Pimenton

   Since 1982, the Pimenton alteration zone has been explored by Cominco, Anglo American, Newmont, Mount Isa Mines, TVX, and South American Gold and Copper Company. Many of the geologists of these companies, as well as others, have regarded the Pimenton alteration zone as the surface expression of a deep-seated porphyry copper system. The narrow high grade gold veins which occur over a minimum 3 by 3 km area are regarded as forming a zone, or overlying cap, above possible buried porphyry copper mineralization.The discovery of a large tourmaline breccia pipe lends credence to geologists who have likened Pimenton to the geological upper part of the Andina and Disputada de Los Condes porphyry copper mines which lie 70 kilometers to the south of Pimenton. Both these mines have prominent copper bearing tourmaline breccia pipes, at similar topographic elevations, together with other porphyry copper mineralization, as does the Antofagasta Plc Pelambres mine that lies 90 km to the north of Pimenton.

   The new tourmaline breccia pipe is located on the northeastern edge of the 4 by 5 km Pimenton alteration zone. The pipe is 3 kilometers north northeast of the mine camp on the eastern side of the Portillo Hondo valley that parallels the Pimenton valley, lying immediately to the west where all previous mining and exploration work has been concentrated.The pipe is topographically prominent on account of its strong silicification. Once recognized, it is easy to distinguish and establish likely limits in the field and on photographs. (see attached air photo and view) The pipe strikes northeast for 1,500 meters, starting at an elevation of 3,700 meters and reaching towards the northeast to 4,500 meters. Width is 700 meters with a possible buried extension towards the north. The northeastern half of the breccia pipe is in extremely rugged ground and surface sampling would be very difficult. The southwestern half of the pipe while also in rugged ground is more accessible.The pipe is near vertical and cuts northwesterly striking andesites, agglomerates and tuffs that dip steeply towards the northeast. There is extremely strong northeasterly striking, closely spaced, near vertical breaking which influenced the pipes emplacement. Observed breccia fragments vary from plus 20 centimeters to microscopic in size, and from angular to subrounded {see photograph}. It appears the pipe is made up of a silicified and sericitized quartz porphyry intrusive that has been brecciated, tourmalinized and mineralized with coarse to very finely disseminated chalcopyrite and pyrite.