Geology & Mineralisation

Located in a major flexure of the Andean Terrane, the Dynasty project is hosted within a corridor of mineralisation associated with early to late Miocene aged intrusions extending from Peru through northern Ecuador. The majority of porphyry copper and epithermal gold deposits in southern Ecuador are associated with magmatism in this age range, with a number of these intrusions located along the margin of the extensive Cretaceous aged Tangula Batholith, forming a favourable structural and metallogenic corridor.

There are two different styles of mineralisation evident at Dynasty, porphyry gold-copper (potassic alteration overprinted by pervasive phyllic- sericite, chlorite alteration) and intermediate sulphidation epithermal gold-silver (base metal carbonate).

The western side of the Titan Minerals concessions include volcanic rocks (breccias and andesitic lavas) belonging to the Cretaceous to Palaeocene Pisayambo Volcanics and Celica Formation which has been intruded sporadically by diorite dykes and slightly argillic gold bearing quartz veins and veinlets with occasional calcite-barite veins to the south, southeast and west.

Over 200 mineralised veins of varying thicknesses and varying orientation have been identified to date in the Dynasty Gold Project.  The vertical extent of these veins has not yet been fully tested but some veins could be to depths exceeding 400m.

The mineralised veins in the volcanics mainly occur along a faulted zone near and sub-parallel to the contact with the Cretaceous Tangula Batholith outcropping in the east and south of the concessions.

The mineralised faults have undergone post mineralization reactivation by a northeast fault system that has displaced earlier veins by up to a few metres.  A major northeast lineament with crosscutting features at 90° angle possibly indicates “strike slip” shears with sinistral stress that could have generated open spaces for the infilling quartz-sulphide vein systems.

The mineralised veins are principally open space fillings along dilational faults.  Banded seams consisting of quartz and sulphides occur especially at Cerro Verde along with massive quartz veins containing disseminated sulphides.  The mineralised veins have a low carbonate content at Papayal, Trapichillo and Cola, while quartz veins coexist with quartz – barite – calcite, and barite being replaced by silica at Cerro Verde and part of Trapichillo.

The gold/base metal mineralisation is restricted to the veins and stockworks with associated argillic alteration.  North-south mineralisation zoning has been interpreted.  The gold and silver grades vary along strike and across the vein width with “ore shoots” or “high grade pipes” producing very erratic values up to 600 g/t Au and 750 g/t Ag in some veins at Trapichillo and Papayal.

Gold occurs in its native form along with sulphides, including pyrite, sphalerite, galena, arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite and bornite.