Crosby & Pirquitas NorteHighlights
- Crosby and Pirquitas Norte are contiguous with Silver Standard's property line and fall within the very same geological setting.
- Reconnaissance Work has defined five high priority targets.
- Geochemistry suggests affiliations with low sulphidation gold/silver epithermal deposits.
- Work programs to restart in March 2010 focusing on developing drill targets.
- Ground induced polarisation geophysics and surface sampling will be used to define targets.
Location:
The Crosby and Pirquitas Norte properties are located in the north-east of the Province of Jujuy within the Departments of Rinconada and Cochinoca. These two properties surround the restarted Pirquitas Ag-Sn-Zn mine property on 3 sides (W, N and E).
Target Type:
In the Crosby and Pirquitas properties the target mainly comprises extensions to the Ag-Sn-Zn system of Pirquitas Mine.
Geology:
Whilst no intrusive structures are seen at surface it is evident that the Ordovician sediments are domed upwards around the old mine with upper formations highly altered and argillized and deeper formations comprising more indurated and partly silicified rocks closer to the mineralized zone. These formations plunge at shallow angles to the east, west, north and south and below the Crosby & Pirquitas Norte properties and have to be considered highly prospective at depths greater than those already proved up within the Pirquitas Mine.
Mineralization:
These properties surround the Pirquitas Mine where a stockwork system carries Ag-Sn-Zn of economic tenor and has recently been redeveloped into a producing mine. This stockwork system is developed around an anticlinal form which plunges northward, westwards, southwards and eastwards beneath the Crosby & Pirquitas Norte properties. Evidence of potential mineralization is seen at surface in a halo of alteration surrounding the Pirquitas mine, some of which passes on to these properties. If a continuation of mineralization is to be found it is inferred from this anticlinal form that this will be found mainly in depth.
Artha Exploration
The Noelia Breccia Prospect straddles the Crosby and Pirquitas Norte properties in Jujuy Province NW Argentina, which both surround the Pirquitas mining property on three sides. The prospect was initially identified as part of reconnaissance work completed in late 2009 and lies two km to the N-NE of the Pirquitas Mine.
The December 2009 work program consisted of detailed mapping and surface sampling at a scale of 1:10,000, over an area 700 hectares. Surface geochemical sampling was completed on a 100 x 100m grid with systematic sampling of structures. A total of 212 surface samples were collected, of which 20 were duplicates to control QA / QC. Samples were sent to ALS-Chemex laboratory in Mendoza Province for preparation and to Lima, Peru for analysis.
Mineralogically the Noelia Breccia Prospect corresponds to a low sulphidation epithermal system with obvious quartz veinlets and breccia textures with intense silicification. The breccia is controlled by faults and fractures within both E-W and NW-SE cross-cutting structural systems. The host rock is a conglomerate (debris flow) with strong quartz -- sericite alteration and silicification in an area of approximately 1.2 x 0.8km. The silicified structures consist of sets of unidirectional veinlets with dimensions of between 100 to 500 m in length and 1 -- 5 m in width. The scale of this breccia and its associated alteration halo is considered indicative of a broad and potentially large mineralised system.
The geochemistry from the recent work provides two large and strong anomalies with multiple correlated pathfinder metals, consistent with the signature of a low sulphidation epithermal system. The anomalies are delineated by elevated arsenic-antimony-mercury-lead-zinc and copper values over broad areas. Gold is also elevated in a small number of samples. The dimensions of the highest priority anomalies are approximately 450 x 180m and 200 x 100m respectively.
The results provide further excellent geological support for continued rapid and aggressive exploration on these Pirquitas properties. The Company is preparing for the upcoming field season with geophysics, surface geochemistry and mapping continuing with the aim of beginning a well defined drilling program in mid-2010.
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November 18th, 2009 Exploration Target Highlights
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