Balleza - La Cienega
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Summary of Balleza-Cienega Mineralized Trend
- Multiple small historic gold and silver mines along 7 Km long mineralized structural trend.
- Exploration Target is low grade, open pittable zone and high-grade gold-silver vein underground targets
- Balleza target hosted in potassically altered silicified dacitic dike-sill complex and overlying tuffaceous volcanic rocks
- 2011 drilling program completed 12 holes totalling 3519 meters.
- All 12 holes intersected gold mineralization up to 137.8 meters thick grading 0.64 gpt Au
- Drill tested mineralized zone is 300 meters long by 350 meters wide by 100 meters thick and open along strike. Surface sampling identifies the overall Balleza mineralized zone as 1400 meters long including the newly discovered Thalia zone.
- Balleza-Cienega 2012 mapping and sampling program discovered the Thalia extension of the Balleza zone and the Virginia-Cusi-Relampago zone of higher grade gold and silver veins and stockwork zones. This overall zone is at least 3.2 km long and up to 400 m wide.
Google MAP location and claim boundary
The Balleza zone, which was drilled in 2011, hosts low grade gold mineralization in a potassically altered and strongly silicified and stockwork veined dacitic dike and the overlying volcanic tuff and agglomerate. Mineralization occurs in the upper portion of the Lower Volcanic Series andesitic volcanics near the transition to the Upper Volcanic Series rhyolitic volcanics and is spatially related to altered and mineralized dacitic dikes and the overlying tuffaceous rocks, very similar geologically to the Dolores Mine 80 km to the north. Mineralization with potassic alteration silicification has now been identified in outcrop over an area that is up to 1.4 kilometers (km) long and 350 meters (m) wide. The newly discovered Thalia zone at the southern end of the Balleza zone extends the previously known mineralization. The low grade gold mineralization trends into higher grade gold and silver bearing veins and vein stockworks in the Virginia, Cusi, and Relampago Zones on the southern end of the Balleza-Thalia zone. This overall zone is approximately 3.2 km long and up to 400 m wide.
Orthophoto with K zone and veins
The 2011, drilling program completed 12 holes which tested a 300 m long portion of this 1400 m long zone and identified a flat-lying mineralized horizon which is approximately 100 m in true thickness beginning at the surface. This mineralized zone is up to 350 meters wide. The 300 m long zone, which was drill tested, potentially hosts 8 to 12 million tonnes based on drill assays, rectified geologic cross-sections, and three dimensional modeling. Gold assays from the drill core ranged from 0.3 grams per tonne (gpt) gold up to 0.7 gpt gold using a nominal 0.1 gpt gold cutoff and included short intervals of waste. The simple weighted average of all drill holes above the 0.1 gpt cutoff is 0.52 gpt gold. Silver values are low overall in this area and range from 2 to 35 gpt. This geologic interpretation is not an NI 43-101 compliant reserve or resource. The potential quantity and grade is conceptual in nature and there has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource. It is uncertain if further exploration will result in the discovery of a mineral resource.
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| Geologic map with Au | Geologic map with Ag |
2012 Representative Rock Chip Assays Balleza-Cienega Area
Summary of 2011 Balleza Drilling
2013 Exploration Program
Caza is planning to continue the mapping program in the Cusi-Relampago-Thalia-Virginia zones to the south of Balleza. The program will include trenching and soil sampling to confirm continuity of the high-grade vein and low grade disseminated zones with the purpose of prioritizing drill targets for a fall drilling program, subject to financing.
