Curiplaya Project
Previous History
UNDP & SPANISH AID MISSION (1970 - 1984): Mineralization at Curiplaya was first discovered in 1970 during a systematic regional-scale geochemistry survey completed by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP, 1972). Copper, lead, zinc, and molybdenum geochemical anomalies coinciding with zones of hydrothermal alteration were identified at Rio Playas. Between 1970 and 1984, the UNDP, in conjunction with the Spanish Aid Mission, followed up the regional survey with more detailed geochemistry and four diamond drill holes totalling 2,142 metres (drill cores location is unknown).
In 1999, Sr. Enrique Figeuroa of Loja applied for an Exploration Title for what is now the present Curiplaya Project, and in August 1999, he transferred the rights to this application to Mesaloma S.A., which was subsequently granted the Exploration Title by the government in February 2000. In January 2001, Mesaloma S.A. transferred its mining rights to Ecuanor S.A., an Ecuador-based "junior" Canadian mineral exploration company, whereby Ecuanor S.A. assumed the obligations and responsibilities of the original agreement between Mesaloma S.A. and Sr. Figueroa. In September 2001, the government replaced the Exploration Title at Curiplaya with the newly created General Concession Mining Title.
ECUANOR S.A. (2001 - 2002): Between 2001 and 2002, Ecuanor S.A. carried out extensive exploration of the Curiplaya Property including geological mapping, stream sediment and soil geochemistry (103 line kilometers at 100 x 400 metres and 100 x 100 metres sample spacings), rock chip geochemistry (700 samples), geophysics (magnetics: >40 line kilometers and induced polarization (IP): 17 line kilometers), and diamond drilling (3,243 metres of NQ2 in 13 inclined holes). Ecuanor S.A. samples were assayed by ALS-Chemex labs in Ecuador and/or possibly Canada, with thin sections prepared in Vancouver, Canada, and PIMA (Portable Infrared Mineral Analyzer) analyses carried out by the British Geological Survey mission in Ecuador. The results of Ecuanor S.A.'s exploration work are detailed in several reports including maps, drill logs and assays (Allen, 2000, Pratt and Allen, 2001, Val D'Or Geofisica Peru, 2000).
Ecuanor S.A. subsequently divided the stockwork zones into the (1) Porotillo Stockwork Zone, (2) Bramaderos Stockwork Zone, (3) Melonal Stockwork Zone, (4) Epithermal/Shear Zone, and (5) Limon Anomaly Zone, plus a number of un-named stockwork zones. Rock chip samples from these stockwork zones reportedly returned assay values of up to more than 2 g/t Au and 0.1-0.2% copper. "Anomalous" lead and zinc values were also found associated with skarn mineralization.
In January 2002, Ecuanor ceased exploration of the Curiplaya Property and transferred the rights to the Property to Sr. Figueroa.
Ecuanor S.A. drill data and gold and copper assay highlights:
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BRAMADEROS ZONE
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Drill Bearing / Total Gold Copper
Hole Inclination Depth g/t % Notes
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CURI_01 102/-45 193 m 0.52 0.07 None
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CURI_02 330/-45 100 m 0.29 0.055 None
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CURI_03 236/-44 257 m 0.57 0.14 From 67 m to 121 m, 54 m @ 1.07 g/t Au
From 231 m to 251.7 m, 26 m @ 0.80 g/t Au
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CURI_07 204/-70 90 m 0.35 0.08 Hole abandoned due to fracturing.
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CURI_08 204/-45 40 m 0.23 0.04 Hole abandoned due to fracturing.
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CURI_09 230/-55 452 m 0.23 0.07 None
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CURI_10 288/-59 194 m 0.08 trace Drilled down an acid-leached
zone? No quartz veining.
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CURI_11 015/-57 458 m 0.20 0.065 Sample of 2.5 g/t Au cut to 0.5 g/t
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CURI_13 216/-59 428 m 0.40 0.10 From 216 m to 318 m, 102 m @ 0.567 g/t Au
Max Au value 0.925 g/t Au.
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total 2,212 m
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MELONAL ZONE
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CURI_04 ? 147 m 0.168 0.045 None
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CURI_06 ? 153 m 0.28 0.07 None
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total 300 m
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POROTILLO ZONE
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CURI_05 180/-70 263 m 0.30 0.09 From 6.0 m to 30 m, 24 m @ 12 g/t Au
From 230 m to 263 m not sampled,
post-mineralization intrusive.
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CURI_12 240/-57 468 m 0.07 0.05 None
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total 731 m
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Taken from Jemielita, 2005
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Some core from the Ecuanor S.A. drill program (holes Curi_10 and 11 from Bramaderos) still exists and is in storage in Loja at a property onwed by Sr. Figueroa. However, the whereabouts of the bulk of the core is not known.
ASCENDANT EXPLORATION S.A - ECUADOR GOLD S.A. (2004 - 2006): In March 2004, Ascendant Exploration S.A. entered into a purchase option agreement (the "Option") with Sr. Figueroa on the Curiplaya Property. In March 2006, Ecuador Gold S.A., a subsidiary of AndeanGold Ltd., acquired the rights to the Option from Ascendant Exploration, which had completed some work at Curiplaya beyond the collection of 17 surface grab samples across the Bramaderos, Melonal, and Porotillo zones. The results of Ascendant Exploration's sampling are:
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Sample No. UTM Coordinates Gold Copper
X Y g/t %
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ACB-01 631207 9548181 0.134 0.014
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ACB-02 631385 9548066 0.623 0.123
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ACB-03 631408 9548045 0.556 0.145
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ACB-04 631487 9547951 0.503 0.124
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ACB-05 631650 9547851 0.563 0.113
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ACB-06 631523 9547892 0.713 0.183
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ACB-07 631443 9547884 0.269 0.112
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ACB-08 631341 9547891 0.049 0.007
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ACB-09 631262 9548016 0.401 0.100
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ACB-10 632685 9549290 0.383 0.086
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ACB-11 632746 9549242 0.515 0.113
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ACB-12 632641 9549237 0.522 0.094
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ACB-13 632435 9549295 0.478 0.169
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ACB-14 632435 9549295 0.441 0.145
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ACB-15 632416 9549435 0.320 0.117
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ACB-16 632425 9549396 0.465 0.130
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ACB-17 632442 9549306 0.498 0.111
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Ascendant grab sample numbers, location, and assay results