The geology and mineralisation of the world-class Alpala porphyry copper-gold deposit in northern Ecuador

摘要

The Alpala porphyry copper-gold deposit is a recent discovery in northern Ecuador (Figure 1). The deposit lies within the Cascabel Project which is about 100 km north of Quito, the capital of Ecuador, and 50 km north-northwest of Ibarra in Imbabura Province. The project is located about 20 km south of the border with Colombia and 130 km east of the Pacific Ocean port of Esmeraldas. Cascabel lies about 60 km northeast of the Llurimagua (Junin) porphyry copper-molybdenum deposit.The Cascabel concession consists of about 50 km2 (49,785 hectares) claim, licensed for advanced exploration by the Ecuador Government. The concession is controlled by Exploraciones Novomining S.A. (ENSA), which is owned by SolGold Plc. (85%) and Cornerstone Capital Resources (15%). The current license was granted in March, 2011 and is valid for 25 years.