Northern Crown expands gold-silver deposit in western Mexico

Drilling has expanded the Guadalupe de los Reyes gold-silver project in Mexico’s Sinaloa state, Northern Crown Mines (COB-V) reports.

Results include assays from 11 holes drilled in the Zapote zone, one drilled in the Guadalupe mine zone, three in the Noche Buena zone, and an initial hole drilled in the previously untested San Miguel zone.

The San Miguel hole intersected 9.15 metres grading 1.99 grams gold and 87 grams silver per tonne, demonstrating what Northern Crown describes as potentially economic mineralization.

At the Zapote zone, west of San Miguel, 11 new holes were drilled, bringing the total there to 120. Results include: hole 108, which intersected 6.1 metres grading 1.81 grams gold and 18.2 grams silver; hole 109, which returned 6.1 metres of 1.36 grams gold and 69.6 grams silver; hole 110, which returned 16.76 metres from surface grading 2.94 grams gold and 27.7 grams silver; hole 111, which intersected 12.19 metres of 1.17 grams gold and 34.5 grams silver; hole 112, which returned 3.05 metres from surface of 1.68 grams gold and 13.2 grams silver, and 3.05 metres of 3.49 grams gold and 66 grams silver; hole 114, which intersected 21.34 metres grading 3.3 grams gold and 32.7 grams silver, including 7.62 metres of 8.69 grams gold and 31.8 grams silver; hole 115, which returned 18.29 metres grading 1.73 grams gold and 32.2 grams silver including 4.58 metres of 5.58 grams gold and 29 grams silver; and hole 116, which intersected 10.66 metres of 1.53 grams gold and 40.2 grams silver.

The Vancouver-based company reports that intersections encountered in holes 114, 115 and 116 extend the southern limits of the Zapote deposit. Infill drilling is under way, and an additional 50 holes will be drilled over the next month in preparation for a prefeasibility study.

Fifty-four holes were drilled at the Guadalupe mine zone, where, to date, the highest silver values have been discovered. The latest hole, 54, intersected 28.96 metres grading 105.2 grams silver and 0.9 gram gold, including 553.3 grams silver and 4.7 grams gold. The company plans to drill an additional 150 holes over the next several months.

At the southern end of the Noche Buena zone, two of five holes failed to intersect significant mineralization. However, hole 14 returned 7.62 metres of 1.68 grams gold and 19.5 grams silver; hole 15 intersected 3.05 metres of 2.05 grams gold and 87.6 grams silver; and hole 17 returned 3.05 metres of 2.3 grams gold and 35.5 grams silver, plus 3.04 metres of 0.69 gram gold and 21.2 grams silver.

More drilling is planned at Noche Buena, though the immediate focus will be on expanding Zapote and San Miguel, and defining the resource of the Guadalupe mine zone.