Copper Skarns:
Above: Sample at the Old Hickory Mine of Chrysocolla and Malachite which is indicative of Copper Skarns. On average the Chrysoclla comprises 12% of the skarns and very little of the porphyry. |
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Geology
The Milford Mineral Belt is a geologic setting very typical of porphyry copper mega districts. The Milford district lies within an east trending belt of altered quartz monzonite, quartz monzonite porphyry, granodiorite, as well as altered andesites, diorites, and other typical volcanic associated with Porphyry copper mineralization.
The two most prominent geologic features are the Rocky Range quartz monzonite and the OK Granodiorite in the Beaver Lake district. The Rocky Range Quartz monzonite has intruded Permian sediments and in the more favorable horizons formed copper magnetite skarns of unusually high copper grade. In places these skarns exceed %5 copper with substantial gold and silver credits, along with moly and tungsten. The overall average grade of the skarns will be close to %1.5 copper.
The Rocky Range quartz monzonite has also intruded the OK granodiorite. Within the OK granodiorite are at least four breccia pipes. The most notable is the OK mine which is also a small porphyry copper deposit with abundant chalcopyrite, Bornite, moly, gold and silver. The Rocky quartz monzonite, in places contains abundant native copper. At least one drill hole several miles from the known reserves contains over 600 consecutive feet of nearly unexplained native copper as primary mineralization, fully disseminated and not fracture controlled. Mineralization is dated at Cretaceous through late Tertiary and regional controls on mineralization are thought to be deep-seated crustal structures. The area is on the edge of the late Mesozoic to Early Tertiary Sevier thrust system with the mountains comprising the hanging wall of the eastern Mineral Mountains complex.
And while by industry standards, only moderate, but very economical reserves are currently drill proven, management believes the reserves are limited only by the available money to enlarge by drilling and continue exploration.
The opportunity exists, and is even good to discover one or more multi billion ton porphyry copper type deposits at a higher than usual average grade based upon the grade of existing and known copper reserves. To date only minimal exploration work has been done in pursuit of major porphyry copper deposits.
The two most prominent geologic features are the Rocky Range quartz monzonite and the OK Granodiorite in the Beaver Lake district. The Rocky Range Quartz monzonite has intruded Permian sediments and in the more favorable horizons formed copper magnetite skarns of unusually high copper grade. In places these skarns exceed %5 copper with substantial gold and silver credits, along with moly and tungsten. The overall average grade of the skarns will be close to %1.5 copper.
The Rocky Range quartz monzonite has also intruded the OK granodiorite. Within the OK granodiorite are at least four breccia pipes. The most notable is the OK mine which is also a small porphyry copper deposit with abundant chalcopyrite, Bornite, moly, gold and silver. The Rocky quartz monzonite, in places contains abundant native copper. At least one drill hole several miles from the known reserves contains over 600 consecutive feet of nearly unexplained native copper as primary mineralization, fully disseminated and not fracture controlled. Mineralization is dated at Cretaceous through late Tertiary and regional controls on mineralization are thought to be deep-seated crustal structures. The area is on the edge of the late Mesozoic to Early Tertiary Sevier thrust system with the mountains comprising the hanging wall of the eastern Mineral Mountains complex.
And while by industry standards, only moderate, but very economical reserves are currently drill proven, management believes the reserves are limited only by the available money to enlarge by drilling and continue exploration.
The opportunity exists, and is even good to discover one or more multi billion ton porphyry copper type deposits at a higher than usual average grade based upon the grade of existing and known copper reserves. To date only minimal exploration work has been done in pursuit of major porphyry copper deposits.