Kootenay Silver Inc. (TSX-V:KTN) said it has resumed drilling at the Columba high grade silver project in Mexico.
The exploration company said the current campaign will drill a minimum of 3,000 meters (m) comprising 12 to 15 holes focused on expanding on "impressive, wide high-grade intercepts" hit to date in the west-northwest trending D-Vein, which has intercepted high grades in drilling over a horizontal length of 400m and to a maximum depth of about 300m.
"Surface work and follow up drilling at Columba has identified a series of cross cutting, well mineralized veins within an area measuring approximately 4km by 4km," Kootenay Silver CEO Jim McDonald said in a statement.
"Of all the veins drilled to date, D Vein has returned the most impressive grades and widths so we are looking to expand the size of this mineralized shoot," he added.
McDonald also noted the program marks the first step of an aggressive drilling campaign designed to culminate in a maiden resource for the third quarter of next year, as financing will allow, at which point a decision on a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) can be made.
Kootenay noted that it has identified new vein targets in addition to known vein extensions warranting drill testing.
It added that the phase now underway represents the first stage of a comprehensive, project-wide program designed to step out along strike and to depth on multiple mineralized veins planned for completion within the next 12 months.
Favourable results from the initial program would warrant an additional 7,000m in 19 holes to aggressively step out on D-Vein toward its projected intersection with similarly mineralized B Vein, according to the company.
Kootenay has drilled 135 holes for just over 27,000m on the project to date.
Kootenay Silver is an exploration company actively engaged in the discovery and development of mineral projects in the Sierra Madre Region of Mexico and in British Columbia, Canada.
Contact Sean at sean@proactiveinvestors.com