Three companies published drilling results from projects in Mexico during the week. As can be seen from the one digit gpt*m column in the table below, this was not a good week for gold drilling. Radius Gold reported results for the last hole of the first drill campaign ever at its Tropico project in Zacatecas. The program had high expectations based on a spectacular alteration and gold silver mineralization for what looks like the upper portion of a well endowed low sulfidation epithermal system. Still, the results warrant further work on the property, although not in a short time frame as pointed by Radius Gold in their press release: “Given the unexpected flat dip of the target breccia to the east and the significantly lower gold assays in hole 8, pursuing the breccia body down dip is not justified at this time. Radius geological team interprets the breccia body to be part of a larger diatreme and/or explosive volcanic breccia system. Targeting the source of the epithermal gold mineralization will require further evaluation and likely an agreement with Geological Survey of Mexico (GSM), which controls ground surrounding the Tropico property. Radius has had formal and positive discussions with the GSM, but any agreement would take considerable time”.

On the other hand silver results are not bad at all, as shown by Kootenay Silver’s intercepts at Columba, in Chihuahua, where the current program is focused in extending known mineralization in the “D” vein. A subsequent drill program is to follow this one, aiming to produce a resource estimate in late 2024 on this intermediate sulfidation epithermal mineralization.

At La Parrilla mine, in Durango, Silver Storm released results from two drill holes targeting down dip from the lower levels of the past-producing Quebradillas mine. Both holes intercepted high-grade poly metallic mineralization almost 100 m below the workings. The company is completing technical studies aiming to reestablish mining operations in 2025.