Mercado Minerals (CSE: MERC) has released initial surface sample results from the Campanillas vein at its Zamora project in Sinaloa, Mexico, with the standout interval returning 1.00 metre of 828 g/t silver.
The samples were collected along a 300 metre strike length mapped at surface, roughly double the extent of the historic underground workings on the vein. Widths range from 0.60 metres to 2.40 metres true width.
Highlights from the surface sampling include:
- G874286: 828 g/t silver and 0.07 g/t gold over 1.00 metre
- G874288: 410 g/t silver and 1.66 g/t gold over 1.00 metre
- G874289: 178 g/t silver and 0.36 g/t gold over 0.60 metres
- G874284: 121 g/t silver and 0.13 g/t gold over 0.60 metres
- G874281: 100 g/t silver and 0.14 g/t gold over 1.50 metres
- G874287: 70 g/t silver and 0.15 g/t gold over 0.40 metres
A composite of the sampling returned 2.40 metres of true width grading 528 g/t silver and 0.75 g/t gold, or 536 g/t silver equivalent.
The results matter mainly because Zamora has never been drilled. The property hosts 14 documented high-grade silver-gold vein occurrences with more than 8 kilometres of cumulative strike, and Campanillas is the first of them to be systematically sampled by the company. Grades at surface that hold up over metre-scale widths give the geological team something concrete to design a maiden program around, rather than the historic workings and unverified legacy assays that have defined the property until now.
“These initial surface results are highly encouraging and confirm the high-grade nature of the Campanillas Vein,” said chief executive officer Daniel Rodriguez.
Mercado also cleared a practical hurdle last week. On August 26 the company signed a community access and exploration agreement with Ejido Rincon de Ibonia covering the Campanillas area, paying an annual fee of 100,000 Mexican pesos plus 3,000 pesos per drill pad. That agreement is what allows the drill permitting process to move forward.
Mercado Minerals last traded at $0.12 on the CSE.
