Resolution of Deformation and Mineralization Events for Exploration Targeting in the Salares Norte District, Northern Chile

Salares Norte is a high-sulphidation (HS) epithermal Au deposit, owned and operated by Goldfields, in northern Chile.  An improved understanding of deformation and mineralization events at the Horizonte Project, located near Salares Norte, was pivotal in defining both local- and district-scale controls on mineralization.

TECT undertook an advanced structural-economic study aimed at elucidating the main lithostructural controls on the distribution and genesis of Au and Ag, followed by the generation of exploration targets and detailed drillhole planning.  The study benefitted from integration of fieldwork, a reinterpretation of geophysical data and a review and analysis of the drillhole database.  The main products were a 3D lithological and structural model, subsequently integrated with numerical modelling workflows, to define exploration targets and to identify potential orebody extensions.

In parallel with this work, , district-scale analysis was undertaken to evaluate the uplift of prospective blocks of differing ages and to identify potential continuities with or to other mineralized bodies.  2D structural cross-sections and the results of the local structural and lithological analysis, drillhole data analysis and geophysical data interpretation, were integrated into an exploratory, 3D, district-scale framework to support the definition of new regional exploration targets.