Ridgeline Minerals (TSX-V:RDG, OTCQB:RDGMF) has announced that the first two holes of the 2022 drill program at its flagship Selena project intersected silver-gold-lead-zinc carbonate replacement (CRD) style mineralization at the CRD target.
Nevada-focused explorer Ridgeline explained the CRD target is a conceptual target located between the company's original shallow-oxide silver-gold and lead-zinc discovery at the Chinchilla Zone and the Butte Valley porphyry located approximately 4 kilometres (km) to the west.
The company said drill hole SE22-037 was a 2.5 km step-out to the west of known mineralization at Chinchilla and returned highlight intercepts of 3 meters (m) grading 40.2 grams per tonne (g/t) silver, 3.0 g/t gold, 0.2% lead, 6.8% zinc and 3m grading 35.4 g/t silver, 0.9 g/t gold, 1% lead, 2.3% zinc within wider (15.2-16.8m), lower grade intervals surrounding both zones.
READ: Ridgeline Minerals acquires historical Selena dataset showcasing highest-grade silver and gold intercepts ever drilled at the project
"A year of detailed field work and conceptual targeting went into our first hole at the CRD target, a 2.5 km step-out down-dip and to the west of known mineralization at Chinchilla,” Ridgeline’s vice president for exploration Mike Harp said in a statement. “Hole 37 hit two distinct mineralized zones in the projected host horizon, including 3m of the highest-grade gold and zinc we've ever drilled at the project to-date. It's important to note that both gold and zinc grades appear to be increasing towards the porphyry, which is consistent with our greater metal zonation model for the project.”
Highlight drill intercepts:
- SE22-037: 3m grading 35.4 g/t silver, 0.9 g/t gold, 1% lead, 2.3% zinc within 16.8m grading 22.2 g/t silver, 0.3 g/t gold, 0.4% lead, 1.0% zinc, starting at 666m; and 3m grading 40.2 g/t silver, 3.0 g/t gold, 0.2% lead, 6.8% zinc within 15.2m grading 12.8 g/t silver, 0.8 g/t gold, 0.1% lead, 1.7% zinc, starting at 734.5m.
- SE22-038: 1.5m grading 97.4 g/t silver, 0.4 g/t gold, 0.1% lead, 4.9% zinc starting at 765.1m.
Ridgeline noted that drill hole SE22-037 intersected widespread alteration and silver-gold-lead-zinc mineralization in two distinct zones that highlight the higher-grade potential of the CRD target.
It said increasing gold and zinc grades compared to the Chinchilla and Juniper zones to the east support the proposed metal zonation of the system as it zones towards the higher heat center of the Butte Valley porphyry. Additionally, it said mineralization is beginning to transition from oxide to sulfide in the bottom 100m of the drill hole.
The company said it tested the western edge of a large magnetic low signature, interpreted as structurally controlled silica flooding, with future holes to test the full extent of the magnetic low to vector towards the projected core of the mineralized zone.
Meanwhile, drill hole SE22-038 intersected a narrow, high-grade zone of silver-gold-lead-zinc mineralization over 1.2 km down-dip of the closest mineralized intercept in SE21-027 and approximately 2.5 km down-dip of recently announced high-grade intercepts at Juniper. It said intercept confirms proof of concept at the CRD target with future drilling to vector towards thicker and higher-grade, structurally controlled zones.
The company said the successful results at the CRD target, combined with its recent acquisition of historical high-grade silver-gold results at Juniper, highlight the need for mineralized zones at the project to be drilled with diamond core drilling methods.
As a result, it said it has halted its reverse circulation (RC) drill program at Selena that was operated under its strategic drilling contract with Envirotech Drilling LLC, in order to transition to core drilling. Core drilling services will be provided by NISS LLC and is anticipated to begin in August 2022.
Ridgeline said its strategic contract with Envirotech drilling will remain in effect and Envirotech will continue to provide RC drilling services as needed.
“Selena now hosts three distinct mineralized zones at Chinchilla, Juniper and CRD, as well as two additional high-priority targets at Revival and Broken Egg,” Harp continued. “We are looking forward to our planned core program in August, where we will continue to systematically test each target in order to fully understand the potential upside of this district-scale discovery."
Ridgeline is a discovery-focused gold-silver explorer with a proven management team and a 163 square kilometre (sq km) exploration portfolio across five projects in Nevada and Idaho, US.
Contact the author at stephen.gunnion@proactiveinvestors.com