Aftermath Silver Ltd. provided the final assay results from its Phase 2 diamond drill program at the Berenguela silver-copper-manganese deposit located in the Department of Puno in southern Peru. Results are included for 12 holes from the initially planned 60-hole (4,600m) program of diamond core drilling, which the company increased to 82 holes (5,329m of core) due to positive geological results. Hole AFD139, on the most easterly section of drilling, returned a significant copper intercept indicating that the mineralization remains open to the east.
Highlights of the current drilling include: AFD144 intersected 13.8m @ 558g/t Ag + 3.16% Cu + 15.06% Mn from 23.2m down hole, including 5.6m @ 1053g/t Ag + 2.85% Cu + 15.80% Mn from 31.4m down hole; AFD139 cut 68.9m @ 78g/t Ag + 1.19% Cu + 6.03% Mn from 6.4m down hole. Full results for 12 holes are in the table below, and a table of collar coordinates and hole azimuths is appended at the end of this release. Drilling was carried out at a high angle to mineralization controls, and intersections are assumed to equate to true thickness.
The weighted average core recovery in the mineralized intersections was 97%. Some lower recoveries were returned close to the surface (0 to 5m) in initial drilling runs and around some underground workings. Holes AFD120, AFD121, AFD139, and AFD140 targeted the far eastern ridge area of the existing mineral resource.
These were sited to extend and define the margin of mineralization while converting inferred resources to indicated and/or measured categories where appropriate. Holes AFD139 and AFD140 are the furthest east drilled by Aftermath and essentially the last holes drilled eastwards on the Berenguela drill grid. Significant mineralization was encountered, which remains open eastwards.
Steep topography prevented further drilling without access preparation, which is planned in due course. AFD104, AFD137, AFD138, AFD141, and AFD142 targeted a syncline that forms the southern flank of the southeastern antiform. Shallow, thin mineralization was expected.
The holes were designed to extend and define the margin of mineralization while converting inferred resources to indicated and/or measured categories where appropriate. Holes AFD143 to AFD145 targeted the core mineralization of the central area close to old open pits: a structurally complex zone with faulting parallel to section separating Domain 1 to the west and Domain 2 to the east. The results of this and previous drilling confirmed that the mineralization traversed the faulting, hence the faulting must be an older event than the intense MnO alteration and associated silver-copper mineralization.
Drilling was designed to convert inferred resources to indicated and/or measured categories where appropriate. The host stratigraphy at Berenguela comprises folded thickly bedded, light grey limestones and dolomitized limestones. Several large bodies of black massive, patchy, and fracture-controlled manganese oxide replacement mineralization with associated silver, copper, and zinc enrichment occur in the folded limestones.
Mineralization largely follows stratigraphy and is typically conserved as eroded synform or antiform remnants, usually exposed at the surface and with fold axes trending 105-120 degrees. Generally, the limestone is underlain by a transitional arenite unit overlying evaporites in footwall formations. In the area covered by this release, the eastern margin of mineralization, the arenites and evaporites were not generally encountered, suggesting the limestone sequence is thickening eastward and downfaulted in blocks.
Historical mapping and resource modeling show mineralization to extend for roughly 1,300m along strike. The recent drilling has extended the strike length to at least 1550m, with a maximum width of 400m in the central part, 250m in the western part, and 50m in the faulted section between the western and central parts. This includes a previous 100m gap or discontinuity now closed by drilling.
The drilling was carried out at a high angle to the stratigraphically controlled mineralization, and intersections are approximately true thickness.
