Cochis is located approximately 70 kilometres northeast of Hermosillo and 15 kilometres from Gaudalupe de Ures which is connected to Hermosillo by highway 21. Gravel roads and local ranch roads access most areas of the property.
The Cochis project was staked in 2004 and consists of a single concession, El Toro, which is 250 hectares in area. A 30-hectare internal claim held by a third party covers one of the areas of old workings. The concession was staked to protect 3.5 km. of the Cochis fault, a sheared fault zone that has a number of old workings along its length. Associated structures are stone construction with large trees growing through them, indicating they are at least 100 years old.
Geology
The area north of the fault is underlain by quartzites, shales and limestones assumed to be Cretaceous in age and analogous to the sedimentary units hosting the Santa Gertrudis gold deposit further to the north. Most of the sediments but particularly the quartzite have been thoroughly shattered and altered by silica flooding and sericitization over a broad area near the fault. Widespread limonite indicates suphides were placed hydrothermally throughout the altered zone. Within the fault zone area is an intruding porphyry dyke which roughly follows the fault zone. The dyke is also heavily altered and has large amounts of limonite indicating it had a high sulphide content which is now oxidized near surface. The dyke weathers in but was seen in several places and appears to follow the entire fault zone through the property. South of the fault intrusives are more common, with the fault itself the likely boundary.
The Cochis fault zone is complex with at least six different strands and appears to be a large displacement strike-slip fault. The fault channelled the porphyry dike and acted as the conduit for the mineralizing fluids that caused the broad pervasive alteration. Quartz veins are also seen following the fault in several areas and these may have been the target for miners in the past seeking high grade ores.
Exploration
A number of reconnaissance samples were taken along the fault zone from various structures and alteration areas which averaged about 33 g/t silver and 0.5 g/t gold. In general the area bears many similarities to some sub classes of the Carlin model, with structurally controlled gold mineralization driven by fault structures cutting sedimentary units and in particular the Getchell model. Gold and silver were strongly anomalous in most samples taken along the 3.5 kilometre strike of the fault covered by the concession. Mineralization is also present in parallel brecciated fault zones and cross faults perpendicular to the Cochis fault.
Given the widespread gold and silver values and permissive structural framework of the area Pediment plans to follow up with more detailed mapping and a sampling campaign to highlight areas with the best gold silver concentrations at surface for follow up with trenching, drilling and subsurface sampling where old workings can be accessed.