Notster wrote:
"Well on that Marksman note, how about this one.....my pick for the next "Big Hit", exclusive of more drilling at the Eagles Nest would be none other than that of Tribute with Mr. Nemis and Mr. Harvey et all giving it thier best."
Personally I think it is a contest between Jim Voisin at UC and Ian Broadie-Brown at Tribute. Both have very prospective targets, identified with ZTEM, that they have recently started drilling.
I give the edge to Mr Voisin based on the results of a recently announced drill hole (UC-09-01). According to the news release dated Oct 16, gold values were detected at a shallow depth and the hole intersected a "lapilli tuff to feldspar porphyry contact".
Wikipedia defines these terms as follows:
Porphyry is a variety of igneous rock consisting of large-grained crystals, such as feldspar or quartz, dispersed in a fine-grained feldspathic matrix or groundmass. The larger crystals are called phenocrysts. In its non-geologic, traditional use, the term "porphyry" refers to the purple-red form of this stone, valued for its appearance.
The term "porphyry" is from Greek and means "purple". Purple was the color of royalty, and the "Imperial Porphyry" was a deep brownish purple igneous rock with large crystals of plagioclase. This rock was prized for various monuments and building projects in Imperial Rome and later.
Subsequently the name was given to igneous rocks with large crystals. Porphyry now refers to a texture of igneous rocks. Its chief characteristic is a large difference between the size of the tiny matrix crystals and other much larger crystals, called phenocrysts. Porphyries may be aphanites or phanerites, that is, the groundmass may have invisibly small crystals, like basalt, or the individual crystals of the groundmass may be easily distinguished with the eye, as in granite. Most types of igneous rocks may display porphyrytic textur
Lapilli are spheroid, teardrop, dumbbell, or button shaped droplets of molten or semi-molten lava ejected from a volcanic eruption which fall to earth while still at least partially molten. These granules are not accretionary, but are the direct result of liquid rock cooling as it travels through the air.
Lapilli tuffs are a very common form of volcanic rock typical of rhyolite, andesite and dacite pyroclastic eruptions. Here, large thicknesses of lapilli can be deposited during a basal surge eruption. Most lapilli tuffs which remain in ancient terrains are formed by the accumulation and welding of semi-molten lapilli into what is known as a welded tuff.
The heat of the newly deposited volcanic pile tends to cause the semi-molten material to flatten out as they become welded. Welded tuff textures are distinctive (termed eutaxitic), with flattened lapilli, fiamme, blocks and bombs forming oblate to discus-shaped forms within layers. These rocks are quite indurated and tough, as opposed to non-welded lapilli tuffs which are unconsolidated and easily eroded.
There are several huge deposits of porphyry being mined in the world, some of which contain massive deposits of copper-gold.
http://www.ivanhoe-mines.com/s/TurquoiseHill.asp#por
"Typical porphyry deposits contain hundreds of millions to billions of tonnes of ore grading from 0.2% to more than 1% copper, 0.005% to 0.03% moly, and 0.4 to 2 grams gold per tonne."
Considering that the deposit that Jim is currently drilling is 10km by 3km by more than 1000 M and he has already identified gold in conjunction with porphyry, he could be onto a deposit that is worth $ billions.
So my money is on UC...but don't count Tribute out of the race.
SN
