Alien Metals (UFO ) has kick-started its long-awaited maiden drilling programme with drilling now underway across several of the company’s high-grade silver project assets in Mexico.
The minerals exploration and development company said drilling has begun at these projects with a highly accredited local drilling group engaged to complete the diamond programme.
The first holes to be drilled will be at the San Celso Silver Project. Drilling here and at the Los Campos Silver Projects will target the mineralised vein systems previously exploited for their high-grade silver where head-grades in excess of 1,000 g/t silver were historically reported.
Both projects contain historic, very high-grade, underground silver mines and present the classical high-grade narrow vein epithermal mineralisation associated with the regional mineralised systems of the metallogenic belt that Zacatecas straddles, Alien highlighted.
A detailed grid drilling programme has been planned for both to enable future resource calculations, while these initial drill programmes are based on initial wide spaced holes within the more detailed grids to identify initial mineralisation thickness, grade and continuation.
In practice, this method means that Alien can test both projects cost effectively as a first phase, to help next stage planning and targeting depending on the results, it explained.
In addition to the high-grade silver projects, the Company is also drilling at the Donovan 2 Cu-Au Project which will target a potentially significant copper zone that has been associated with a previously reported sample of 3.34% of copper taken in the Los Alamos water well.
The Company highlighted to investors that it feels the Donovan 2 project has not been tested sufficiently to date and as a result, it is looking forward to being able to fully test this target.
It explained that a past review of the Donovan 2 drill core also identified a previously not followed up zone of interest from drill hole DON21-003 which intersected a 11.5m zone of intense alteration returning on average 0.4% Zn and 0.4% Pb from only 12.4m depth.
The hole proved to be vertical; however, the team said it believes this structure is also near vertical as well so an initial trench is planned and approved at surface to test the possible trend and potential for follow-up work. A review of the hole DON21-001 also showed some excellent alteration which adds encouragement to the team for the coming drilling, it noted.
Alien said it has fostered a strong relationship with the local community around these projects during the pandemic and is pleased that it is now able to push ahead with this significant next stage of exploration ‘which it believes is crucial for further development of these projects, as maintaining the social licence to operate is vital to Alien’s approach to mineral exploration.’
Bill Brodie Good, CEO & Technical Director, commented: “After a Covid-induced delay of two years, we are finally commencing the next round of exploration on our highly prospective Mexican assets. Personally, I am very excited to be here in person to witness the start of a long-awaited maiden drilling programme. Over the last two years, the local team has worked very hard under difficult conditions to manage the programme and advance it to this stage.
He added that Alien Metals is also “very pleased” to be able to bring a local undergraduate into the group’s team and provide some hands-on training and support her education costs.
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