Imperial’s Silvertip yields solid results

Imperial Metals (IPM-T) has completed 8,000 metres of drilling in search of additional mineralization at the Silvertip massive sulphide project in northern British Columbia.

The property, formerly known as Midway, is 80 km west of Watson Lake along the British Columbia-Yukon border. Intensive exploration and underground development work in the 1980s defined 1.4 million tonnes in reserves grading 8.3% zinc, 5.8% lead and 317 grams silver per tonne.

Imperial Metals describes Silvertip, which it acquired in late 1996, as a carbonate-hosted manto-type deposit, with silver-rich massive sulphide mineralization deposited in a series of irregularly shaped cave systems. A second style of stratabound exhalative zinc-lead mineralization occurs in the shale overlying the limestone formation.

Drilling in 1997 resulted in the discovery of two new zones: the Silver Creek Extension, immediately northwest of the Silver Creek zone; and the Discovery North, 150 metres north of the Discovery zone.

Nineteen holes intersected significant mineralization in a 150-by-150-metre area of the Silver Creek Extension. Results ranged from 1.96 metres grading 6.41% zinc and 5.52% lead, plus 0.79 gram gold and 238 grams silver, at a downhole depth of 40.84 to 42.8 metres in hole 24, to 19 metres averaging 11.58% zinc, 10.64% lead, 2.16 grams gold and 496 grams silver at a depth of 57 to 76 metres in hole 61.

Other highlights include:

* 13.35 metres averaging 12.52% zinc, 6.9% lead, 2.09 grams gold and 302 grams silver at a depth of 44 to 57.35 metres in hole 14;

* 13.75 metres averaging 9.94% zinc, 3.61% lead, 1.8 grams gold and 164 grams silver at a depth of 58.75 to 72.5 metres in hole 21;

* 5 metres grading 15.89% zinc, 19.32% lead, 1.32 grams gold and 795 grams silver at a depth of 45.3 to 50.3 metres in hole 34; and

* 19.5 metres averaging 12.59% zinc, 10.81% lead, 1.05 grams gold and 449 grams silver at a depth of 93 to 112.5 metres in hole 39.

The Discovery North zone, a narrow, 350-long structure, is defined by five drill holes. Significant intervals included:

* 1.7 metres grading 28.46% zinc, 15.77% lead, 0.1 gram gold and 730 grams silver at a downhole depth of 17.9 to 19.6 metres, in addition to 3.25 metres of 4.5% zinc, 2.82% lead, 0.17 gram gold and 128 grams silver at a depth of 83.25 to 86.5 metres, in hole 4;

* 5.7 metres of 10.28% zinc, 7.84% lead, 0.4 gram gold and 470 grams silver at a depth 192.5 to 198.2 metres in hole 5;

* 2 metres grading 9.16% zinc, 4.47% lead, 0.11 gram gold and 234 grams silver at 190.9 to 192.9 metres in hole 60;

* 1.3 metres grading 8.74% zinc, 13.35% lead, 0.93 gram gold and 472 grams silver at 180.9 to 182.2 metres, in addition to 2.1 metres of 7.2% zinc, 6.67% lead, 0.45 gram gold and 309 grams silver at 186.3 to 188.4 metres, in hole 63; and

* 3.75 metres grading 3.16% zinc, 4.9% lead, 0.86 gram gold, 186 grams silver at 261.82 to 265.57 metres in hole 6.

Imperial Metals is calculating a new reserve estimate for Silvertip.