TSX- and NYSE American-listed SilverCrest has announced that it will restart exploration and development work at its Las Chispas project in Sonora, Mexico by mid-May using strict Covid-19 protocols.
CEO Eric Fier says operations will resume in a staged approach.
SilverCrest has also announced in-fill and expansion drill results for the Babi Vista vein at Las Chispas. These holes were drilled prior to the company's suspension of activities owing to Covid-19.
The results have expanded the size of the high-grade footprint for the Babi Vista vein, and continue to show higher-grade vein mineralisation to depth, including hole BV20-39 with 1.8 m grading 11 148 g/t silver-equivalent.
Based on 42 holes drilled to date, the updated high-grade footprint is about 400 m along vein strike by 200 m in height grading (uncut undiluted) 20.26 g/t gold and 1 590.0 g/t silver, or 3 110 g/t silver-equivalent over an average true width of 1.0 m, and open in most directions.
Within this footprint, is a defined 1 000 g/t silver-equivalent footprint, which includes 12 drill holes, estimated to be 300 m long by 75 m in height, averaging an uncut undiluted grade of 27.83 g/t gold and 2 178.8 g/t silver, or 4 266 g/t silver-equivalent over an average true width of 1.2 m.
Babi Vista was discovered in 2019 while constructing the Santa Rosa decline to intercept the Babicanora Vein in the Area 51 zone.
With the schedule delays caused by Covid-19's global impact, resource estimation for the ongoing feasibility study has been pushed for completion to the fourth quarter of 2020, which allows for additional drill results, including Babi Vista, to be added to the study.
More specifically, this additional time should better define the Babi Vista Vein and help in mine design and schedule by accelerating this conveniently located (access via the decline) high-grade vein early in the mine life.