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Lunahuaná is an iron-oxide-copper-gold target, with similarities to Olympic Dam (2000Mt of 1.6% Cu, 0.06% U3O8, 3.5g/t Ag and 0.6 g/t Au) in Australia and Candelaria in Chile. These deposits host many different ore zones with higher grades. The property is located two hours southeast of Lima and includes the following:
- Raul/Condestable Mines, 15 kms northwest of Columbia, have produced 20 million tonnes grading 1.5% copper and 0.5 gpt gold.
- Six small high-grade gold and copper (to 7% copper and 1.2 ounces of gold per ton) operations on the periphery of the property. One produced over 1,200 ounces of gold over 74-weeks.
- US$500,000 previously spent on stream sediment sampling, prospecting, geological mapping, rock chip and soil sampling, IP and magnetometer surveys, trenching and road construction.
- Anomalous copper and gold in stream sediments over 7 km by 2 km.
- Bulk tonnage drill targets delineated by IP chargeability anomalies occurring with gold and copper-gold geochemical anomalies in C horizon soils over a Western Zone, covering one square kilometre .
- Gold-copper mineralization up to 3.5 gpt gold and 3.5% copper exposed in trenches over one km length, 10's to 300 metre widths and 400 metres vertically.
- Secondary copper oxide minerals with oxidation to depths of 50 meters or more with potential for SX-EW production.
- Structurally controlled sheeted quartz-magnetite veins, stockwork and local brecciation with intense chlorite-iron alteration.
A number of bulk tonnage gold drill targets have been defined, however, several anomalous zones will be trenched prior to drilling.
Maps
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Columbia Geology |
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Santa Rosa Zone Geology |
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IP - Drill Targets |
Photos
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Columbia Animosa East Half |
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Columbia Animosa East Half |
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Columbia Cactus |
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Columbia Rio |
The Columbia claims are situated in the Coastal Plutonic Copper Belt of Central Peru and are road accessible. The property comprises 3,400 hectares. This is an area with prolific copper-gold vein and manto occurrences and a good mining infrastructure. Two large copper-gold deposits occur within fifteen kilometers of the Columbia Property and have produced over 20 million tonnes with grades in excess of 1.5% copper and 0.5 gpt gold. These deposits, Raul and Condestable, are classified as iron oxide copper-gold deposits, similar to the Olympic Dam deposit in Australia and Candelaria in Chile. Olympic Dam hosts 2000Mt grading 1.6% Cu, 0.06% U3O8, 3.5g/t Ag and 0.6 g/t Au in a large number of different ore zones with higher grades.
Raul and Condestable are hosted in the same lower Cretaceous to Early Tertiary rocks (submarine sedimentary and volcanic sequences and intrusive bodies) that also underlie the Columbia claims. Six former and presently intermittently operating small high-grade gold operations also occur on the periphery of the Columbia Property. One of these operations produced over 1,200 ounces of gold over a 74-week period. These high-grade veins could be related to larger structural zones and may have the potential to be mined on a bulk scale. One of the small mines exploited a vein system hosted within mainly intrusive rocks which averaged 0.9 metres in width and reported grades up to 7% copper and 1.2 ounces of gold per ton. Another of the small mines, Esperanza de Iray, mined a vein system hosted within mainly intrusive rocks which average 0.9 m in width and with reported grades up to 7% copper and 1.2 ounces of gold per ton.
Exploration carried out previously by Britannia Gold Corp. includes stream sediment sampling, prospecting, geological mapping, rock chip sampling, IP and magnetometer surveys, 2.5 kilometres of trenching and road construction (4.6 kilometres). An anomalous stream sediment geochemical (copper-gold) signature extends over seven kilometres in an east-west direction and up to two kilometres in a north-south direction.
Copper and gold bearing structures have been outlined by Britannia in the Santa Rosa -- Cerro Animosa area and this zone has coincident weak to moderate IP chargeability anomalies. The structural zone is traceable for over one kilometre in north-northwest to south-southeast and north-south directions. Mineralization occurs over widths from several tens to three hundred metres. The relief provided by the rough topography in the area has exposed mineralization from 1700 meter elevation to 2130 meters a vertical distance of over 400 meters.
The exposed mineralization comprises secondary copper oxide minerals such as nyotasite and hisingerite and the occasional traces of sulfides consisting of chalcopyrite cores rimmed by secondary copper oxide minerals. The geophysical studies suggest that oxidation extends to depths of 50 meters or more.
The structures of interest comprise sheeted quartz-magnetite veins and locally brecciation with intense chlorite-iron alteration. There appears to be limited leaching of copper, with most of the copper occurring in-situ as secondary copper --iron and copper- manganese minerals. Areas of higher copper concentrations tend to show a greater concentration of silica and magnetite, although not necessarily very intimately tied.
In the areas of the trenching on Santa Rosa hill the rocks are altered to quartz-biotite-chlorite with the following minerals observed in thin sections occurring in decreasing abundance: hematite-limonite, goethite, jarosite, quartz (and chalcedony) biotite, copper and iron with minor epidote carbonates and sulfates. Chalcopyrite, pyrite, pyrrhotite and covellite and digenite were also observed.
The microprobe work done on a specimen from Santa Rosa Hill indicated that the sample comprised a metamorphosed intrusive of intermediate composition (monzonite quartz porphyry). The plagioclase has a composition range of oligoclase-andesine. The feldspars have been completely altered to montmorillonite-illite and the ferromagnesians have been converted to assemblages of clays and hematite. Epidote is found on the borders of quartz- magnetite, barite and less frequently cuprite filled micro-veinlets. The iron minerals are strongly oxidized. Associated with the micro-veinlets is psilomelane, as well as cubic halite crystals in inclusions in quartz.
A number of prospective drill targets have been defined. Mineralization exposed in the trenches includes values such as 1.2% Cu and 0.42 gpt Au over 25 metres and 0.53% Cu and 0.1 gpt over 180 metres
Mineralization on the property also occurs as: 1) Mantos: narrow (1-3 m) but continuous tabular Cu-Au bearing structures hosted within sedimentary blocks and 2) very narrow and discontinuous high grade gold-copper quartz bearing veins which occur within narrow structural zones in intrusive bodies.
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