| Ron Gold Group - Soil Geochemical Survey: Discussion |
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The 2008 soil geochemical program focused on a small area in the eastern part of the Ron property that Wehrle (2004) had recognized as containing anomalous gold and copper in numerous rock hand and chip samples. Little geological work has been done in this area and therefore it is difficult to correlate specific lithologic units with anomalous soil values. The area is largely underlain by phases of the Eagle Creek plutonic complex, based on more regional mapping as well as some reconnaissance mapping during the 2008 field season.
The contoured copper soil map shows a broad north trending anomaly along the eastern edge of the grid with an east trending anomalous zone at the northern edge. The sampled outcrops, referred to as "Copper corner" by Wehrle (2004) and located in the southeastern part of the grid correspond approximately with an individual geochemical copper high but are not within the broad north trending anomaly, located generally east and north. Gold anomalies and individual gold values are present on the Ron Group. Although general gold soil geochemical trends are difficult to interpret, there appears to be a broad anomalous gold zone along the western side of the grid. There appears to be little apparent correlation between gold and copper values. Of more significance, however, are the spot gold values which are considered exceptionally high, ranging up to 1459 ppb Au in a sample near the central part of the grid, and a second adjacent sample, 25 meters to the east, with 132 ppb Au. A third sample, on the same east-west line, 225 meters to the west has a value of 911 ppb Au. Four other samples on the grid, as shown in Figure 6, have gold soil values above 100 ppb, ranging from 120 to 268 ppb gold. These anomalies should tested further, first through prospecting and mapping of host rocks, then trenching and, if warranted, drilling. There is a broad, moderately anomalous area along the eastern edge of the grid, roughly coincident with the copper anomaly. The zone trends north northwesterly to the northern limits of the grid. This trend is approximately parallel to the Silver King shear zone. An irregular high also occurs in the southwestern part of the grid, where the highest lead value in soils, 87 ppm Pb, occurs. High zinc soil values are also concentrated along the eastern side of the grid, again approximately coincident with the copper and lead anomalies. Again, the general north-northwest trend of the anomaly parallels approximately the trend of the regional Silver King shear zone. Anomalous silver values occur in a broad, diffuse zone in the southeastern part of the grid. Individual values here range up to a high of 1.6 ppm Ag. Contoured soil maps generally show coincident broad anomalous zones in the eastern part of the grid. The north-northwest trend to these zones approximately parallels the trend of the Silver King shear zone that extends from well south of the Ron claim group and into the Eagle Creek plutonic complex that underlies much of the claim group. The Silver King zone is a wide structural zone, locally marked by intense shearing, with numerous mineral occurrences and deposits. Individual gold values are very high on the soil grid, and appear to be randomly distributed. The irregular soil anomaly patterns, relatively high gold and copper values, and style of mineralization at the Copper Corner locality are consistent with a copper-gold porphyry model. Furthermore, the approximate north-northwesterly trend to the coincident anomalies suggests possible upgrading by the Silver King shear zone or by parallel structures. |