Great Western Gold Project

Project Summary

190,000 oz gold equivalent historic resource

Location and Access

The Great Western project is located in Lincoln County, New Mexico, 15 miles south of Carrizozo. The claims can be accessed by a 4wd road.

Geology

The Great Western deposit is part of the Rocky Mountain alkaline belt, a north-south trend of alkaline igneous rocks associated with gold, molybdenum and other mineralization. The property is underlain by Oligocene-aged volcanic and intrusive rocks of the Sierra Blanca Igneous Complex. 

Mineralization occurs primarily in silicified hydrothermal breccia pipes and zones developed in volcanic host rocks adjacent to alkaline intrusions. The breccias contain quartz, pyrite, and iron oxides, with gold and molybdenum mineralization. Three main breccia pipes are recognized, rising 40-60 m above the main breccia body. Alteration includes silicification, clay alteration, and iron oxide development.

Exploration and Resources

Prospecting at the site began as early as the 1880s but significant exploration took place a century later. The company that owned the project in the 1980s first blocked out some 809,000 tons of 0.07 oz gold to a depth of 200ft. Drilling after that at a new zone encountered 230ft

grading 0.1 oz gold/ton and within that intercept was 35ft averaging 0.34 oz gold. Later work resulted in the 3.6 million ton 0.053 oz/ton gold resource plus significant silver, copper, and molybdenum values.

The deposit also contains high grade mineralization areas of high grade ore including 1.3 million tons graded 14.5 ppm gold. Preliminary metallurgical test work suggested the material is readily heap leachable.

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