In simplest geological terms, Argentina occupies part of the South American platform in the north, the Patagonian platform in the south and the Andes mountains in the west.

The Precambrian-Paleozoic crystalline basement of Argentina comprises plutonic intrusives (granites to gabbros) and metamorphosed sedimentary and volcanic rocks that host a range of styles of mineralization that contain a variety of metals including nickel, copper, chromium, platinum group metals, tungsten, tin, silver and gold deposits and showings.

The crystalline basement is overlain by Paleozoic to Cenozoic continental and marine sedimentary rocks that also host a range of mineral deposits and showings containing a variety of metals including lead, zinc, silver, copper, uranium and vanadium.

Volcanic-intrusive activity during late Paleozoic and Mesozoic times generated porphyry copper and high sulphidation epithermal gold-silver deposits in the Andes as well as epithermal gold-silver and polymetallic mineralization in Patagonia. Important sediment-hosted uranium deposits also formed in Patagonia in the Mesozoic.

 
Argentina boasts several “world class” mineral deposits including porphyry copper-molybdenum-gold (Bajo de la Alumbrera), high sulphidation epithermal gold-silver (Veladero, (Pascua-)Lama), low sulphidation epithermal gold-silver (Cerro Vanguardia, Esquel) and lead-silver (Navidad), as well as important deposits of uranium and numerous smaller deposits containing a variety of metals.
 
 

PATAGONIA

Argentine Patagonia contains several distinct geological terrains that host both precious and base metal deposits of varying ages. The west margin of Argentinian Patagonia and adjacent Chile are part of the Andean mountain chain where subduction since Jurassic time has generated a series of volcanic-intrusive magmatic pulses with associated epithermal gold-silver and sub-volcanic porphyry copper-gold deposits. East of the Andean mountain chain Argentine Patagonia is characterised by two volcanic massifs, the Somuncura massif in the north and the Deseado Massif in the south.

Mineral deposits in Argentine Patagonia include Anglo Gold's Cerro Vanguardia deposit (end 2004 reserves 0.6 Mt  proven, grading 9.99g/t gold, 6.2 Mt ore probable grading 6.87 g/t gold, and measured, indicated and inferred resource 11 Mt grading 8.01 g/t gold) and Meridian's Esquel (Desquite) deposit (3.8Moz gold at 8.0 g/t and 6.4 M/oz silver).

Patagonia Gold's exploration programme is focused on discovery of low-sulphidation epithermal gold deposits, while recognising the potential for discovery of high sulphidation epithermal deposits and even porphyry coppers and skarns.