Oct 30 2015
Viscount Mining Corp. is pleased to report on the new interpretation on Flint Canyon by Summit Mining Exploration, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation.
They recognize that the area exhibits alteration and mineralization characteristic of Carlin-type gold deposits (CTDs). Summit states "that Flint Canyon is a very high priority target area". The 2016 Cherry Creek exploration program will start at Flint Canyon with a soil sampling program combined with continued detailed geologic mapping and a drilling program.
The 2015 mapping at Flint Canyon found the area to be much more complexly faulted than previously indicated on the Adair 1961 geologic base map. Summit's mapping program found that east-west orientated faults and fractures, which are important ore controlling structures at the Ticup and Star Mines, also occur in the area. The Flint Canyon area contains highly dissected fault blocks of the Dunderberg Shale with the underlying Marjum Limestone and overlying Notch Peak Limestone. The Pogonip Formation overlies the Notch Peak and both units are important host rocks for Carlin-type gold mineralization in east-central Nevada.
Jasperoid occurrences in Nevada are extremely significant in context to Carlin-type gold deposits and mineralized jasperoid outcrops are common throughout the Flint Canyon area. They occur principally along the base of the Dunderberg Shale but other outcrops are found along Pogonip-Notch Peak contact. Many major gold discoveries have been made based on the presence of outcropping, weakly mineralized jasperoid hosted in and along bedding contacts of carbonate rocks. At Flint Canyon, jasperoid is found in the same carbonate rocks that are prolific host rocks at nearby large gold deposits (Newmont Mining-Long Canyon, and Barrick Gold Corp.-Bald Mountain deposits).
The jasperoid beds, interpreted as west dipping tabular features, occur along the base of the Dunderberg Shale and within the Pogonip group limestone. Summit's geological team indicated that the Dunderberg Shale is generally recessive and is exposed mainly along the outcropping contacts with more competent rocks. The Dunderberg appears to be moderately altered throughout its distribution, and at Flint Canyon it experienced widespread and significant alteration by hydrothermal fluids. The underlying Marjum Limestone is usually competent and unaltered, while the overlying Pogonip exhibits variable alteration.
The Flint Canyon jasperoid and carbonate rock chip samples are highly anomalous in gold mineralization. Of the 203 rock samples collected in the Flint Canyon domain (includes northern Lead Mine Canyon):
- Maximum gold grade of 3.83 g/t, which is 0.123 ounce per tonne Au
- 6 samples > 1.0 g/t Au
- 51 samples > 0.1 g/t Au
- 81 samples > 0.05 g/t Au (50 ppb Au), the lower threshold for significant gold value.