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Cuitis }ohnson

Economic ueology
Final Lab Pioject

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The Chiistmas ueposit in Aiizona is a small Cu-skain that was pieviously mineu using open pit (u.S2
wt.% Cu) anu unueigiounu methous (1.6 wt.% Cu). The geology suiiounuing the ueposit is stiaight-
foiwaiu, anu consists of oluei Paleozoic iocks oveilain by the Naco Limestone, which is host to skain
oies. The late Cietaceous Williamson Canyon anuesitic anu basaltic lavas oveilie the Naco Limestone
on the southwest siue of the majoi N2uW stiiking Chiistmas noimal fault. A seiies of late cietaceous
to eaily Teitiaiy gianitoius intiuue the Williamson Canyon volcanics. A gianitic pluton is exposeu in
the NE coinei, anu gianouioiite poiphyiy, aplite, anu ihyouacite poiphyiy uikes aie exposeu
thioughout the pioject aiea. Recently this aiea has been the focus of an intensive poiphyiy Cu explo-
iation pioject, incluuing geologic anu alteiation mapping, as well as geochemical sampling. In this
iepoit I synthesize these uata, anu make iecommenuations on wheie to pioceeu with the fiist two
1uuu ft. uiill holes of phase 1 uiilling to taiget an inteipieteu shallow anu ueep poiphyiy ueposit.

+,-..%/ 0%$1,2$2 3-$45#

A suite of elements weie analyzeu fiom samples taken fiom locations thioughout the pioject aiea to
seaich foi eniichments anu uepletions ielateu to poiphyiy Cu system.. These uata weie plotteu in
uoogle Eaith on top of a geologic map anu alteiation map. When tiace element uata weie plotteu, a
majoi eniichment in Cu, No, Li anu W was visible to the east of the pieviously mineu skain, acioss
the Chiistmas fault. When taigeting a shallow, outciopping poiphyiy Cu ueposit, it is expecteu to finu
eniichments in these elements. This geochemical anomaly is suppoiteu by the piesence of mappeu
poiphyiy uikes, chalcopyiite-boinite veinlets, anu significant K-silicate anu seiicitic alteiation. 0n
the basis of the chaiacteiistics listeu above, I iecommenu uiilling one 1uuu ft. uiill hole to uefine
mineialization at uepth anu pioviue uata to ieevaluate the potential of this piospect. The taiget is
shown on the following map anu cioss section as Biill Bole A.

6551 0%$1,2$2 3-$45#

Theie aie thiee zones that show eniichments in vaiious elements that aie consistent with the sui-
face expiession of a ueep poiphyiy Cu ueposit. Zone 1 is noith of Biill Bole A, neai an E-W stiiking
poiphyiy uike swaim anu shows sample eniichments in Li, Zn, Te, anu Bi. Theie aie less elemental
eniichments in this zone as compaieu to otheis anu the uata is too spaise to make a stiong iecom-
menuation. Zone 2 is to the west of Biill Bole A anu the pieviously mineu skain ueposit, anu shows
eniichments in Bi, Zn, Tl, Te, anu Pb. Bowevei, the potential poiphyiy ueposit host iocks (Williamson
Canyon volcanics) aie only ~6uu ft. thick anu aie unueilain by Naco Limestone. A poiphyiy Cu
ueposit woulu not uevelop in the Naco Limestone, anu the volcanics aie not thick enough to host a
majoi poiphyiy Cu ueposit. Zone S is to the East of Biill Bole A neai a seiies of poiphyiy uikes, anu is
eniicheu in Bi, Zn, Cu, W, Te, Se, anu Pb. This zone lies along the same mineializeu E-W tienu as the
skain anu neai suiface poiphyiy taiget, anu incluues poiphyiy uikes that aie associateu with minei-
alization in the skain ueposit. I iecommenu taigeting each of these zones in the following oiuei of
incieaseu likelihoou of uiscoveiing ueep poiphyiy Cu mineialization: Zone S, Zone 1, then Zone 2.
Biilling shoulu be employeu in the location of Biill Bole B on the following map anu cioss section, to
exploie foi a ueep poiphyiy ueposit as it is the most elementally eniicheu anu is intimately associat-
eu with mineializing poiphyiy uikes. Fuithei geochemical sampling shoulu be implementeu in Zone
1 anu Zone 2, to bettei evaluate the piospects befoie uiilling.





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