Kootenay Silver Inc. (TSXV: KTN) (the “Company” or “Kootenay”) is pleased to announce that it has completed the first three drill holes of the previously announced 7,500-meter core drill program being carried out at its 100% owned La Cigarra silver project located in Chihuahua State, Mexico.
Drilling continues with the forth drill hole of the program underway on the eastern portion of the Las Venadas Zone, where an extensive new area of silver mineralization has been recently discovered by Kootenay’s technical team through an ongoing geological mapping and sampling program. This new mineralized area within the Las Venadas Zone measures 400 x 200 meters and is open to the north towards the Las Carolinas Zone and to the south.
The new mineralized area is believed to be the southeasterly continuation of the San Gregorio-Las Carolinas silver mineralized trend that hosts La Cigarra’s established NI 43-101 silver resource. Detailed exploration within the southeast area of Las Venadas was initiated after sampling by Kootenay returned values of 190, 323 and 582 gpt silver over the prospective area from surface grab samples. The zone is open to the southeast as some of the strongest mineralization becomes covered by tertiary rhyolites where prospecting values of 139, 195, 179, 133, 56 and 53 gpt silver were obtained from grab samples. Of the 168 samples taken during the program results ranged from a high of 582 gpt to less than 1 gpt silver, 42 samples reported grades exceeding 20 gpt silver with many samples returning high values of lead. Click to view: Table highlighting silver values greater than 20 gpt. Click to view: Map of Las Venadas sampling.
Kootenay President and CEO James McDonald states, “We are very pleased to commence drilling on the newly discovered eastern portion of the Las Venadas Zone. The new zone is contained within a strikingly similar geological setting to the Las Carolinas, San Gregorio and La Borracha Zones of silver mineralization situated to the north. All indications from ground exploration and sampling to date make this region of the property a top priority as we continue to ramp up our drill and resource expansion program at La Cigarra.”
The newly discovered Las Venadas mineralization is hosted within a northwesterly trending, arcuate structure marked by a magnetic low associated with silver mineralization to the north hosted in the Las Carolinas, San Gregorio and La Borracha Zones. This magnetic anomaly and associated silver mineralization can be traced for over 5 kilometers and remains open at both ends.
The original Las Venadas mineralization represents the northern sector of a prominent north-trending structure: the Las Venadas-Soledad-Las Chinas trend, previously drill-tested by Kootenay. The new Las Venadas silver mineralization sits on trend southwest of the La Cigarra silver resource and to the immediate east of the Las Venadas-Soledad-Las Chinas trend.
Mineralization within the new area is similar to the La Cigarra established resource and is hosted in veins, stockworks and breccia’s proximal to the contact of an underlying sandstone facies with an argillite/siltstone/thin bedded limestone facies. Drilling commenced on the Las Venadas Zone on May 20, 2017. Results will be announced as assays are received and interpreted by the Company.
Kootenay continues to evaluate the numerous silver anomalies on the La Cigarra silver project with the objective of outlining further prospective drill targets.
Sampling and QA/QC
All technical information for the La Cigarra exploration program is obtained and reported under a formal quality assurance and quality control ("QA/QC") program. Samples are taken under the direction of qualified geologists and stored in sealed bags. Samples are delivered by the Company via courier to ALS Minerals ("ALS") in Chihuahua. The samples are dried, crushed and pulverized with the pulps being sent airfreight for analysis by ALS in Vancouver B.C. Systematic assaying of standards is performed for precision and accuracy. Analysis for silver, zinc, lead and copper and related trace elements was done by ICP four acid digestion, with gold analysis by 30-gram fire assay with an AA finish. All drilling will be with HQ core and has been contracted to BD Drilling from Guadalajara, Mexico
Qualified Persons
The Kootenay technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with the Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101 (Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects) and reviewed on behalf Kootenay by James McDonald, P.Geo, President, CEO & Director for Kootenay, a Qualified Person.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
For additional information, please contact:
James McDonald, CEO and President at 403-880-6016
Ken Berry, Chairman at 604-601-5652; 1-888-601-5650
or visit: www.kootenaysilver.com
