About Deep River, NC
EXPLORATION HISTORY
Although the Deep River prospect has no recorded gold
production, a few shallow prospect pits scattered throughout
the area show evidence of historic gold exploration activity.
The area lies within 10 kilometers of the historic Robbins
gold mining district. The first modern exploration in the
area was conducted by Noranda Exploration from 1989 to 1991
and consisted of extensive shallow soil sampling, trenching,
an airborne geophysical survey and the drilling of 20 shallow
saprolite holes up to 45 m deep (545 meters in total) and 9
core holes up to 205 m deep (838 m in total). All of the
holes were drilled in a limited area and tested only a small
portion of the large (3 km by 1 km) gold anomaly. Results
included long intervals of anomalous gold mineralization up
to 0.5 g/t. Cyprus Minerals carried out a limited mapping,
sampling and trenching program before terminating their work
in mid-1994 without conducting any additional drilling. To
date approx. US $700,000 has been spent in 1995 dollars
exploring the property with only a small portion of the known
area of alteration/mineralization having been drill
tested.
GEOLOGY AND MINERALIZATION
The Carolina Slate Belt is a late Proterozoic to early
Paleozoic province associated with the Appalachian orogeny
which consists of a complex stratigraphy of metamorphosed
volcanic, sedimentary and intrusive rocks. The Carolina
Slate Belt hosts the two-million ounce Ridgeway gold deposit
mined by Kennecott from 1988 to 1999, together with the Haile,
Brewer and Barite Hill gold mines in South Carolina. Gold
production in the Carolina slate belt ranked sixth in the
United States in 1992. The geologic setting is similar to
world-class districts for both gold and base metals. This
region is thought to have major potential for containing
large undiscovered deposits of gold and silver, as well as
copper, lead, zinc, and molybdenum.
Rocks within the prospect area consist principally of
meta-sediments and intermediate to acidic volcanic rocks and
associated intrusive rocks. The prospect area is adjacent to
a broad northeast trending contact between meta-sediments and
volcanic rocks. Proximity to this contact is a common factor
among the major gold deposits within the Belt.
Within the altered porphyry intrusions, gold mineralization
is primarily associated with silica flooding and stockwork
quartz veining in highly fractured and brecciated quartz-sericite
pyrite (phyllic) zones. Gold mineralization in the meta-sediments
is hosted primarily by zones of silicification and moderate
sericitization and is limited to the margins of the porphyry
intrusions. Alteration patterns generally parallel known
intrusions, indicating that most of the intrusions are
pre-mineralization. The overall alteration pattern may
outline the sub-surface distribution of a larger intrusive which
acted as a possible source of this large mineralizing system.
PROPOSED WORK PROGRAM
Erin will acquire a 100% interest in the project, subject to
completion of a minimum work program totaling US $450,000 during
the first year. Triangle Minerals, Inc. is managing the land
acquisition and exploration program under Erin’s supervision.
Land acquisition covering all of the main Southern Anomaly B is
now complete and includes 14 tracts totaling 313 acres (126.67
hectares). A total of 1,500 m of vertical HQ core drilling is
planned to test the Southern Anomaly. It is anticipated that
drilling will start in February. Land acquisition on the
northern anomalous zone will be ongoing while drilling of the
southern target is underway.
ABOUT TRIANGLE MINERALS, INC.
Triangle Minerals, Inc. (“TMI”) is a North Carolina based
corporation owned and operated by geologists, who have explored
the Carolina Slate Belt for over 25 years, and have been directly
involved in the discovery, exploration, development, mining, and
reclamation of the two-million ounce, Ridgeway gold deposit in
South Carolina, as well as other significant gold and base metal
discoveries in the southeastern US.
The principals of TMI have developed a proprietary technical data
base, including detailed knowledge of the local geology/geochemistry,
and specific knowledge of gold and base metal mineralization
locations within the Carolina Slate Belt. As well, TMI enjoys a
local administrative infrastructure and substantial regional
expertise (including an extensive understanding of local mining
laws, landowners, local customs, etc.), within the southeastern
US.
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