Orion Project

Location

The Orion deposit is located approximately 2.0 km southwest of the Hammerdown deposit.

Geology & Mineralization

A major reverse fault zone (Horsehead Fault) has thrust this assemblage over younger volcanics to the west. This northerly striking fault dips 50° to the east and terminates the Orion Gold zones to the west. As the fault trends oblique to the N50E strike of the Orion Vein system, the base of the gold zones plunge about 40° to the northeast. Recent drilling has encountered high-grade gold in the veins close to the fault, indicating a possible structural relationship of high-grade gold with the plunge of the Horsehead fault. The Orion gold veins are completely open in this plunge direction and to the east. Intruding the stratigraphy are numerous sill-like lenses of quartz-feldspar porphyry up to 6 metres thick and a myriad of mafic dykes and sills up to 10 metres thick.  The rocks hosting the Deposit have undergone a protracted history of complex deformation, including both folding and brittle faulting. At least three deformational events influenced vein emplacement and overall geometry of the mineralized zones.

Discovery Vein Zone

The Discovery Zone, as the name suggests, was the first to be discovered at the Orion deposit. The zone is situated near the transition from the "mixed" mafic-felsic schist. This vein zone consists of single to multiple <1-30cm quartz-calcite veins (mainly 2-5cm) with 1-3% pyrite (locally to 10%) and minor amounts of light coloured sphalerite and chalcopyrite. One vein (BB-96-66) contained 50 grains of visible gold but otherwise visible gold is generally rare. The hosting schists often have a distinct yellow ochre sericite developed adjacent to the veining. Silicification is also common. Geochemically, the zone has twice the zinc and copper content compared to the Orion Main Zone but similar though very low amounts of silver and lead.

Main Vein Zone

The Main vein zone is situated within the "final" felsic schist generally 10-30 metres northwest of the Discovery Zone. Like the Discovery Zone, it can be traced along strike for 950 metres.

The zone consists of multiple 0.5-15cm quartz-calcite veins (mainly 1-3cm) and strong patchy silicification with 5-10% disseminated pyrite (up to 25%) and minor, though locally abundant chalcopyrite and sphalerite. Visible gold was observed in two drill holes. The host schists are strongly sericitic, silicified and locally display salmon-coloured bleaching.

EMS Zone

The EMS Zone is the smallest of the three "significant" zones at the Deposit. Like the Discovery and Main Zones it is contained within a distinct stratigraphic interval; in this case the graphitic cherty sediments/volcanic turbidite unit. The zone has a much shorter strike of 350 metres while "better grade" mineralization is confined to only about a 50 metre strike between 50 and 100 metres below surface. The zone occurs approximately 100 metres southeast of the Discovery Zone. The grade x thickness longitudinal section shows a slightly steeper easterly plunge (45°) compared to the two zones described above.