Tocvan Ventures Corp. (CSE:TOC) said drilling has resumed at its Pilar gold-silver project in Sonora, Mexico, and will focus on priority exploration targets across the property.
The drilling, a continuation of Phase III, targets parallel trends and trend extensions as the company looks to rapidly define the extent of mineralization at Pilar.
Recent reconnaissance drilling in a 200-meter gap between the Main Zone and 4-T Trend was successful in defining a new parallel trend - JES-22-63 returned 54.9-meters at 0.3 grams per ton (g/t) gold (Au) and 5 g/t silver (Ag) from 6.1-meters depth. Another 200-meters to the east, surface exploration returned chip samples of 6.6 g/t Au and 433 g/t Ag defining an untested extension of the 4-T Trend, both of these targets will be tested during this stage of drilling, the company said.
"We are excited for this next stage of drilling at Pilar, as we feel the potential to expand the known areas of mineralization is very significant," Tocvan CEO Brodie Sutherland said in a statement. "All of these targets have compelling surface geochemistry that warrant further evaluation. Information collected here will be instrumental to the next steps of development as we look to utilize substantial funding to fully unlock the potential of Pilar."
READ: Tocvan Ventures unearths new trend parallel to Main zone at Pilar gold-silver project
Metallurgical analysis of select trench samples is still underway, the company said, adding that it expects reports to be available soon. The company expects to have Pilar match other regional analogs that show a range of gold recovery between 67.6% and 75.0%. Continuous metallurgical work will be required to understand the best methods to recover gold and silver across different domains on the project, Tocvan said.
Additionally, over the past two months, field crews have been evaluating priority target areas at the El Picacho Au-Ag project. A total of 180 samples have been collected to date and are pending results. A preliminary trench program assessing the San Ramon and Jabali target areas is being planned for this summer.
The Pilar Gold-Silver property is interpreted as a structurally controlled low-sulphidation epithermal project hosted in andesite rocks. Three zones of mineralization have been identified in the north-west part of the property from historic surface work and drilling and are referred to as the Main Zone, North Hill and 4-Trench. Structural features and zones of mineralization within the structures follow an overall NW-SE trend of mineralization. Over 20,700-meters of drilling have been completed to date.
Tocvan is a d exploration development company created in order to take advantage of the prolonged downturn in the junior mining exploration sector, by identifying and negotiating interest in opportunities where management feels they can build upon previous success.
Contact the author at jon.hopkins@proactiveinvestors.com