Regional Exploration

Regional Exploration

The geological setting at Hog Ranch is interpreted to be a large caldera complex which has the potential to host multiple styles of gold mineralisation at multiple locations throughout the caldera.

The current Mineral Resource estimate is solely based on shallow disseminated gold mineralisation which is amenable to open pit mining and heap-leach processing.  Rex interprets that further extensions to this style of gold mineralisation at Hog Ranch in addition to other potentially very large-scale gold mineralisation styles.

The surface geology at Hog Ranch is composed of basalt rocks which exist in the centre of the caldera complex, and which is surrounded by sedimentary rocks, which formed as the Caldera collapsed.  These sediments now largely cover over the gold mineralisation that appears to exist at this location as evidenced by the gold discoveries at Airport and Cameco. 

Further away towards the outer margins of the Caldera Complex, the dominant felsic volcanic rocks are exposed.The historical mining and over 90% of the current Mineral Resource estimate at Hog Ranch exist where the felsic volcanic rocks are exposed on the surface.

Based on the current understanding of the geology and gold mineralisation at Hog Ranch, Rex considers that there are multiple locations where addition gold mineralisation could exist.  This broad interpretation is represented in the figure below and forms the basis of the regional exploration effort at Hog Ranch.