Source : THE AGE NEWS
By Andrew Todd
Advance Metals is hitting its stride with maiden drill testing of its high-grade Yoquivo silver project in southwestern Chihuahua, Mexico. The company says its first diamond drill hole is complete with its second hole is underway.
The company ambitious 3000-metre program is targeting high-grade epithermal vein stacks in one of Mexico’s most promising silver-gold districts.
Advance’s first hole pierced to depths of 450 metres at Yoquivo.
The campaign is focused on Advance’s high-grade Pertenencia prospect, which already hosts Yoquivo’s non-JORC foreign estimate of 937,000 tonnes at a serious 570 grams per tonne (g/t) silver-equivalent for 17.23 million ounces silver equivalent.
Advance Metals first drilling program at the company’s high-grade Yoquivo silver project in Chihuahua, Mexico.
The existing non-compliant resource was defined by more than 16,500m of historical drilling. Advance is now looking to upgrade the foreign estimate to a JORC compliant rating following the current 3000m drilling program.
The program is targeting extensions to known high-grade zones, with all holes designed to strategically intersect up to four modelled epithermal veins that host high-grade silver mineralisation.
‘The coming months should be very exciting as we look to expand the already impressive endowment of silver and gold at the site.’
Advance Metals managing director Dr Adam McKinnon
First assays are expected in the second half of June, as the company eagerly awaits its first inspection of its newly acquired Central American project.
Advance Metals managing director Dr Adam McKinnon said: “This milestone means we are now moving ever closer to seeing our first high grade silver-gold assays returned from the project. Given that the full program will see up to 3000 metres of drilling completed at Yoquivo, the coming months should be very exciting as we look to expand the already impressive endowment of silver and gold at the site.”
Epithermal vein systems, like those at Yoquivo, host some of the highest grade silver deposits globally. Formed near the Earth’s surface in volcanic settings, these systems channel hot, mineral-rich fluids through cracks in the crust, depositing high-grade silver and gold in concentrated zones.
Mexico, the world’s leading silver producer, is renowned for such deposits, with Chihuahua hosting some of the country’s richest mines.
With assay results looming, the coming months could deliver Advance some high-grade intercepts that build on previous stunning hits, such as a 6.2m interval grading a massive 2404g/t silver and 17.2g/t gold or 1.2m at 1895g/t silver and 34g/t gold.
Advance says that Yoquivo’s appeal lies in its multiple parallel vein systems, which offer several advantages for exploration, including multiple targets per hole, a high hit rate and quick growth potential from extensions.
Yoquivo’s grade places it attractively among undeveloped silver projects in the popular mining jurisdiction. Converted to gold equivalent, it currently equates to an impressive 5.7–7.6g/t gold equivalent, a stonking grade considering the attractive 85 per cent recovery rates suggested from historic metallurgy.
Advance also has two exciting projects in Victoria, the Myrtleford and Beaufort gold projects. Both are within the historical Victorian goldfields, known for producing more than 80M ounces of gold during its heyday.
As silver and gold prices continue their upward trajectory in 2025, Advance Metals is well-positioned to capitalise in two of the worlds emerging hot districts. Risks always follow first pass testing of any new projects but if Yoquivo can throw up similar numbers to its Victorian project, rocking an extraordinary 11.5m at 160.4g/t gold, the company could be onto a pair of high-grade hidden gems.
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: mattbirney@bullsnbears.com.au
