Blende Silver Corp. (TSX.V: BAG) (OTC: BAGGF) has announced that field crews are mobilizing to its 100%-owned Blende Silver-Zinc-Lead Project in north-central Yukon to commence the first phase of drilling targeting the project's 3D induced polarization (IP) chargeability anomalies. The first drill holes are expected to commence within approximately 10 days, focusing on the Central Zone, a roughly 2-kilometer corridor between the West Zone and East Zone deposits.
The upcoming drilling represents the first time the company will directly test the priority 3D IP chargeability anomalies identified in its recently completed survey. Notably, the survey revealed chargeability anomalies in the Lower Central Zone and New Mountain Top areas that appear to be several times larger in areal extent than the chargeability response over the defined West Zone mineralization. The West Zone chargeability response, coincident with low resistivity, is spatially associated with known silver-zinc-lead mineralization and serves as a calibration reference for interpreting the survey. The company is using the combination of chargeability high with low resistivity as the criterion to rank drill targets, as that combination may indicate sulphide mineralization.
Blende already hosts an existing NI 43-101 mineral resource and is considered one of the larger known carbonate-hosted silver-zinc-lead occurrences in Western Canada. The current drill program is designed to test whether mineralization extends beyond the currently defined zones. Historical drilling in the Central Zone, which includes 13 holes drilled along the ridge spine toward the East Zone, appears to have been positioned between two distinct chargeability anomalies rather than directly testing the strongest responses. The company interprets these observations as warranting drill testing for possible extensions of mineralization between the West and East Zones, with continuity of mineralization between the zones being a key target of this campaign.
Andrew H. Rees, President and CEO, emphasized that Blende is not a greenfield story. "We already hold one of the larger known carbonate-hosted silver-zinc-lead resources in Western Canada, and our objective now is to test whether that resource can be expanded," Rees said. "Our 3D IP survey identified chargeability anomalies, coincident with low resistivity, that cover a larger area than the chargeability response over the West Zone that anchors our existing resource, and this program puts a drill directly into those targets for the first time."
The company has designed a phased approach to match seasonal realities. Phase 1, commencing this summer, involves drilling as many holes as conditions allow before the field season concludes in mid-September 2026, anticipated to be one to two holes. Drilling will resume and expand in spring and summer 2027 following a winter pause. During the winter break, the company plans to use the seasonal winter road to mobilize equipment to establish camp infrastructure and an airstrip on site, providing a logistical foundation for a larger, more sustained exploration program in subsequent phases.
The Blende Project has been described in published literature as hosting the largest carbonate-hosted silver-zinc-lead deposit in the Yukon, based on a 1995 Economic Geology publication. The project covers 5,345 hectares and is located approximately 63 kilometers northeast of Keno Hill, within the historic Keno Hill silver district. Historical exploration has defined East and West Zones, two primary mineralized zones located about two kilometers apart. The property has undergone more than $9.2 million in past exploration, including 25,195 meters of drilling in 132 holes, though these figures are derived from historical records that the company has not independently verified.
The scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Sarah Palmer, P.Geo., an independent consultant and Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. The company cautions that geophysical anomalies, including IP chargeability responses, are not a direct indication of mineralization and may result from various geological factors, and there is no certainty that drilling will intersect economic or sub-economic mineralization. The company also notes that mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability, and inferred mineral resources are considered too speculative geologically to have economic considerations applied to them.
