Blende Silver Corp. (TSX.V: BAG) (OTC: BAGGF) has mobilized field crews to its 100%-owned Blende Silver-Zinc-Lead Project in north-central Yukon to commence the first phase of drilling targeting the project's 3D induced polarization (IP) chargeability anomalies. The first drill holes are expected to commence within approximately 10 days, testing the Central Zone, the roughly 2-kilometre corridor between the West Zone and East Zone deposits.
The upcoming holes represent the first drilling to directly test the priority 3D IP chargeability anomalies identified in the company's recently completed survey, notably in the Lower Central Zone and New Mountain Top areas. According to the company, the interpreted chargeability anomalies are several times greater in areal extent than the chargeability response over the defined West Zone mineralization. The West Zone anchors the existing mineral resource, and these new targets could indicate extensions of mineralization beyond currently defined zones.
Andrew H. Rees, President and CEO, emphasized that 'Blende is not a greenfield story. We already hold one of the larger known carbonate-hosted silver-zinc-lead resources in Western Canada, and our objective now is to test whether that resource can be expanded.' The company's 3D IP survey identified chargeability anomalies coincident with low resistivity, a combination that may indicate sulphide mineralization. The company is using the West Zone response as a calibration reference for interpreting the survey data.
The program is the first phase of a multi-phase drilling plan. Phase 1 begins this summer, with one to two holes anticipated before the field season concludes in mid-September 2026. Drilling will pause over the winter, and the company plans to mobilize equipment over the seasonal winter road to establish camp infrastructure and an airstrip, positioning the project for an expanded exploration program in spring and summer 2027.
Historical drilling in the Central Zone (13 holes along the ridge spine toward the East Zone) appears to have been positioned between two distinct chargeability anomalies, rather than directly testing the strongest responses. The company's interpretation is that these observations warrant drill testing for possible extensions of mineralization between the West Zone and East Zone. Continuity of mineralization between the zones will be tested by this drilling campaign.
The Blende Project hosts an existing NI 43-101 mineral resource and has been described as having the largest carbonate-hosted silver-zinc-lead deposit in the Yukon (M. Robinson and C.I. Godwin, Economic Geology, 1995). The current drill program is designed to test whether mineralization extends beyond the currently defined zones. The company intends to complete as many holes as site and weather conditions allow before the season ends.
Dr. Sarah Palmer, P.Geo., an independent consultant and Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in this release. The company cautions that geophysical anomalies, including IP chargeability responses, are not a direct indication of mineralization and may result from various geological factors; there is no certainty that drilling will intersect economic or sub-economic mineralization.
