along an old drill access road, although no drilling or other exploration appears to have been done at this location. This showing appears to be hosted in the argillic altered volcanics as the rocks to the north and south are a fresh variety of what is assumed to be the host of the mineralization. Eight samples have been taken at this location.
Zone B
Zone B is fairly interesting as it is hosted in the younger basin sediments and is flanked by two RC drill holes. The zone again is stock work of the chocolate colored ‘silica’ as well as veins of greenish-yellow coated blue quartz with disseminated pyrite and a silver grey mineral, possibly silver arsenate. The area of alteration, stock work and veins is about 100 metres wide and the strongest veins, and likely the entire alteration system, seems to trend about 60 degrees with a very steep 85 degree dip to the south. Zone B could be the westerly extension of Zone A which would give a continuation of more than one kilometre. Eight samples were taken from this area.
Zone C
This zone is located on a knoll above and to the south about 100 to 200 metres of the Zone A to Zone B trend of mineralization and alteration. Exposure is poor here but the area hosting the mineralization appears to be similar to Zone A with stock work and veins cutting argillic altered volcanics. Outcrops and float are ‘patchy’ and due to overburden it is hard to determine a trend. Only two samples were taken at this location.
Of 84 prospecting samples taken in 2009 throughout the property's Zones, 25 assayed >30 g/t silver and 14 were +100 g/t. Sampling from grassroots prospecting outlined a 200 metre zone of highly anomalous gold and silver mineralization hosted in altered red-bed sediments adjacent to altered porphyry intrusive. Of 21 samples taken across this zone, 9 were greater than 1000 ppb gold (high of 6.9 g/t) and 8 were greater than 100 g/t silver (highs of 597, 797 and 5,447 g/t 175 oz/t silver).
El Oculto is jointly owned by Cascadero and partner Regberg
