Blackrock Silver Corp. (TSXV: BRC) has received successful final drill results from the company’s first scout exploration drill campaign on its 100% controlled Tonopah North project located in West Central Nevada along the Walker Lane trend.
These results show the Tonopah North project has significant lithium potential over a considerable area. A broad lithium zone has been intersected in all drillholes across the Tonopah North project area encompassing 5,200 acres (2,100 ha).
The lithium bearing zone has an average thickness of 28.1 metres and has been drilled near the surface to a depth of 117.3 metres below the ground. Based on the drilling to date, the lithium zone is entirely within the Siebert Tuff, and has a similar profile to the lithium mineralization encountered at the TLC deposit located 3 kilometres to the northwest. The lithium bearing zone remains open in all directions.
Highlights:
- Lithium values up to 1,217 ppm lithium have been intercepted in drilling, in addition to continuity of broad zones of mineralisation up to 56.4 metres in thickness;
- The average thickness of the lithium bearing zone is 28.1 metres;
- The lithium bearing zone comes within 8 metres of the surface on the northeast portion of the property and has been intersected down to 117 metres below the surface.
- The mineralisation is similar to the nearby TLC lithium deposit owned by American Lithium Corp which is located three kilometres to the northeast of the company’s land holdings.
“Results from our first pass scout drill program at our Tonopah North project have established significant lithium potential at the project with all drillholes hitting broad zones of mineralisation,” President and CEO, Andrew Pollard, said.
“With grades up to 1,217 ppm lithium encountered, and thick zones of mineralization up to 56.4 metres starting near surface, initial results compare quite favourably to other well-established lithium claystone projects in the area, both directly adjacent to our project and in the nearby Clayton Valley.
“Blackrock’s project portfolio now consists of the highest-grade undeveloped silver project in the world (with expansion drilling ongoing), in addition to what’s emerging as a potentially significant new lithium discovery right next door.
“This positions Blackrock as one of the most unique companies in the emerging green metals space and provides for significant optionality for investors as both projects continue to take shape.”
The company completed approximately 9,300 metres of drilling in twenty RC drillholes. The drilling originally was to test the gold and silver potential to the west and north of the company’s silver-gold resource area located at the Tonopah West project; however, drilling of the upper geologic units was required to reach the underlying precious metal targets.
All drillholes penetrated cover rocks known to host lithium deposits in the region including the TLC deposit, which is located within five kilometres of the drilling. A significant zone of lithium-bearing material was intersected. Lithium values up to 1,217 ppm lithium within a 23-metre thick section of the Siebert Tuff was discovered. The following table summarises the lithium values above 400 ppm received from the drill programme.
Drilholes TN22-001, -002, -007, -008 -010, -015 and TN22-016 did not return lithium values above the 400-ppm cut-off grade; however, these drillholes intersect significantly anomalous lithium bearing zones within the Siebert formation.
TN22-001 encountered a 45-metre zone of anomalous lithium grading 113 ppm Lithium. Similarly, TN22-002 encountered two 45 metre zones starting at the surface grading 158 ppm and 126 ppm lithium starting at three metres and 60 metres respectively.
TN22-003 encountered three anomalous lithium zones with the best one returning 216 ppm lithium over 88 metres.
TN22-007, -008 and -009 were completed in the northern portion of the claim block. TN22-007 intersected 21 metres grading 57 ppm lithium within the Siebert Tuff. TN22-008 cut a 113-metre zone of anomalous lithium bearing lithologies, but the average grade was 68 ppm lithium. TN22-007 and TN22-008 lithium results were below the 400-ppm lithium cut-off grade. At site TN22-009, anomalous Siebert Tuff was encountered and returned 56 metres grading 494 ppm lithium. A northeast oriented fault structure is postulated between TN22-008 and TN22-009 to account for the rapid increase in lithium grade. The fault could act as trapping mechanism for the lithium.
Drillholes TN22-006, -012, -13, -019 and TN22-020 were completed in the centre of the project area. All had significant zones above the 400 ppm cut-off grade. TN22-012 returned the highest lithium grade of 1,217 ppm lithium. The higher grades show a northeast trend that needs additional work to understand the distribution of the high-grade lithium values encountered.
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