Kootenay Silver Inc. (TSX-V: KTN) is pleased to provide results from eleven new drill holes at the Columba High Grade Silver Project. The batch reported herein comprises tests from the F and I-Veins and the first holes into a new target area La Preciosa. The next release will detail results from ongoing drilling at the D Vein.

Drill Highlights include; See links to overall plan map and plan maps of F Vein, I Vein, and the La Preciosa/E Vein area.

F Vein

Hole CDH-24-184

• Hit an old working at the F vein projection. Intercepted a hanging wall vein grading 411 gpt silver, 0.184% lead, and 0.323% zinc over 0.63 meters drill length from 63.15m downhole.

Hole CDH-24-186

• 522 gpt silver, 0.46% lead, and 0.8% zinc over 2.33 meters core length within 21 meters of 126 gpt silver from 142.67 meters downhole.
• Plus 5 other veins
  • Footwall
    • 490 gpt silver over 0.95 meters from 37.23 meters downhole
    • 214 gpt silver over 1.24 meters from 96.76 meters downhole
  • Hanging Wall 
    • 511 gpt silver over 1 meter core length from 177 meters downhole
    • 607 gpt silver over 1 meter core length from 194 meters downhole
    • 457 gpt silver over 1 meter core length within a 5.75 meter zone grading 218 gpt silver from 230.25 meters downhole
• CDH-24-186 fills a gap in dip of 100 meters with high grades found previously up dip and down dip in CDH-19-010 and CDH-21-090 plus five high grade veins on either side of F Vein.

I Vein

Hole CDH-24-185

• Two zones
  • 207 gpt silver, 0.11 % lead and 0.36% zinc over 5.53 meters core length from 93 meters downhole, includes;
    • 394 gpt silver, 0.06% lead, and 0.29% zinc over 0.46 meters core length from 95.54 meters downhole
  • 263 gpt silver, 0.31 % lead, and 1.37 % zinc over 0.56 meters from 142.93 meters downhole

CDH-24-188

• Four zones
  • 551 gpt silver, 0.6% lead, 0.49% zinc over 3.73 meters core length from 76 meters downhole
  • 155 gpt silver, 0.2% lead, 0.7% zinc over 5 meters core length from 139 meters downhole
  • 139 gpt silver, 4.33% lead, and 1.71% zinc over 4.2 meters core length from 233.8 meters downhole, includes;
    • 440 gpt silver, 10% lead, 0.05% zinc over 1 meter core length from 236 meters downhole
  • 38 gpt silver over 11 meters core length from a deeper alteration zone starting at 300 meters downhole.

CDH-24-194

• Three zones
  • 119 gpt silver over 1.0 meters core length from 120 meters downhole
  • 1455 gpt silver, 0.78% lead, 2.21% zinc over 0.5 meters core length from 219.2 meters downhole
  • 181 gpt silver, 3.92% lead, 5.83% zinc from 0.88 meters core length from 278.12 meters downhole

La Preciosa

La Preciosa is an outcropping structure that shows a pattern of improving grades with depth. A pattern seen across Columba that is well documented by drilling at the D and F Veins. This pattern is illustrated in holes CDH 24-187 and 189 where grades at surface of less than 1 ppm silver sequentially increase to 55 gpt silver ~ 100 meters below surface and again to 2 meters of 75 gpt silver ~ 180 meters below surface (see cross section). Similarly, an increase in barium, antimony, lead, and zinc can be seen with increasing depth. All of which indicates potential for high grades at depth along the structure.

The La Preciosa silicified breccia outcrop can be traced from the E Vein for 450m meters to the southeast. The breccia forms a low northwest trending cliff that is 250 meters northeast of and parallel to the southeastern extension of J Vein as mapped on surface.

Kootenay’s President & CEO, James McDonald states, “Recent holes on the F Vein to fill large drill gaps have intersected similar and slightly better grades than previous holes, a positive sign for future infill drilling. In the case of the I-Vein and Preciosa structure they both represent excellent targets for discovery of additional high grade mineralized shoots so keep an eye out for follow up drilling.”

Current batch of drill results from drill holes CDH-24-184 to 194 are tabulated below. Drill highlights, maps, and sections from the project are tabulated on the Company’s website at the links below

Click to view the long sections and cross sections (F Vein, I Vein, La Preciosa).

Two holes targeted F Vein within a zone of historical workings to fill gaps in the existing vein model. Hole CDH-24-184 intercepted a well mineralized hangingwall vein (values reported herein), before the hole encountered historical mine workings and was terminated before reaching target. Drillhole CDH-24-186 was drilled from the north side of F Vein and intercepted several mineralized intervals including the expected projection of F Vein.

I-Vein trends east-northeast from an intersection with F Vein just west of the main historical shaft to an intersection with the projection of J Vein some 620 meters distant. Four holes were drilled to test large gaps in the existing drilling on this structure.

CDH-24-185 was drilled near the southwestern end of the structure and encountered the mineralized vein as expected. Hole CDH-24-188 collared northeast of hole 185 and intercepted broad zones of very strong clay and silica alteration in a hydrothermal breccia known locally as “breccia negra”. Significant silver values along with high base metals are seen. The alteration is atypical of the project and may indicate proximity to deeper and hotter fluid/metal sources.

