Benchmark Metals Inc has provided an update on ongoing exploration at the Marmot and Marmot East zones at its flagship Lawyers project located in the prolific Golden Horseshoe of northern British Columbia, Canada.
“The footprint for the Marmot zone now extends beyond 350 metres strike-length, with gold-silver mineralization at surface supported by geophysics, geochemistry, structural mapping and shallow drilling from surface,” the company said.
Drilling at the Marmot zone began in late July with initial visual results being comparable to last year’s discovery hole 20MLDD005 that returned 101 metres (m) core length of 0.82 grams per tonne (g/t) gold equivalent (AuEq) including 18 m of 2.5 g/t Au.
READ: Benchmark Metals drills 31,000 meters at Lawyers project and defines new targets
The Edmonton, Alberta-based gold and silver company said new target and deposit expansion drilling continue throughout its Lawyers project. “Drilling at the Marmot zone is targeting approximately 1,550m of a north-northwest-trending structural corridor that is interpreted as a significant control on mineralization,” Benchmark added.
Recent visual results from drill hole 21MLDD009 include an intercept from 69m-to-125m that consists of a broad zone of “intense alteration" characterized by strong silicification, increased pyrite content, and hydrothermal breccias bound by a major mineralized fault structure, it noted.
The zone is around 350m along-strike to the northwest of last year’s discovery hole within a geochemical footprint of high-grade rock grab samples, lying on the margins of a 400m diameter IP chargeability anomaly at the intersection with a major north-northeast-trending structure.
Benchmark said the chargeability anomaly was defined by ground geophysics in August 2021 and is “coincident with high magnetic and resistivity signatures characteristic of massive silica and sulphide mineralization.”
In a statement, CEO John Williamson said: "This latest intercept of visible mineralization within a broad alteration zone in 21MLDD009 is 350 metres along strike from our discovery hole at Marmot and demonstrates the developing continuity and robust nature of this system.”
“This visual result continues to demonstrate the significant potential of the Marmot zone to generate near-surface gold and silver ounces as a potential satellite deposit within 3 kilometres of our resource zones," he added.
A total of 2,734m in 9 drillholes have been completed at Marmot with an additional 488m in 2 drillholes at Marmot East. A total of 12,500m of exploration drilling has been planned at the Marmot and Marmot East targets to follow up on the 2020 discovery hole.
The Lawyers gold-silver project consists of three mineralized deposits that remain open for expansion, in addition to more than 20 new target areas along the 20-kilometre trend.
Contact the author Uttara Choudhury at uttara@proactiveinvestors.com
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