Blende Silver Corp. (TSX.V: BAG) (OTC: BAGGF) (WKN: A2QKT9) (FSE: BCW1) has announced that field crews are mobilizing to its 100%-owned Blende Silver-Zinc-Lead Project in north-central Yukon to commence the first phase of drilling targeting the project's 3D induced polarization (IP) chargeability anomalies. The first drill holes will test the Central Zone, an approximately 2 km corridor between the West Zone and East Zone deposits, and are expected to commence within approximately 10 days.
The company's drill contractor is mobilizing to site to complete equipment inventory and finalize site readiness. These holes represent the first drilling to directly test priority IP anomalies identified in a recently completed survey, notably in the Lower Central Zone and New Mountain Top areas, where interpreted chargeability anomalies are several times greater in areal extent than the chargeability response over the defined West Zone mineralization.
Blende Silver intends to complete as many holes as site and weather conditions allow before the current field season concludes in mid-September 2026, anticipated to be one to two holes. These holes are the first phase of a planned multi-phase drill program built around the company's 3D IP targeting model. Phase 1 begins this summer, pauses over the winter, and is planned to resume and expand in spring and summer 2027.
During the winter break, the company plans to mobilize equipment over the seasonal winter road to establish camp infrastructure and an airstrip, positioning the project for an expanded exploration program in subsequent phases.
The upcoming holes will be the first drilling to directly test the chargeability anomalies interpreted from the 3D IP survey. The survey identified a chargeability response coincident with low resistivity over the West Zone, which the company is using as a calibration reference. It also identified multiple significantly larger-scale, untested anomalies that appear to be several times larger than the West Zone response. Both the Lower Central Zone and New Mountain Top anomalies extend to the edges of the surveyed grid, and the company has not surveyed beyond the current grid coverage.
Prior review of inversion data indicated that historical drilling in the Central Zone (13 holes) appears to have been positioned between two distinct chargeability anomalies, rather than directly testing the strongest responses. The company's interpretation is that these observations warrant drill testing for possible extensions of mineralization between the West Zone and the East Zone.
Andrew H. Rees, President and CEO, stated: “Blende is not a greenfield story. We already hold one of the larger known carbonate-hosted silver-zinc-lead resources in Western Canada, and our objective now is to test whether that resource can be expanded. Our 3D IP survey identified chargeability anomalies, coincident with low resistivity, that cover a larger area than the chargeability response over the West Zone that anchors our existing resource, and this program puts a drill directly into those targets for the first time.”
The company has designed a phased approach matching seasonal realities. Phase 1 commences summer 2026 with initial holes expected within about 10 days, drilling as many as conditions permit before mid-September. Drilling into the priority targets is planned to resume and expand in spring and summer 2027. Winter mobilization will use the seasonal winter road to bring in equipment for camp and airstrip construction, intended to provide logistical foundation for a larger, more sustained program.
The Blende Project hosts a carbonate-hosted Ag-Zn-Pb mineral resource. A mineral resource estimate prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 at a 1.5% ZnEq cutoff was disclosed in a news release dated May 20, 2021. The estimate was prepared by Sue Bird, P.Eng., of Moose Mountain Technical Services. It is based on metal prices of silver at US$26/oz, zinc at US$1.30/lb, and lead at US$1.00/lb, and has not been updated for current prices. Historical exploration defined the East and West Zones, two primary mineralized zones located approximately two kilometers apart.
The scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Sarah Palmer, P.Geo., an independent consultant and Qualified Person under NI 43-101.
