The Tondo del Pueblo (“TDP”) Property is in Nye County, 17 kilometers north of Gabbs in the Lodi Hills Mining District. Mining in the area since 1875 has focused on silver-lead-gold ores in shears associated with igneous rocks. More recently, Silver Range identified low sulphidation epithermal gold mineralization at Tonto del Pueblo. Gold is found in numerous east- to north-striking faults cutting Triassic Excelsior Formation metasedimentary rocks and younger igneous rocks. These host gold-bearing quartz veins and breccias showing classic low sulphidation epithermal textures including bladed quartz after calcite and cockade quartz breccias. Sulphide mineralization consists dominantly of disseminated to locally massive pyrite and gold in rocks is associated with Sb, Ag, Hg and Cu.
There are in excess of 50 historic workings (shafts, adits & pits) on the property and in the immediate surrounding area. Sampling at these locations has returned widespread high-grade gold. Eighteen of 54 samples collected to date at these sites have returned assays greater than 5 g/t Au with best results of 65.5 g/t Au. Soil geochemical surveys on the property have identified numerous widespread spot anomalies, some of which are associated with historic workings. Many of the soil gold anomalies are not however, suggesting there may be multiple blind sources of gold mineralization on the property.
Gold mineralization at TDP may originate from any of four Oligocene caldera complexes surrounding the property. ASTER imagery indicates widespread low sulphidation style mineralization in the area including white mica throughout the Lodi Hills and alunite alteration more directly associated with gold mineralization on the property.
Further evidence for a large low sulphidation epithermal system in the area is Endeavour Silver’s Bruner Gold Project, 13 km northeast of TDP. This low sulphidation epithermal deposit hosts a historic resource of 342,000 ounces gold. ( https://edrsilver.com/portfolio/exploration/bruner/ ) The basement setting and style of mineralization at Tonto del Pueblo resembles that found at Anglo-Gold Ashanti’s Mother Lode and Sterling Projects near Beatty, NV.
Since staking in 2021 Silver Range has conducted prospecting, geologic mapping, surface rock and soil sampling, as well as VLF-EM and airborne total magnetic field surveys.
