Summa Silver Corp. (TSXV: SSVR) (OTCQX: SSVRF) announced results from an ongoing data compilation and geologic modelling at the Hughes Project near Tonopah, Nevada (the “Hughes Project” or “Hughes”), including historic underground rock sampling data. These data highlight the exploration potential of multiple, previously untested high-grade zones in the historic Belmont Mine.
Multiple zones open for expansion with high-priority drill targets emerging in one of America’s most prolific historic silver districts.
Key Highlights
- Multiple new high-grade silver and gold zones have been defined based on a compilation of historic underground sample data (see attached figures).
- Highlights include grades up:
- 3,204 g/t silver equivalent* (1,639 g/t Ag, 20.2 g/t Au) from the Belmont 1000 level,
- 3,164 g/t silver equivalent* (1,854 g/t Ag, 17.5 g/t Au) from Vein 953,
- 2,739 g/t silver equivalent* (2,229 g/t Ag, 8.6 g/t Au) from Vein 707,
- 2,192 g/t silver equivalent* (350 g/t Ag, 21.9 g/t Au) from a potential extension of the Belmont Vein.
- These un-mined zones present compelling drill targets and show that significant mineralization still exists in the historic Belmont Mine, which is reported to have produced 36.7 M ounces of silver and 428 K ounces of gold at grades of 1,137 g/t silver equivalent (599 g/t Ag and 6.99 g/t Au) between 1903 and 1929.
- The final drill hole of the 2023 Hughes drill program is complete representing a 650 m step out to the east from the Ruby discovery. The hole intersected extensive hydrothermal alteration and metre scale zones of quartz veins, breccias and stockworks locally host to visible silver sulfide mineralization. Assays are pending.
- The Hughes Project remains target rich with multiple high-grade zones remaining open and requiring step-out drilling over a trend of 6.5 km including recent new discoveries at the Ruby and Sapphire targets.
* Silver equivalent is calculated using US$20/oz Ag, US$1,800/oz Au with metallurgical recoveries of Ag – 90%, Au – 95%. AgEq = (Ag grade x Ag recovery) + ((Au grade x Au recovery) x (Au price / Ag price)).
Figure 1: Plan Map of the Hughes Project
Figure 2: Schematic Longsection of the Hughes Project
Figure 3: Longsection of the Belmont Vein and potential Extension
Figure 4: Longsection of the 707 and 953 Zones
Belmont Drill Targets
The historic Belmont Mine is reported to have produced 36.7 M ounces of silver and 428 K ounces of gold at grades of 1,137 g/t silver equivalent (599 g/t Ag and 6.99 g/t Au) between 1903 to 19292. Mining predominantly exploited a series of stacked, moderately to steeply dipping, southwest-northeast oriented high-grade veins, the most significant of which was the Belmont Vein. Previous drill programs by Summa targeted high-grade extensions of some of these veins and yielded intercepts highlighted by 536 g/t silver equivalent over 18.5 m in SUM20-06, 3,971 g/t silver equivalent* over 2.8 m in SUM21-30, and 1,559 g/t silver equivalent* over 4.3 m in SUM21-31 (see the Company’s news releases from September 30, 2020, July 21, 2021 and September 22, 2021). On-going compilation of historic data highlights multiple new drill targets, including:
Belmont Vein Potential Extension – Twenty-three samples were collected along an un-named and un-mined vein 240 m along strike from the Belmont Vein stopes. Samples were collected over a strike of 100 m and returned results up to 2,192 g/t silver equivalent* (350 g/t Ag, 21.95 g/t Au, sample 261). This zone is untested by drilling, is approximately 250 m below surface and represents a priority drill target.
Vein 953 – Eight samples were collected over 20 m on the 900 level along strike from Rhyolite 953 stopes centered on Vein 953 (formerly known as the Likely vein). Sample 324 assayed 3,164 g/t silver equivalent* (1,854 g/t Ag, 17.5 g/t Au) and suggests high-grade mineralization extends beyond the limits of historic mining. This vein has not been tested by drilling.
Rhyolite Vein 707 – Nine samples were collected on the 900 level covering a strike length of 15 m along Vein 707 to southwest of the Rhyolite 703 stopes. Samples assayed up to 2,739 g/t silver equivalent* (2,229 g/t Ag, 8.57 g/t Au) where the westernmost sample returned 586 g/t silver equivalent* (326 g/t Ag, 3.43 g/t Au), suggesting the zone is open along strike to the southwest. This vein has not been tested by drilling.
Belmont 1000 level – Nine samples were collected on the western side of 1,000 level of the Belmont Mine along accessible developments. Samples up to 3,204 g/t silver equivalent* (1,639 g/t Ag, 20.23 g/t Au) were reported which suggests high-grade zones, peripheral to mined-out stopes, remain along strike across numerous veins.
Based on this compilation, new targets together with existing targets (e.g., Ruby, Murray, Rescue and Halifax) will be ranked and prioritised for future exploration drill programs. The focus of these programs will be test for the strike and dip extent of these zones of high-grade mineralization.
Table 1: Historic Underground Sample Assay Highlights from the Belmont Mine
Historic Underground Rock Samples
In total, 182 underground samples with assay data have been compiled and recovered from historic underground plan maps from the Belmont mine collected by Tonopah Belmont Cons Mines in 19461. Samples are predominantly from northeast-southwest trending veins including un-named veins and the 953 and 707 veins (Figure 1-3). Samples are reported to have been collected by hand across sample lengths between 0.1 and 3.7 m. Samples are from the 800, 900, 1000, 1100 levels of the Belmont Mine and were collected by hand across the veins over measured distances. However, sample collection procedures were not fully documented, therefore all samples are treated herein as grab samples and assumed to be selective in nature. These data have been compared to known mining records to confirm the sampled areas were not exploited, either before or after the sampling.
Grades from the samples were originally reported in dollar values per ton in gold and silver with metal prices of $35/oz for gold and $0.70/oz for silver. Sampling locations and widths were restricted to historic workings that were accessible at the time and may only represent parts of the mineralized zones.
Technical Disclosure
The reader is cautioned that the historical results from the Belmont Mine are based on prior data and reports prepared by previous property owners. The reader is cautioned not to treat them, or any part of them, as current and that a qualified person has not done sufficient work to verify the results and that they may not form a reliable guide to future results. The Company considers these historical results relevant as it is using this data as a guide to plan exploration programs. No independent QA/QC protocols are known for these samples and as such analytical results may be unreliable. However, the Company has completed extensive drilling programs on numerous veins of the Belmont Mine, which show strong mineralization.
Mineralization hosted on adjacent properties is not necessarily indicative of mineralization hosted on the Company’s properties.
Qualified Person
The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Galen McNamara, P. Geo., the CEO of the Company and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.
Summa Silver Corp is a market awareness client of Capital 10X. For more information, including potential conflicts of interest please see our Content Disclaimer.
