Highlights
- Cerro Blanco is a large property (7,000 hectares) comprising a large, gravel filled, post-mineral covered “pampa” with a small hill (< 1 km across) displaying advanced argillic alteration of volcaniclastic sequences, with a small feldspar porphyry outcrop
- Located along the Paleocene Porphyry Copper and Precious Metals Belt of northern Chile and southern Peru
- Prominent dual-lobed magnetic anomaly located in post-mineral covered area to immediate north of outcropping hill
- Limited surface work – geological mapping and minor surface geochemistry.- pathfinder anomalies
- Two, shallow, historic RC holes with results
Regional Geology
- The Paleocene-Eocene mineral belt extends over more than 1,500 km from southern Peru to central northern Chile, and parallels the Domeyko and Coastal mineral belts to the E and W respectively
- The mineral belt is characterized by widespread Paleocene volcanic sequences and sub-volcanic porphyry intrusions and rhyo-dacite dome complexes, with large areas obscured by post-mineral Miocene gravel and volcanic cover
- The belt is host to major porphyry copper deposits such as Quellaveco (Peru) and Spence (Chile), as well as major LS epithermal (e.g. El Peñon) and HS epithermal (e.g. Guanaco) Au-Ag deposits
- Local geology dominated by volcaniclastic rocks and feldspar porphyry with advanced argillic alteration
Access
Location
Cerro Blanco is located approximately 125 km northeast of the coastal town of Taltal and 130 km southeast of the port of Antofagasta, and is just 20 km south-southwest of the important El Peñon Au-Ag mine in northern Chile
Access
Access to the property is easy, from Antofagasta or Taltal, from the Pan-American Highway (PAH), and a short distance (30 minutes) via a dirt road that leads to the outcrops
Other Details
- Cerro Blanco was subject to limited historic exploration with minor soil sampling, geophysics (magnetics), and two, shallow, RC holes, the results of which are available
- Outcrops dominated by volcaniclastic sequences and feldspar porphyry intrusive events to east and southeast
- Widespread advanced argillic alteration of volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks is evident on the limited outcrops – minor quartz veinlets
- Quartz-alunite and pyrophyllite and sericite to the east
- Pathfinder geochemical anomalies
- Identification of “wormy” quartz veining within a pyrophyllite +/- kaolinite matrix in outcrop
- Historic drilling (2 holes) on the outcrops (not the magnetic anomalies) cut feldspar porphyry and diorite porphyry– advanced argillic and quartz-sericite alteration
- Pathfinder geochemical anomalies dominated by Cu, Mo, Pb, Zn with minor Ag, Sb, As, Au
- Most of the outcrop is obscured by shallow talus and colluvial deposits, and the surrounding areas are obscured by post-mineral gravels and mudflows
- Cerro Blanco corresponds to an eroded lithocap developed within a subvolcanic intrusive environment, which is represented by scattered intrusive rocks that outcrop on its eastern and southeastern slopes, as well as porphyritic rocks cut by drilling
Targets
Paleocene-aged porphyry copper targets – covered
HS Epithermal Au-Ag systems – covered
Plans
Property wide IP geophysics
Drill testing of magnetic and IP anomalies
Cerro Blanco
Fact Sheet
Mar 2023