I had the pleasure to talk with Mr. Michael Moore, Vice President of Exploration for Precipitate Gold (TSXV:PRG), recently about a new rock sample from the Southeast target area at the company's Juan de Herrera project in the Dominican Republic. We talked for an hour about everything from the first time he walked the ground with no geological maps to the massive soil sampling program currently underway. There are some twists and turns to the story, and that makes it all the better.
As Mike describes in the clip, finding this rock was a big deal. Even after doing geochem, geophysics, and drilling, you can still find surprising outcrop!
There is a great story or two about Mr. James Thom, Project Geologist, scrambling down into the creeks to find rocks like this. This particular sample was taken from a large rock face, which they sampled with a trench across 18 meters that averaged 0.7% copper. There were some high-grade grab samples that contained up to 13% copper. This was a big exposure, with approximately 20 meters of vertical extent. Not all of that rock face looked like this sample, but this sample is pretty special. As Mike said, "it is the best sulphide showing that we've ever had on the project."
To show just how special it is, check out this 360-degree photograph of the sample created by Mr. Andy Randell from Hive SGS: http://hive-360.com/PRG/iframe.html
Stay tuned for full transcript from the interview. In the meantime, here is a short teaser.
Peter: Have you seen rock like this elsewhere around the world?
Michael: Yes, certainly. For example, in British Columbia, in Greenland, Nunavut.
Peter: Is it always associated with VMS deposits?
Michael: No, chalcopyrite in itself doesn't have to be in a VMS. Chalcopyrite is found in a VMS deposit, a porphyry, or a skarn, to name a few. The chemistry is relatively similar across all these things because the chemical formula for chalcopyrite is fixed. How it gets deposited is the real question.
Peter: What is the chemistry there?
Michael: Pyrite is an iron-sulphide, chalcopyrite is a copper-sulphide. Similarly, you can have a zinc-sulphide, which is sphalerite. The chemistry is slightly different, but this is essentially a copper mineral.
Peter: Is the black part the volcanic rock?
Michael: No, that is oxidized rock -- a leftover from surface weathering. Since this is close to surface, it is a manganese oxide.
Peter: And how about the grey rock?
Michael: That's altered volcanics. The host rock in this case is what's called dacite. That grey portion of the rock is a sericitic alteration. If you really want to get specific about how the chalcopyrite forms in this outcrop, it is actually in semi-massive lenses and fracture-infills. I would call it a quartz-chalcopyrite stringer zone.
Peter: If we were to break this rock in half, would we see more of this?
Michael: You should see more of the same. The face you're seeing is massive chalcopyrite. If you were to cut at right angles to it, then you would probably find another band or two parallel. Certainly, that's how it looks in the outcrop. When we get around to drilling it, having an understanding of how those fractures form and their orientation will be critical. We have structural information on those orientations but we need a more detailed understanding of the bigger context before we go in there. The one thing that I really like about this outcrop is that it's probably not the only one.
Please note that I was compensated to prepare and distribute this promotional content.
This document contains statements that are forward looking statements and are subject to various risks and uncertainties concerning the specific factors disclosed under the heading “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in the Company’s periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators. Such information contained herein represents management’s best judgment as of the date hereof based on information currently available. The Company does not assume the obligation to update any forward-looking statement.
Qualified Person Mr. Michael Moore, P.Geo., a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical disclosure in this document. Mr. Moore is a director of the Company, and is not an independent Qualified Person.
