Okay, here's another snippet from an earlier news release, and a cut and paste explanation from an online geology site. My point is, the pillow basalts pretty much prove that some of this geology in the area was created in an underwater environment, or submarine event. The basement rock of the seafloor is much richer than that of the continents, ( basically peridotite) and of course, the super-heated seawater could go a long ways to explaining how we ended up with such a large quartz vein system.

I'm still working at connecting the dots, so bear with me... : )

On the Onaman property, Sage has also completed a ground induced polarisation (IP) survey along the strike extension of the Lynx 1, 2 and 3 copper-silver-gold mineralisation. In addition, Sage has discovered a new zone of volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) mineralisation west of the Lynx zones which exhibits a large outcropping area of massive sulphides. This new zone (Lynx #4) has now been tested by IP and will be drill tested in 2008. Lithology consists of mafic pillow basalts, interbedded mineralized exhalite units and overlying felsic pyroclastics. The base of the steeply dipping NE trending-sequence is the Onaman batholith.

Many geologists call this volcanic layer of ophiolite stratigraphy the "pillow basalt" layer. This refers to the spherical shapes which are commonly formed as basaltic magma is squeezed onto the seafloor. A thin crust cools as the lava erupts into the water, more lava is pushed out behind, and it kind of blows up like a balloon.

Spreading ridges are extremely active tectonic environments, and in general have a very high heat flow because of the magma so near to the surface. They are also under the water, and are extremely broken up by countless fractures and faults. If you put all of this together, you wind up with an environment in which descending sea water is allowed to come in contact with some very hot rocks. Water can dissolve anything . As the seawater heats up, it becomes even more chemically active than normal, and begins to react with the mafic rock of the seafloor. These reactions take many forms, and the reality of the chemistry is well beyond the scope of this discussion. However, it is certain that the hot water dissolves, or "leaches," elements directly from the rock. Different minerals and elements react with the water at different rates. Some of the easiest to leach include iron, sulfur, silica, copper, zinc, and several other elements which are present in the basalt in relatively small amounts. As these mineral-rich waters increase in heat they become lower in density and begin to rise (through a process called convection). Eventually they reach the seafloor, where they are vented in hot water plumes we call hydrothermal vents. These hot water vents come in two flavors: white smokers and black smokers.