Arizona Gold and Silver CEO Mike Stark joined Steve Darling from Proactive to announce the start of a 27-hole reverse circulation (RC) drilling program at the company’s Silverton gold-antimony project in Nevada. The campaign is designed to evaluate high-grade antimony mineralization near surface while also advancing the company’s exploration model that suggests the project may overlie a larger concealed gold system at depth.

Stark explained that recent geological work has strengthened the company’s belief that the antimony-rich mineralization exposed at surface may represent the upper expression of a deeper carbonate-hosted gold deposit. This interpretation is supported by several geological indicators commonly associated with major gold systems, including widespread silicification, decalcification, jasperoid development, elevated arsenic-antimony-mercury pathfinder geochemistry, anomalous gold values, and a significant conductive magnetotelluric (MT) anomaly identified approximately one kilometre beneath the surface.

The new drilling program will focus initially on testing high-grade antimony-bearing quartz-stibnite veins that have been identified through both historic exploration efforts and recent surface sampling programs. Management believes these veins could represent a valuable standalone critical minerals opportunity while also providing important clues about the potential existence of a larger gold-bearing system below.

The drilling campaign will comprise 27 reverse circulation holes drilled from 17 separate drill pads strategically positioned across the project area. Most of the holes are expected to range between 30 and 45 metres in depth and are specifically designed to evaluate the continuity, grade, and extent of near-surface antimony mineralization.

In addition to the shallow antimony-focused holes, Arizona Gold & Silver plans to drill three deeper holes extending beyond approximately 150 metres. These holes will be cased to allow for potential future diamond drill extensions targeting deeper geophysical and geochemical anomalies interpreted to be prospective for Carlin-type gold mineralization.

Stark noted that the project’s timing is particularly favorable given growing U.S. government efforts to secure domestic supplies of critical minerals. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) classifies antimony as a critical mineral because of its importance to national security, defense manufacturing, and strategic supply chains. With global antimony production heavily concentrated outside North America, domestic sources have become increasingly important.

Courtesy of Arizona Gold & Silver Via Proactive Investor