Blackrock Silver (TSXV:BRC) has announced new results from its step-out and in-fill drill programs at the 100%-controlled Tonopah West project in Nevada along the Walker Lane trend. The results display show continued expansion of the known mineralized structure, the Denver vein system. This expands the system by an additional 600 metres to the Northwest, which is now over 3 kilometres of drill-defined strike, and will remain open to the west. Assay results have encountered a large new zone of mineralization to the south as well, with the highest-grade and shallowest intercept at the project. 

Andrew Pollardk, Blackrock’s President and CEO commented in a press release:, “With two drill rigs at site, the latest assays from our ongoing 25,000 metre programme have materially expanded the footprint of known mineralization at the project, both to the northwest and to the south, delivering what is our highest-grade and shallowest intercept to date for the project in a new and quickly developing target area. The Denver vein system, which includes Victor, continues to show significant resource expansion potential, as step-out drilling has now tracked it an additional 1.6 kilometres to the northwest beyond the DPB resource area, with a further 500 metre step-out planned as part of this programme. Our exploration model, of which continues to be validated, indicates that this structure remains wide open to the west, where we have an additional 1600 metres of strike potential to our consolidated Tonopah property boundary. It’s clear that the project also has very deep roots and it remains open at depth as we’ve yet to find the bottom of the mineralized system.”

Highlights from the results are as follows: 

• Core hole TXC22-057 has delivered the highest-grade intercept at the project to date, intersecting 0.91 metres of 37.86 g/t Au and 2,740 g/t Ag or 6,526.7 g/t AgEq within 1.52 metres grading 22.88 g/t Au and 1,654.1 g/t Ag or 3,942.2 g/t AgEq starting at 191.42 metres down-hole in the New Discovery area along the southern edge of the DPB resource area (AgEq_= Ag_g/t + Au_g/t*100).;
• RC hole TW22-118 intersected 1.52 metres of the Denver vein grading 1.70 grams per tonne (“g/t”) gold (“Au”) and 0.1 g/t silver (“Ag”) or 171 g/t silver equivalent (“AgEq”) a full 1.6 kilometres northwest of the DPB resource area. A follow-up core drillhole is planned to target for higher-grades at a more favourable elevation;
• Drilling continues to expand the mineralized footprint well beyond the April 2022 resource boundary and remains open to the south, northwest, and at depth; and
• Two drill rigs are operating at site and assays for 10 drillholes are pending at this time.

Table 1: Significant Tonopah West drillhole assays using a 150 g/t AgEq cut off

Northwest Step Out Target

Drillholes TXC22-051 through -053 and TXC22-055 were completed in the Northwest Step Out target area. Drillhole TXC22-052 is 1,000 metres northwest of the DPB resource area and returned 4.6 metres grading 211 g/t AgEq beneath the Mizpah Andesite.

Data compilation in the Northwest Step Out target shows that drillhole TW22-118 encountered a mineralized structure and returned 170 g/t AgEq over 1.52 metres within the Mizpah Andesite; however, the drillhole terminated above the projected pay zone. TW22-118 is an additional 600 metres west of TXC22-052. Drillhole TW22-117 is 500 metres west of TW22-118. The drillhole encountered the Mizpah Andesite, but was called at 762 metres; thus not testing the mineralized structure beneath the Mizpah.

TXC22-055 was drilled to test the vein structure beneath the Mizpah andesite; however, the drillhole encountered a fault which off set the vein farther to the north. No significant assays were returned, but a better understanding of the cross structure was obtained from the drill information which will help to guide future drilling.

Blackrock’s property boundary extends an additional 1,600 metres west of TW22-117. From the DPB resource area to the edge of the Company’s property boundary, drilling suggests major potential along a 3,700-metre corridor immediately beneath the Mizpah Andesite. The vein system is in a similar stratigraphic position as the Denver vein drilled in the Victor and DPB resource areas. The known strike of the Denver is 1,300 metres drilled in the Victor (500 m) and DPB (800m) resource areas. The Northwest Step shows an additional 3,700 metres of potential along the Denver vein system bringing the total to 5,000 metres of potential high-grade silver and gold on the Tonopah West project (See figure 1). Assay are pending from two core holes, and an additional five pre-collars are complete awaiting core tails.

New Discovery Target

Drilling in the New Discovery target was designed to follow up on Coeur Mining’s 2018 drilling where drillhole TW18-004 encountered a 4.5 metre zone grading 4.933 g/t Au, 337 g/t Ag or 830 g/t AgEq.

Core holes TXC22-056, -057, -058, -059 and TXC22-060 were completed in the target area. Core hole TXC22-057 returned one of the highest grade gold and silver intercepts from the project with over one ounce of gold (37.8 g/t Au) and 2.7 kilograms of silver reported over a 0.91 metre interval. Drillholes TXC22-058, -59 and TXC22-060 all returned significant precious metal assays from the target. Expansion potential is evident, and additional drilling is highly warranted.

Victor Target

Five core holes were completed in the Victor target to test down-dip extensions and footwall vein structures. The drillholes encountered vein material and all assays are currently pending.

DPB Target

Four core drillholes are complete in the DPB area and an additional four are awaiting core tails. Core hole TXC22-054 was drilled to test step-out mineralization encountered in previous drilling (TW21-110). The core hole crossed a north-northwest fault which is believed to be the same structure encountered in TXC22-055. The fault appears to offset mineralization to the north on the west side of the fault. Based on the interpretation of the faults. The DPB area appears to be within a graben bounded on the east and west by north-northwest oriented faults.

The Company is using this new information to help guide continuing exploration of the Tonopah West property and the Tonopah district.

Source: Blackrock Silver Corp.