Structural setting of epithermal precious metal deposits at the Veladero project, Valle Del Cura, San Juan, Argentina

The Veladero deposit, currently explored by Barrick Gold Corporation, is located in the northwest part of Valle del Cura situated in the Cordillera Frontal, northwestern San Juan province, Argentina, South America. The reported gold reserves on the Barrick Reports Operating Results for 2001 Press Release for Veladero project are 8.4 million oz.; The exploration area is situated in the Frontal Cordillera of the Cordillera de los Andes at an altitude between 3800 and 4900 m a.s.l., adjacent to the world class gold belt of El Indio on the Chilean side. The Veladero North area is limited by the Rio Turbio in the north, Potrerillos creek in the east and south, and the international border to the west. The project is situated 374 Km from San Juan city and can be reached in about seven hours driving on highways and unimproved roads.; The Veladero deposit has been classified as an epithermal high suifidation Au-Ag deposit.; Preliminary studies to correlate geochemistry and fracture orientations were conducted using 53 samples collected on the surface of Amable and Filo Federico targets and in the Federico tunnel. The initial results indicate strong correlation in the Amable target, where the highest gold values are associated with a NE-SW fracture trend. In Filo Federico the average content of Au is higher, but the correlation is less apparent, although the fracture azimuths 060° and 100° contain the highest Au values. The resuits from Federico tunnel are even more difficult to interpret. The relationship between Au and structure is not completely clear. Fractures with 040° to 050° of azimuth contain the highest values. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...