Minera Andes finds more gold in Patagonia

Exploration at the El Pluma/Cerro Saavedra property in southern Argentina has resulted in the discovery of another significant gold-silver zone for Minera Andes (MAI-A).

Reconnaissance sampling has located high-grade mineralization at the Huevos Verdes target as a part of a systematic evaluation of the 300-sq.-km property.

Forty-five samples from an area measuring 3.5 by 2 km have yielded grades as high as 18 grams gold and 2,700 grams silver per tonne. The Huevos Verdes zone is several kilometres southeast of the previously drilled El Pluma West target.

As with the rest of the property, hydrothermally altered and silicified Jurassic volcanic rocks underlie much of the Huevos Verdes zone. The samples were taken from discontinuous, linear outcrops of silicified rock partially covered by alluvium. The results of the sampling indicate that mineralization extends for at least 3 km in a northwest-southeasterly direction, with a width of up to 500 metres. The area contains numerous veins up to 450 metres long, though the broad topographic feature exhibits silica veining and stockwork, as well as other epithermal textures.

Minera Andes is conducting mapping and sampling of the new area, to be followed by trenching and possibly drilling.

The company has already had considerable success drilling at the El Pluma/Cerro Saavedra property, having intercepted high-grade values of silver and gold at the four main areas.

The company is working to put together sufficient tonnage for a bulk minable target.