Taninay
The Taninay area is in the south central part of the license area. Taninay village is ~13km NE of the town of Akordat, on the immediate western lowlands of mount Debr Sala.
Geology
At Taninay, the principal bedrock comprises: felsic to intermediate tuffs, plagioclase-phyric basalt dikes (?trachytes?), and deformed granitic intrusive rocks, possibly tectonic slivers from the adjacent granitic pluton to the east. In places the felsic tuffs are cordierite bearing, suggesting significant alkali depletion within a shear zone. The strata have a northerly trend, and have undergone heterogeneous, penetrative deformation. To the east is the pre- to syn-tectonic Debr Sala granitic pluton; exposures to the west are limited by alluvial cover. In the vicinity of major quartz vein arrays, the host strata have variable sericite, silica, carbonate, potassium feldspar and hematite alteration.
Mineralization
The Taninay vein gold system is extensive, with a total strike length of ~7 km. The vein system dips about 45-65 degrees to the west. At the southern end of the vein gold system, active artisanal mining has excavated pits up to 10-15 m deep over a zone of ~150-200m and 30-40m wide. Furthermore, surface diggings are present along strike to the north and south over a 3 km strike length of the 20-30m wide vein system. Quartz vein arrays are also present ~6 km south of main Taninay zone.
Results
Assays for the Taninay area are shown in plan view in figure 15, and given in table 6. One sample at Tablet, south of the main Taninay vein system, has 231 ppm Au. Seven samples are from 1-55 g/t Au in the southern part of the main Taninay vein array, where the veins are oriented NW-SE. This may represent either an intersection of two structural fabrics in the larger N-S shear system, or an area of vein termination where the vein curls toward the minimum stress axis, and has seen more hydrothermal fluids.
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