Centenario Gold Corp. (TSXV: CTG) announced the completion of the first phase exploration program at its Los Reyes Project, a copper and gold asset near Chihuahua, Mexico. The program included geological mapping and sampling of old mine dumps and underground workings along the intrusive-limestone contact zone where copper-rich skarn zones are present. The old mining tunnels, built by ASARCO in the late 1800s to early 1900s, reportedly produced approximately 200,000 tons of Cu-Zn-Ag material.
The Los Reyes Project is located 225 km south of Chihuahua City, near Highway 49. The property consists of two mineral claims: El Rey (36.0 hectares) and El Rey 2 (9.3 hectares), located about 1.8 km apart. The El Rey claim hosts the most significant old mine workings. Penoles, a major Mexican mining company, controls surrounding ground around the granodiorite intrusive.
The first phase exploration program included geological and mineralogical reconnaissance, alteration mapping, and collection of 58 rock samples: 7 from surface outcrops, 11 from waste dumps and shallow pits near the Tuesda shaft, 12 rock chip samples from underground at the Tuesda mine, and 28 from underground at the Jibosa mine. Sampling was supervised by a senior professional geologist, with samples weighing between 1.5 kg and 2.0 kg and sample cuts varying from 0.3 m to 3.0 m. Samples were transported to ALS Chemex in Chihuahua for analysis using Fire Assay for gold and acid digestion for 34 other elements.
At El Rey, copper-rich skarn mineralization occurs sporadically for over 800 meters along the north-south trending granodiorite-limestone contact. The altered zone on surface ranges up to 120 meters in width, with the contact dipping between vertical and 75 degrees to the east. Alteration shows typical skarn zoning: skarn, marble, recrystallization in limestone, and hornfels with thin garnet bands. Copper mineralization includes chalcopyrite, bornite, malachite, azurite, and chalcocite within irregular, semi-tabular lenses up to 60 meters wide. Some zones mined by ASARCO reportedly exceeded 125 meters in length. The mineralized zone at the Tuesda shaft showed thickness up to 20 m, while at Jibosa it did not exceed 15 m. Higher sulfide content is presumed further north of the Tuesda Shaft, with magnetite and specularite fragments in old dumps suggesting Cu-Au skarn-type mineralization.
Results from the 58 rock samples are expected by mid-June. Once received, the Company will release the geochemical assay data to better understand mineralization controls and distribution. The next phase, a 1,500-meter drill program, is planned for July to test strike and down-dip extensions below 50 meters of the identified copper-rich skarn zones, with primary targets near the Jibosa and Tuesda shafts.
Derrick Strickland, an independent Qualified Person under NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical disclosure. Centenario Gold Corp. is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange. Further information is available at www.centenariogold.com.
