Northwire Canada EditionSunday, July 12, 2026
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Drill Results

Montero geochemical results confirm arsenic at Elvira

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Executive Summary

  • Montero Mining and Exploration Ltd. has released geochemical results from its Elvira gold project in Chile, identifying a large hydrothermal system with both epithermal and porphyry-style characteristics.
  • The findings are based on sampling conducted between October and December 2025, utilizing rock and soil samples analyzed for gold, silver, and multielement suites.
  • The company plans to integrate these geochemical data sets with geological, structural, and geophysical data using artificial-intelligence-assisted modeling to refine drill targets.

Key Details

  • Project Location: Elvira gold project, located in Chile's Maricunga gold belt.
  • Sampling Period: October to December 2025.
  • Sample Types and Methods:
    • 38 rock samples analyzed via four-acid digestion ICP-MS for high-sensitivity multielement analysis.
    • 47 rock samples and 47 soil samples analyzed via fire assay for gold and silver, plus multielement ICP analysis (32-element suite).
    • Laboratories used: ALS and AAA in Santiago, Chile.
  • Geochemical Findings:
    • Widespread arsenic enrichment across the project area.
    • Localized molybdenum anomalism, consistent with hydrothermal zoning in porphyry-epithermal systems.
    • Geochemical signature interpreted as high-sulphidation hydrothermal alteration, potentially overlying a porphyry source.
    • Elevated arsenic values spatially associated with mapped advanced argillic alteration, indicating a high-sulphidation epithermal environment.
    • Localized molybdenum anomalism in the central portion suggests proximity to a deeper porphyry-style source.
  • Multielement and Ratio Analysis:
    • Epithermal Signatures: Strong mercury anomalism, lead-to-arsenic and copper-to-arsenic ratios, and composite arsenic plus antimony plus mercury responses.
    • Porphyry Indicators: Zinc, molybdenum-to-arsenic ratios, and composite multielement responses (molybdenum plus bismuth plus tellurium plus mercury) defining discrete zones interpreted as potential higher-temperature centers.
  • Analogue Context: The geochemical signatures are comparable to high-sulphidation systems in the Maricunga belt, such as Salares Norte, where similar pathfinder element assemblages (As, Bi, Hg, Pb, Sb, Te) were used to define drill targets.
  • Next Steps:
    • Refine exploration vectors using geochemical data.
    • Continue integration of geological, geophysical, and geochemical data sets.
    • Refine 3-D exploration models.
    • Prioritize areas for potential drill target definition.
  • Qualified Persons: Marcial Vergara, BSc, and Mike Evans, MSc, PrSciNat.

Notable Quotes

  • "Geochemistry at Elvira highlights a large hydrothermal system with strong geochemical vectors consistent with shallow epithermal mineralization and deeper porphyry-style target concepts. This work will be integrated and interrogated using artificial-intelligence-assisted modelling, together with alteration, geological, structural and geophysical data sets, to develop a drill target model." — Dr. Tony Harwood, President and CEO
Read the original news release →

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