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Norma Sass, an early exploration-stage project located immediately south of the Gold Acres open pit mine and west of the Pipeline open pit mine, represents a significant exploration target. Previous drilling at Norma Sass encountered gold hosted by favorable, lower-plate carbonate strata.
Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited explored the property in 2005 and 2006 under a potential five-year exploration agreement. Their work encountered gold mineralization and confirmed that Norma Sass is underlain by Lower Plate carbonate rocks at relatively shallow depths. Noting their desire for a larger land package, Agnico-Eagle chose not renew the Norma Sass agreement for 2007. Coral Gold and Levon Resources are now evaluating options for further exploration at Norma Sass.
Geology - on the Margin of the Gold Acres Structural Window
The claims are situated on the southwest margin of the Gold Acres structural window in folded and faulted, early to middle Paleozoic siliciclastic strata of the upper plate of the Roberts Mountains thrust fault. These rocks overlie mildly deformed, coeval lower plate carbonate strata that hosts major Carlin-type gold deposits at the near-by Gold Acres and Pipeline/South Pipeline open pit mines. Lower plate carbonate rocks are not exposed on the Norma-Sass claims, but have been intersected in most drill holes. A series of important northeast striking normal faults extend southward from the Gold Acres pits on to the Norma-Sass claims. These faults are considered potentially important ore-controlling structures. At the Gold Acres mine, located 2,000 ft north of the claims, a mineralized shear zone in the Roberts Mountains Fm dips southward toward the Norma-Sass claims, suggesting potential for discovery of gold mineralization at a depth of less than 1,500 ft.
Significant Gold Intercepts
Recent exploratory drilling on the Norma-Sass claims by Coral and Cortez Gold Mines has returned a number of significant gold intercepts at depths ranging from 110 ft to 1,060 ft, which are associated with strongly developed Carlin-type trace element anomalies in variably altered lower plate carbonate rocks of the Devonian Wenban Limestone. The favorable Roberts Mountains Fm has not been encountered in any of these drill holes. A map showing the location of the Norma-Sass claim block along with existing drill holes is presented in Figure 5. Gold assays and trace element analysis for selected drill holes on the Norma-Sass claims are shown in Table 5.
Table 5
Gold and Carlin-Type Trace Element Geochemistry From Norma-Sass Claims
Hole ID From(ft) To(ft) Au, oz/t As(ppm)* Sb(ppm)* Hg(ppm)*
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NS95-1 150 160 0.042 1,702 13 N/A
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180 220 0.031 1,305 21 N/A
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260 390 0.024 515 8 N/A
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NS95-2 460 580 0.006 598 3 N/A
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NS95-3 470 530 0.027 769 7 N/A
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including 520 530 0.055 906 9 N/A
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NS95-4 110 130 0.019 1,934 31 N/A
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350 400 0.021 706 9 N/A
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including 350 360 0.040 828 1 N/A
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NS95-7 730 750 0.023 755 4 N/A
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NS95-8 280 310 0.023 1,503 17 N/A
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510 510 0.055 797 15 N/A
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GA01-02 970 1040 0.004 1,373 24 2.29
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GA01-03 920 970 0.007 623 5 0.43
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GA01-04 530 630 0.004 63 16 2.28
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*Arsenic and antimony analysis by ICP, mercury by AAS, using
aqua-regia digestion. N/A; analyses not available.
Exploration Concept
Past drilling has encountered significant Carlin-style gold mineralization, including narrow ore-grade intervals (up to 40 ft/0.053 oz Au/t) and a strongly developed trace element suite within favorable lower plate carbonate strata. However, past drilling has failed to reach the Roberts Mountains Fm, the principal host rock for the major disseminated gold deposits in the district, including Pipeline/South Pipeline and Gold Acres, as well as the nearby Cortez-area gold deposits. According to McCormack and Hays (1996), gold mineralization at Pipeline, along with most of the other major gold ore bodies at the south end of Crescent Valley, including Gold Acres, is strongly controlled by sub-horizontal and/or bedding parallel shear zones within the Roberts Mountains Fm. At Gold Acres, gold is controlled by a shear zone within the Roberts Mountains Fm that dips to the south at 15° to 20°, sub-parallel to the Roberts Mountain Thrust Fault. This shear zone is thought to extend under portions of the Norma-Sass claims. The highest grades at Gold Acres were encountered where NE-trending high angle faults intersect the shallow dipping shear zone. The Roberts Mountains Fm and a potentially important gold-bearing, low-angle shear zone, are estimated to be less than 1,500-ft-deep under portions of the Norma-Sass claims. Figure 6 is a cross section summarizing the subsurface structural and lithologic features at the Norma-Sass claims. The conceptual target is potential high-grade (>0.50 oz Au/t) Carlin-style gold mineralization hosted by sheared carbonate strata in the upper 150 ft of the Roberts Mountains Fm.
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