Assays have revealed an extensive silver halo surrounding the Ridgeline anomaly at PolarX’s (ASX:PXX) Humboldt Range, adding lustre to recent gold assays of up to 37g/t.
“The results show the silver footprint is extremely large and envelops the entire drill program. This indicates we are sitting above a very big, mineralised gold-silver system,” PolarX MD Jason Berton said.
“As part of an epithermal system, there is potential for gold and silver grades to increase at depth.
“The gold grades are as good or better than those at the highly successful operating mines nearby,” Berton said.
“The widths are substantial, the mineralisation extends from surface, and we have only drilled 800m of the 3.6km-long anomaly.”
In light of these results, PolarX is making plans for a follow-up program aimed at extending known mineralisation at depth and along the rest of the anomaly.
Multiple mineralised zones have been identified within a broad enveloping silver halo trending northeast to southwest.
Nevada is the premier gold production state in the US and PolarX’s claims lie in the emerging Humboldt trend that features heap-leach processing from large-scale open-pit mining.
Humboldt Range contains geology consistent with bonanza-style epithermal gold-silver mineralisation and bulk mineable epithermal gold-silver mineralisation, both of which are well known in Nevada.
The initial 13-hole drill program totalled 2,027m and focused on the northern section of the Ridgeline prospect, which includes induced polarisation and soil geochemistry anomalies.
Wide mineralised gold intervals were intercepted in 10 holes and even broader silver mineralisation was intercepted in all 13 holes, confirming a larger mineralised footprint than first thought with multiple mineralised trends that match soil and IP anomalies on the surface.
Every RC hole drilled into the Rochester Rhyolite unit contains silver mineralisation and strong siliceous alteration throughout.
Further drilling is expected to confirm the vein system continues to much greater depths than the current drilled vertical extents of about 100m, which the company says is supported by IP and magnetic data.
Rock chip samples previously assayed at Ridgeline graded up to 43.8g/t Au and 86.1g/t Ag.
The new results largely show significantly higher grades than the previous two RC drill campaigns in Star Canyon, with results from Ridgeline and Star Canyon demonstrating the very large, mineralised footprint across the Black Canyon project claims, PolarX said.
Drilling along the main section demonstrated how extensive the mineralisation was along the Ridgeline prospect. Six holes were drilled across the section, covering +300m of width, and the system remains open laterally and at depth for follow up drilling.
Just two RC holes were drilled in the central section, which is a 200m step out to the south of the main section, and wide zones of epithermal gold were intercepted with further drill testing required.
PolarX is planning to resume RC drilling at Ridgeline in May and is also applying for drill permits at the Black Canyon valley area to drill test historical high-grade veins including Lois, Indian Ike, JC and the Midas vein.
“These strong silver assays, which follow the high-grade gold assays, further highlight the potential for the Ridgeline prospect to become a significant discovery,” Berton said.
The Nevada claims are adjacent to large-scale operating mines and existing road, energy and workforce infrastructure.
A key unexplored holding within significantly mineralised Rochester rhyolite units in the Humboldt Ranges, PolarX’s tenure is a two-and-a-half-hour drive east of Reno along the I80 highway in Nevada.
Access to the project is straightforward via roads off the interstate highway less than 15km to the west of the claims.
The Humboldt Range project now comprises 400 lode mining claims in Nevada in two claim groups – Black Canyon and Fourth of July – and is between two large-scale active mines, Florida Canyon gold mine and Rochester silver-gold mine.
The Rochester mine, Spring Valley project and Black Canyon all host gold and silver mineralisation within north-south striking Rochester Rhyolite rock units, with 36 newly staked claims adjoining the southern boundary of the Black Canyon claims.
