The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
North of 60 Mining News – November 22, 2019
The four deposits outlined so far at Dolly Varden are near historic mines on the property, such as this one being sampled by a Dolly Varden Silver geologist in 2012.
Instead of expanding and upgrading the known deposits, Dolly Varden's 2019 drill program tested outlying targets across its namesake property.
Dolly Varden Silver Corp. Nov. 19 reported that reconnaissance drilling on its namesake property in northern British Columbia has discovered silver mineralization in five of the targets tested this year.
The Dolly Varden hosts four deposits – Torbrit, Dolly Varden, Wolf and North Star – containing 3.42 million metric tons of indicated resource averaging 299.8 grams per metric ton (32.93 million oz) silver; plus 1.29 million metric tons of inferred resource averaging 277 g/t (11.48 million oz) silver, according to an updated calculation completed in May.
Instead of expanding and upgrading the known Dolly Varden deposits, the 44 holes drilled in 2019 tested twelve exploration targets across the wider property. Most of these targets lie within a potassic alteration belt north of the resource area.
"Our understanding of the structural setting of silver mineralization in the extensive potassic alteration belt continues to improve as a result of the 2019 drilling program. Five target areas have yielded silver values which will require follow-up testing, including excellent results from the Chance area," said Dolly Varden Silver President and CEO Gary Cope. "In addition, there are still multiple targets in the potassic alteration belt, as well as targets in the western gold belt, which have yet to be tested."
Earlier this year, Dolly Varden reported results from Chance, a target about 4,000 meters north of the Torbrit deposit that was known from shallow surface diamond drilling in the 1960s.
Dolly Varden's first Chance hole, DV19-165, cut 26.5 meters averaging 385.4 g/t silver, along with small amounts of zinc and lead, including five meters of 1,606.5 g/t silver.
DV19-173, another hole drilled at Chance, cut 15.2 meters averaging 488.3 g/t silver, including 5.6 meters of 1,043.8 g/t silver.
DV19-169, which intersected what appears to be a splay of the Chance vein, cut 8.7 meters of 265.2 g/t silver in the north splay and 12.5 meters of 340.7 g/t silver, including three meters of 700 g/t in the main splay of the vein.
The four other interesting target areas turned up this year are Silver Horde, Mackay, Beginner's Luck and Kitsol South.
One hole at Silver Horde, DV19-188, cut 3.65 meters averaging 139.1 g/t silver, along with small amounts of zinc and lead, including 1.65 meters averaging 237.7 g/t silver.
DV19-177, drilled at Mackay, cut 1.75 meters averaging 126.4 g/t silver, 2.27 percent lead and 0.04 percent zinc, including 0.5 meters averaging 385.0 g/t silver, 7.56 percent lead and 0.05 percent zinc.
DV19-203, drilled at Beginner's Luck, cut 4.4 meters averaging 99.2 g/t silver, along with small amounts of zinc and lead, including one meter averaging 188 g/t silver.
DV19-205, drilled at Kistol South, cut 3.3 meters averaging 148.9 g/t silver, along with small amounts of zinc and lead, including 1.05 meters averaging 303.9 g/t silver.
In addition to the silver targets turned up this year, Dolly Varden said there are other exploration targets where silver mineralization has been identified over the property's more than 100-year mining history that have yet to be drilled. The company said the targets will be considered for future exploration programs.
–SHANE LASLEY
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