Perro Chico
Location
Perro Chico is located about 67 km SSW of Copiapó in Chile’s III Region.
Ownership
Mariana has optioned the Perro Chico property, comprising six concessions (549 Ha). It can acquire a 100% interest by making staged payments totaling US$205,000, with a final buyout of US$600,000 at the end of the 39 months option period. Mariana has a surrounding 6,600 Ha area under application.
Previous Exploration
Copper and gold iron oxides have been mined by artisans in the area for many years but no previous systematic exploration or drilling has been conducted on the property.
Geological Setting
Several styles of IOCG type mineralization are recognized in the form of mantos, veins, stockworks and breccia zones. At Manto Belleza, a copper-bearing skarn has been traced over a strike length of about 400m and is at least 5m thick. Rock chip samples gave up to 2.2 g/t gold and 1.8% copper.
Exploration by Mariana
Mariana completed geological mapping and a gravity survey on a 500 x 500m grid and 200 x 200m infill of 5 anomalies.
Drilling
Three target areas, all related to gravity anomalies, were drilled at the Belleza, El Sauce and Pancho prospects by 4 RC holes and one diamond drill hole in Q4 2009.
At Belleza, core hole PC-DDH-01 intersected a 40m zone of strong copper-gold mineralisation and an underlying 250m long zone of intense pyritic mineralisation, up to the end of the hole at 296m. Best results were 40m @ 0.56% Cu from 6m including 22m @ 0.81% Cu + 0.15 g/t Au from 6m.
The hole tested stratabound copper mineralisation exposed in shallow artisanal mining workings down dip. The mineralsied zone is open to the north and northwest of the Belleza workings.
Mineralisation consists of copper oxides and sulphides hosted by skarn, sedimentary and andesitic lithologies. Alteration includes calcite, magnetite, hematite, chlorite-epidote and intense pyritisation.
At Pancho, 2km south-southwest of Belleza, hole PC-RC-02 tested the best gravity anomaly under 66m of gravel cover. It intersected a sedimentary sequence with weak to moderate IOCG style alteration with anomalous copper from 66m to end of hole at 388m.
Further Exploration
Ground magnetic and other geophysics will be considered prior to the next stage of drilling.