Hole CDH-24-192 and CDH-24-194 were drilled from a common pad and represent the northeastern extent of testing of the I Vein structure to date. These holes drilled close to outcropping breccia negra and encountered that lithology as well as the commonly occurring rhyolite host rock and dioritic intrusive. A high-grade intercept of 0.5 meters grading 1455 gpt Ag, 0.78% Pb, and 2.21% Zn was returned from a barite-quartz veinlet hosted within diorite from a depth of 219.2 meters downhole. Exploration potential along the I-Vein is considered very good and further drilling is needed.

The balance of holes reported herein represent exploration holes on a new structure mapped on surface known as “La Preciosa”.

The current drill program is nearing the end of its current 20,000 meters which commenced in 2024. The current program forms part of a 50,000-meter staged drill program and is designed to provide sufficient data to allow calculation of a maiden mineral resource estimate.

A comprehensive list of drill results completed on the Columba Property since 2019 may be viewed here: Columba Drill Results.

About Columba Project

The Columba project is a classic high grade epithermal vein system. That management believes is a newly recognized vein district. It is typical in character and size of other vein districts in Mexico known to have deposited significant resources of silver or gold such as La Chispas and Panuco.

Hosted within a volcanic caldera setting, the surface extent of mapped veins measures roughly 4 kilometres by 3 kilometres. Vein mineralization occurs over a minimum vertical extent of 350 meters as shown by drilling. The veins appear to be intermediate sulfidation veins indicating the potential for depths exceeding 700 meters of vertical extent. This remains to be tested and all veins remain open to depth.

The veins cut every known rock type on the project and the veins or vein structures can be traced across the highest elevations of the caldera. This indicates veins formed late in caldera history. As elevation increases vein development becomes irregular eventually being replaced by breccias at the higher elevations. Silver grades diminish with increasing elevation right down to background values. Correspondingly silver grades increase with depth from background at higher elevations to highs of kilograms per tonne at depth. It is evident from these features that the vein system has undergone almost no erosion and so whatever silver was deposited originally is largely still there.

A general rule of thumb on the project is at levels deeper than 1,750 meters above sea level is where good grades begin to appear. This is what is referred to as the grade line.

Prior to Kootenay Silver no exploration had occurred at Columba in nearly 40 years. Historically there were two periods of mining on one of the veins referred to as the F Vein. The first being in the early 1900’s when underground development included 6 drifts (tunnels) at different levels coming off a 200-meter-deep shaft. This work was halted by the Mexican Revolution. Then a second brief period of mining occurred around 1958 to 1960 when a small private company used the old development to mine. It is estimated that around 100,000 tonnes were mined.

Kootenay acquired 100% of the project and has completed detailed mapping, lidar, and airborne magnetic surveys along with over 49,000 meters of drilling in over 200 holes across various veins. The company also has a 24-year surface access agreement that includes annual and other payments and allows for both exploration and exploitation. The agreement covers all the mineralized areas drilled to date.

Sampling and QA/QC at Columba

All technical information for the Columba exploration program is obtained and reported under a formal quality assurance and quality control program. Samples are taken from core cut in half with a diamond saw under the direction of qualified geologists and engineers. Samples are then labeled, placed in plastic bags, sealed and with interval and sample numbers recorded. Samples are delivered by the Company to ALS Minerals in Chihuahua. The Company inserts blanks, standards and duplicates at regular intervals as follows. On average a blank is inserted every 100 samples beginning at the start of sampling and again when leaving the mineral zone. Standards are inserted when entering the potential mineralized zone and in the middle of them, on average one in every 25 samples is a standard. Duplicates are taken in the mineralized intervals at an average 2 duplicates for each hole.

The samples are dried, crushed and pulverized with the pulps being sent airfreight for analysis by ALS in Vancouver, B.C. Systematic assaying of standards, blanks and duplicates is performed for precision and accuracy. Analysis for silver, zinc, lead and copper and related trace elements was done by ICP four acid digestion, with gold analysis by 30-gram fire assay with an AA finish. All drilling reported is HQ core and was completed by Globextools, S.A. de C.V. of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.

Qualified Persons

The Kootenay technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with the Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101 (Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects) and reviewed and approved on behalf of Kootenay by Mr. Dale Brittliffe, BSc. P. Geol., Vice President, Exploration of Kootenay Silver, is the Company’s nominated Qualified Person pursuant to National Instrument 43-101, Standards for Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has reviewed the scientific and technical information disclosed in this news release. Mr. Brittliffe is not independent of Kootenay Silver.

About Kootenay Silver Inc.

Kootenay Silver Inc. is an exploration company actively engaged in the discovery and development of mineral projects in the Sierra Madre Region of Mexico. Supported by one of the largest junior portfolios of silver assets in Mexico, Kootenay continues to provide its shareholders with significant leverage to silver prices. The Company remains focused on the expansion of its current silver resources, new discoveries and the near-term economic development of its priority silver projects located in prolific mining districts in Sonora, State and Chihuahua, State, Mexico, respectively.