Silver Mines expands drilling with 30,000 metres program underway at Bowdens Silver Project

Silver Mines Ltd (ASX:SVL) (OTCMKTS:SLVMF) has substantially expanded drilling activity at its Bowdens Silver Project in New South Wales off the back of a recent successful drilling program which identified new silver feeder veins. The recent program identified individual steep feeder veins considered to be source structures to the main Bowdens Silver mineralisation and showed that steep veins and breccias at the project contain the highest-grade mineralisation and extend to depth. A 30,000 metre drilling program has commenced with four rigs operational on site. Northern feeder vein A recently identified individual structure, now called the Northern Feeder Vein, is interpreted over a strike of at least 120 metres and to a depth of 260 metres (150 metres below the proposed Bowdens open pit) with silver grade consistently over 1,000 grams per tonne (or over 30 ounces silver per tonne). Results from the drilling included: 1 metre at 1,490 g/t silver, 4.36% lead and 2.2% zinc; and 1 metre at 1,290 g/t silver, 4.10% lead and 2.06% zinc. The company believes there is potential for substantially wider zones of ‘blowout’ mineralisation is being targeted where the feeder vein intersects the Eastern and Gully Faults and is now targeting further steep feeder vein zones in the central and southern parts of the Bowdens Deposit. Reported drillhole locations and High-Grade silver targets at the Bowdens Silver Project. Expanded program The expanded program will to test targets and to define high-grade silver veins and feeder zones outside of the current ore reserve in the north, central and southern parts of the Bowdens Silver deposit. In the south of the deposit, limited previous diamond drilling is available to inform an interpretation of vein orientations and textures and, as such, this area will be tested to target higher-grade veins in the near-surface. With renewed insight from textural analysis, detailed gravity surveying and VTEM reprocessing, the ongoing drilling at the Northwest High-Grade and Aegean Zones will continue in tandem with targeted diamond drilling of steep feeder veins. This work includes testing eastern extensions to the Northwest Zone (which is still considered to represent a feeder conduit for the Bowdens Silver system) that would link to the Aegean Zone. The results of this program are expected to provide the basis for a resource estimation of potential underground mineable resources.