Blende Silver Corp. (TSX.V: BAG) (OTC: BAGGF) (WKN: A2QKT9) (FSE: BCW1) 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, the roughly 2 km corridor between the company's West Zone and East Zone deposits.
The upcoming drilling will directly test priority chargeability anomalies identified in the company's recently completed 3D IP survey, notably in the Lower Central Zone and New Mountain Top areas. These anomalies are interpreted to be several times larger in areal extent than the chargeability response over the defined West Zone mineralization, which serves as a calibration reference. The combination of chargeability high with low resistivity is the criterion used to rank targets, as it may indicate sulphide mineralization. Prior review of inversion data suggested that historical drilling in the Central Zone may have missed the strongest responses, positioning the new holes to potentially test for extensions of mineralization between the West and East Zones.
“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,” said Andrew H. Rees, President and CEO. “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 commences this summer, with one to two holes anticipated before the field season concludes in mid-September 2026, weather permitting. Drilling will pause over winter, and the company plans to mobilize equipment over the seasonal winter road to establish camp infrastructure and an airstrip. This infrastructure is intended to support an expanded exploration program in spring and summer 2027.
The Blende Project has been described in published literature as hosting the largest carbonate-hosted silver-zinc-lead deposit in the Yukon (M. Robinson and C.I. Godwin, Economic Geology, 1995). The project hosts an existing NI 43-101 mineral resource, with historical exploration defining the East and West Zones, located approximately two kilometers apart. The current program is designed to test whether mineralization extends beyond these defined zones, with the goal of potentially increasing the resource base.
“We aim to mobilize equipment over the winter road this winter to build camp and airstrip infrastructure through the coming spring and summer to support a substantially larger, sustained program across a district-scale property,” added Rees. “This program is directed at testing for extensions to the existing mineral resource, and there is no certainty that it will result in any increase to that resource.”
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.
