Arizona Silver Exploration Inc has announced drilling results that extend the thickness of the bulk tonnage target at its Philadelphia project, Arizona.
The explorer said the results are from previously un-assayed drill samples from the upper portions of two recently completed reverse circulation (RC) holes. Drilling is scheduled to resume as soon as a rig can be delivered to the property, it added.
“The assay results from altered volcanics in the hanging wall (upper portion) of the high-grade vein surprised us, carrying substantial gold where quartz veins are mostly absent,” Arizona Silver’s vice president for exploration Greg Hahn said in a statement.
“The gold appears to be associated with strong hydrothermal alteration comprising iron staining and clays, mostly green, not vein quartz that typifies the remainder of the mineralized intercepts. This association is new for the Philadelphia property and suggests we are on to a larger mineral system than just the high-grade vein that characterized historical production and our earlier exploration focus on the property.”
READ: Arizona Silver Exploration brings in C$945,000 for further exploration drilling at its Philadelphia property
Highlights of the drilling include:
- PRC21-85, the last hole drilled in the summer drilling campaign, intersected a total of 115.9 metres (m) at 1.34 grams per tonne (g/t) gold and 5.78 g/t silver from 60.9m to 176.8m depth downhole.
- PRC21-80 intersected a total of 103.7m at 1.57 g/t gold and 7.64 g/t silver from 51.8m to 155.5m depth (103.7m) downhole.
On July 20, 2021, the company reported drilling results on the same drill holes. Those holes reported 59.5m and 37m widths of mineralization from holes PRC21-85 and PRC21-80 respectively.
Significantly, it said the latest results expand the width of that lower grade mineralization to 115.9m and 103.7m respectively. The samples represent intervals primarily from the hanging wall of the high-grade vein intercepts that were not submitted initially as they were not expected to contain appreciable gold.
“I am anxious to resume drilling using a diamond drill as follow up,” Hahn continued.
“The recently completed financing will provide us the budget to drill step-out holes to further extend the gold mineralization of Philadelphia.”
The company said unsampled intervals from adjacent holes PRC21-78 and PRC21-79 will now be submitted for assay to evaluate the hanging wall volcanics in those drill holes.
Arizona Silver is a young exploration company focused on exploring gold-silver properties in western Arizona and Nevada.
The flagship asset is the Philadelphia property but the company plans to continue to drill test the Ramsey Silver Mine property located a short distance east of Quartzsite, Arizona.
The company has recently received a positive Record of Decision on its Notice of Intent to drill an initial twelve exploration holes on its recently acquired Silverton gold-silver property that hosts Carlin-type targets. Drilling there will be scheduled as time and equipment allow.
Contact the author at stephen.gunnion@proactiveinvestors.com