www.kootenaysilver.com
Kootenay Silver is actively developing mineral projects in the Sierra Madre Region of Mexico and in British Columbia, Canada. The Company’s flagship property is the former producing Promontorio Silver mine in Sonora State, Mexico. Encouraging results from ~60,000 meters of drilling at Promontorio suggests the possible existence of a large Porphyry system similar to major producing deposits within the region. The objective of the current 25,000 meter drill program is to substantially build on and expand the existing NI 43-101 silver resource identified on the project by AGP Mining Consultants in 2010. Two diamond drill rigs are currently operating on Promontorio.
Kootenay’s management and technical team are proven professionals with extensive international experience in all aspects of mineral exploration, operations and venture capital markets. Multiple, ongoing J/V partnerships in Mexico and Canada maximize potential for additional, new discoveries while maintaining minimal share dilution. The Company's objective is to develop near term discoveries and long term sustainable growth
Kootenay Commence Step Out Drilling Programme at Promontorio
Kootenay Gold Inc. (TSX-V: KTN) announced that drilling is underway at Promontorio, Sonora State Mexico. The drilling program is designed to drill untested targets and expand on the mineralization discovered at the Pit Discovery. The 5,000 meter exploration drilling will step-out across the 2km Dorotea Trend and is expected to be completed by the end of 2009.
Kootenay is an emerging exploration company that is actively developing mineral projects in the Sierra Madre Region of Mexico and in British Columbia, Canada. The Promontorio Silver project in Sonora State, northwest Mexico, encompasses the former producing Promontorio Silver Mine and remains Kootenay’s top priority.
The drilling program is focused on target areas identified by the initial systematic exploration methods such as 3D IP Geophysical Survey, EM Airborne Study and the present Trenching and Drilling results. The targets span across the large silver-lead-zinc-gold mineral system, once the primary targets are complete follow up exploration will provide detail to the strongest mineralized zones.
The earlier 3D Induced Polarization Geophysical Survey and the original I.P. survey, upon which the drilling strategy was based identified a large, L-shaped anomaly. It covers the pit mineralization and continues to the northwest and north covering the Dorotea discovery area.
The new survey has identified two discrete chargeability anomalies along the Dorotea trend. The larger anomaly is centred 2.5km from the Promontorio pit area and measures roughly 550m x 400m.
The smaller anomaly is roughly 160m x 130m and correlates well with limited drilling at the Dorotea showing completed in late 2008. The Dorotea drilling encountered 34.5 meters grading 1.73 grams per tonne gold, 74.83 grams per tonne silver and 2.4% lead + zinc in one of the exploration holes.
Additionally Kootenay report that G&T Metallurgical Services Ltd. of Kamloops, B.C. had been engaged to conduct a preliminary metallurgical assessment. They are mandated to assess 115kg composite sized core from 138m to 197m in the KP22 hole, in the Pit Discovery. The goal is to develop a suitable process to recover lead, zinc, silver and gold contained in the sample. The sample responded well to a standard lead/zinc sequential flotation flow sheet producing concentrates that would be highly saleable in the event a deposit is developed.
Further testing was conducted, in which 85% of the feed lead was recovered into a final lead concentrate containing 62% lead and 4250 grams per tonne of silver. On average, 82% percent of the silver reported to the lead concentrate and 7% reported to the zinc concentrate. Zinc was 91% recovered to the final zinc concentrate which graded 57% zinc.
Batch cleaner test results indicated that 87% of the gold could be recovered into a pyrite concentrate, following lead and zinc recovery. Sodium cyanide leach tests conducted on pyrite concentrates showed further work is required to develop a suitable process to extract gold from the pyrite concentrate.
Kootenay are expected to commission further test work to optimize the process grinding requirements, and review the variability of the metallurgical performance and gold association over different areas of the deposit.
