GSN Regular Membership Meeting – Friday, September 19, 2025

Description

Contact: gsn@gsnv.org

GSN MEMBERSHIP MEETING—FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2025

GUEST SPEAKER:  PETER DILLES

Peter Dilles Consulting Services Inc.

TITLE:  “A Review of Nevada Gold Exploration under Post-mineral Cover since 1983”

TIME: Drinks @ 6 pm, Dinner @ 6:30 pm, Announcements/Talk @ 7:15 pm

WHERE: ATLANTIS CASINO RESORT, RENO, NV

BALLROOM TO BE ANNOUNCED

MEETING SPONSORS:  BOART LONGYEAR & SRK CONSULTING

DINNER COST:  $60 per person

PLEASE MAKE ONLINE RESERVATIONS AND PAYMENTS  BELOW.

PLEASE RSVP FOR DINNER NO LATER THAN MONDAY, September 15, 2025

You do NOT need a dinner reservation to attend the talk.

All members are welcome to attend!

Please contact Laura Ruud at the GSN office for more information:  gsn@gsnv.org

Abstract:

A Review of Nevada Gold Exploration under Post-mineral Cover since 1983

Nevada gold exploration under post-mineral cover became instantly popular in 1984 following the discovery of a bonanza high grade vein at the future Sleeper mine in Humboldt County by AMAX Gold. A profound wave of new covered discoveries immediately followed at the Borealis, Chimney Creek, Marigold mines and other projects sites.  By 1987 Santa Fe Pacific had made massive discoveries at what would become the Rabbit Creek and Lone Tree mine sites in Humboldt County. The monstrous Mike deposit was discovered by Newmont soon thereafter on the Carlin Trend in Eureka County. In 1991 the enormous Pipeline deposits were discovered in Crescent Valley east of the old Gold Acres mine by the Cortez joint venture in Lander County. Kennecott Exploration then found a series of modest volcanic hosted deposits near Goldfield and Tonopah in 1993. That same year Homestake Mining discovered the West and East Archimedes deposits followed by additional deeper discoveries in 1994 and 1995 (Achilles and Ruby Deeps) just west of Eureka.

In the late 1990s a wave of major mining company mergers in Nevada coincided with a pronounced slowing of the covered discoveries rate. Significant checkerboard lands fell under the control of either Newmont Mining or Barrick Gold during this period.

In 2002 the massive Cortez Hills deposit was found beneath Miocene volcanic cover on the western flank of Mt. Tenabo by the Cortez joint venture. A Barrick-Goldcorp joint venture discovered the South Arturo deposit (including Button Hill and East Dee) in a series of deeper drill holes on the Dee property in 2005. Following a prolonged drought of significant covered discoveries, Coeur Mining drilled the discovery hole through thick post-mineral ash flow debris into the future Merlin deposit in 2020. AngloGold Ashanti later bought out the Corvus and Coeur properties consolidating the 12+ M oz Au Merlin deposit which is still being expanded.

Most early attempts at covered exploration tended to follow alignment trends from adjoining bedrock deposits into covered shallow bedrock pediments. AMAX Gold, which had been conducting covered copper exploration in the southwestern U.S.A., was well ahead of other groups employing an Induced Polarization geophysical survey to find the Sleeper deposit. A variety of geophysical and geochemical techniques were also employed, most of which proved unsuccessful. The low hanging fruit of proximal, covered exploration targets were pretty well exhausted by the early 1990s.

Exploring beneath post mineral volcanic cover has gained in popularity in Nevada.  Gravity surveys are one of the most helpful tools explorers utilize with greater success and frequency. Other advanced techniques include enzyme leach, ground water analysis, soil gas and advanced deep geophysical surveys.  Do we sufficiently understand the ages of regional mineralization versus the ages of volcanic rock packages to explore effectively for covered deposits?  Accurate age dating of younger rocks is indispensable in covered exploration.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________