Arizona Gold & Silver Inc (TSX-V:AZS, OTCQB:AZASF, FRA:A9J0) earlier this week announced the launch of a new drill program at its Silverton Project in Nevada, targeting a large antimony system that management believes could also enhance the prospectivity of a deeper Carlin-style gold deposit.
Speaking with Proactive, CEO Mike Stark said the company has initiated a 27-hole reverse-circulation drilling campaign designed to test a sizeable antimony target measuring roughly 900 metres in length and 400 metres in width.
Stark said Silverton, located east of Tonopah, was initially acquired and explored for its potential to host a Carlin-style gold deposit. However, recent work has highlighted an additional opportunity in antimony, a critical mineral that has attracted growing attention from governments and industry participants due to supply chain concerns.
According to Stark, surface sampling conducted in October returned encouraging results from 28 samples, with grades reaching as high as 7.9% antimony. He said the upcoming drilling program is intended to determine whether those surface values extend across a meaningful area and could support the definition of a substantial mineralized system.
The CEO noted that antimony prices have risen above US$60 per pound, reflecting strong demand and limited supply. He added that the US government is actively seeking secure domestic sources of critical minerals, potentially increasing the strategic value of projects capable of supplying antimony within North America.
A key catalyst for investors will be the results of the current drill campaign. Positive intersections could not only confirm the scale of the near-surface antimony target but also improve the geological case for a deeper gold system.
The initial drilling will focus on shallow depths of approximately 30 to 45 metres, reflecting the near-surface nature of the antimony mineralization identified through sampling. The program is expected to be completed within approximately six weeks.
Looking ahead, Arizona Gold & Silver plans to case three drill holes so they can be used in a future core drilling program targeting an IP anomaly at depth. That future work would test the potential Carlin-style gold target approximately 900 feet below surface.
Investors will now be watching for assay results from the current campaign, which could provide important insight into both the antimony opportunity and the broader exploration potential of the Silverton Project.