Montero Mining and Exploration Ltd (TSX-V:MON, OTC:MXTRF) said on Tuesday that geochemical results from its Elvira gold project in Chile’s Maricunga Gold Belt indicate a large hydrothermal system with signatures consistent with both shallow epithermal mineralization and a deeper porphyry-style target.
The company said the latest sampling and analysis are part of an integrated exploration program that combines geological mapping, geophysical surveys, geochemical datasets and artificial intelligence-assisted modelling to refine targets at Elvira.
“Geochemistry at Elvira highlights a large hydrothermal system with strong geochemical vectors consistent with shallow epithermal mineralization and deeper porphyry-style target concepts,” said Dr Tony Harwood, CEO of Montero.
Montero said the results confirm widespread arsenic enrichment across the project area, along with localized molybdenum anomalies, patterns that are typically associated with hydrothermal zoning in porphyry-epithermal systems.
According to the company, elevated arsenic values are spatially linked with areas of advanced argillic alteration, consistent with a high-sulphidation epithermal environment. Localized molybdenum anomalies in the central portion of the system may indicate proximity to a deeper porphyry-style source.
The company also highlighted multi-element and ratio-based geochemical analysis, which identified additional indicators of mineralization. Epithermal signatures were supported by mercury anomalies, along with lead-to-arsenic and copper-to-arsenic ratios, as well as composite arsenic-antimony-mercury responses.
Porphyry-related indicators included zinc, molybdenum-to-arsenic ratios and composite multi-element responses involving molybdenum, bismuth, tellurium and mercury, which Montero said define discrete zones interpreted as higher-temperature centres that may vector toward deeper mineralized sources.
Montero said the combined geochemical patterns are consistent with a vertically zoned porphyry-epithermal system, similar to other discoveries in the Maricunga Belt.
The company referenced exploration at Salares Norte as an analogue, noting that multi-element geochemistry, in combination with alteration mapping and geophysical targeting, played a key role in defining drill targets there.
Moving forward, Montero said it will continue integrating geological, geochemical and geophysical datasets using structural interpretation and AI-assisted modelling to refine its exploration vectors, build three-dimensional models and prioritize areas for potential drilling.