ZPG Copper and Gold Project
Lease Status: Available
Exploration Target: The target at ZPG is a porphyry copper-gold system beneath post-mineral cover.
Property Highlights:
- Untested, ready to drill poyphyry system.
- Coincident strong IP chargeability high (untested) and magnetic circular feature likely indicative of a oval intrusive body..
- Large active mine (Phoenix Project, Newmont) immediately north with major reserves and similar geology.
- Drill hole in 2011 intersected 492 metres of hornfels that average 0.069% copper.
- This prospect has the potential to host >2 million ounces gold, >500 million pounds copper resource.
Type/Analogs:
Porphyry copper-gold mineralization with the potential for bulk mineable deposits or high grade skarn deposits. Similar and nearby deposits include the Phoenix Project (8 million ounces gold, 770 million pounds copper) and Fortitude deposit (2.4 million ounces gold).
Geologic Setting:
The ZPG property encompasses a pediment area with great potential for buried porphyry mineralization. The property is centered on a elliptical magnetic feature (see map) that likely is associated with an intrusive body similar to those that have produced nearby deposits. Earlier drilling in the area intersected up to 70 feet of 0.12% copper and 130 feet of 0.41% zinc. WPC Resources in 2011 drilled 492.2 metres of strong hornfels alteration with pyrite and chalcopyrite throughout. This entire interval carried strong copper values averaging 688 ppm copper (0.069% Cu). Finally, Kennecott generated a very strong and very large IP chargeability anomaly that has not been drill tested. The top of the IP high is about 1500 feet to 2500 feet deep. Timberline Resources recently drilled 44 feet of 1.20% Cu, 0.31% Mo, 25.5 gt/ Ag, and 0.126 g/t Au on a very similar IP anomaly on the north side of the district.
Project History:
The general setting and magnetic anomalies have attracted other explorers who conducted drill programs. These include Hemlo Gold, Uranerz, and Western Mining. Kennecott ran I.P. / resistivity surveys. Note that earlier drilling was not deep enough to reach the indicated IP conductor. The one hole drilled in 2011 by WPC was intended as the first of 3 hole program; there were insufficient funds to drill the other two planned holes which would have tested the core of the chargeability anomaly. This hole did intersect anomalous mineralization as noted above, as well as thermally metamorphosed Paleozoic rocks, further evidence for a nearby intrusive body.
Exploration Plan:
The ZPG project is drill ready: the target is well defined and only awaits two or three holes to test a major anomaly.