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https://www.youtube.com/@valls_geoconsultant?sub_confirmation=1 For more videos about geology, geochemistry, AI, and much more, please visit and subscribe for free here: Golden droplets- https://shorturl.at/fetV1 Geovoices- https://tinyurl.com/m23pp4pb News about geology- https://tinyurl.com/3979urhy Geo News Radio: https://shorturl.at/MwdSK Timestamps 0:00 – Hidden sign and 10 Moz discovery setup ​1:40 – Silicified rib, pathfinders, and preserved Jurassic epithermal system 3:05 – CP0651 drill hole and 200 m “geological miracle” intercept 3:58 – Zooming out to Ecuador’s tectonic history and accreted terranes 5:22 – Zircon codes, fertile magmas, and the Alpala supergiant deposit 6:26 – Fault grids, cover, and AI-assisted exploration in Ecuador 8:26 – Final thoughts and channel subscribe invitation Explore the incredible discovery of the Fruta del Norte epithermal gold-silver deposit and how modern exploration techniques and a conceptual geologic model unmasked nearly 10 million ounces of ore-grade gold-silver mineralization hidden beneath barren cover. This video breaks down how a single discovery hole targeting a subtle silicified rib within the Suárez pull-apart basin forever altered the geology of Ecuador and the global mining landscape (Leary et al., 2016). The Fruta del Norte deposit represents one of the premier gold discoveries of the last 50 years, notable for being a completely concealed and extraordinarily well-preserved system of Late Jurassic age (Leary et al., 2016). The success of the greenfields program led by Aurelian Resources resulted from systematic drill testing of a model that predicted auriferous veins would underlie a surface rib highly anomalous in arsenic, antimony, and mercury but low in gold values (Roa, 2016). We examine the vital structural controls of the Las Peñas strike-slip fault zone and how the juxtaposition of a silica sinter horizon with the gold-silver orebody provides novel insights into the preservation of epithermal systems (Stewart et al., 2017). This analysis is essential for junior and senior geologists, structural geologists, and ore prospectors seeking to understand the geochemical and textural zoning that defines discrete ore types in the Northern Andes (Schütte et al., 2012). By mastering the interplay between regional tectonics and local mineralization trends, the geological community can better identify concealed deposits and assess the fertility of magmatic cycles in similarly complex mineral frontiers (Carrasco et al., 2025). The bridge between Academy and Industry! P. Geo. Ricardo A Valls, M. Sc. and Geo Gadfly Valls Geoconsultant ORCID ID- https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5421-0914 Scopus Author ID: 7003369619/35335510700 ResearcherID: S-6604-2018 If you like this content, please "buy me a coffee" https://www.buymeacoffee.com/goldendroplets #valls_geoconsultant #FrutaDelNorte #GeologyOfEcuador #miningexploration Some references Bolaños, J. E. (2015). Geology and mining potential of Ecuador: “An overview of the main mining districts and ore deposits”. Geo-report. Leary, S., Sillitoe, R. H., Stewart, P. W., Roa, K. J., & Nicolson, B. E. (2016). Discovery, geology, and origin of the Fruta del Norte epithermal gold-silver deposit, southeastern Ecuador. Economic Geology, 111(5), 1043–1072. https://doi.org/10.2113/ECONGEO.111.5.1043 López-Males, G. G., Aiglsperger, T., Pujol-Solà, N., & Proenza, J. A. (2020). New mineralogical data on platinum-group minerals from the Río Santiago alluvial placer, Esmeraldas province, Ecuador. Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mex Sillitoe, R. H., Goldfarb, R. J., Robert, F., & Simmons, S. F. (Eds.). (2020). Geology of the world’s major gold deposits and provinces (Special Publication No. 23). Society of Economic Geologists. https://doi.org/10.5382/SP.23 Stewart, P. W., & Leary, S. (2017). Fruta del Norte, Ecuador: A completely preserved Late Jurassic epithermal gold-silver deposit [Abstract]. Society for Geology Applied to Mineral Deposits (SGA) 14th Biennial Meeting, Québec City, Canada. Vallejo, C., Spikings, R. A., Horton, B. K., Luzieux, L., Romero, C., Winkler, W., & Thomsen, T. B. (2019). Late Cretaceous to Miocene stratigraphy and provenance of the coastal forearc and Western Cordillera of Ecuador: Evidence for accretion of a single oceanic plateau fragment. In B. K. Horton & A. Folguera (Eds.), Andean Tectonics (pp. 209–236). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-816009-1.00010-1 Valls GeoConsultant. (n.d.). Valls GeoConsultant [YouTube Channel]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@valls_geoconsultant/videos