Metalsource Mining has begun a new phase of drilling at its Silver Hill Project in North Carolina, US, with a focus on areas near its highest-grade mineral intercept to date.
The drilling programme will examine strike and down-plunge extensions of polymetallic mineralisation previously intersected in Hole SH26-07.
The move is part of a broader strategy aimed at enlarging known mineralised zones as Metalsource Mining works towards its first mineral resource estimate, currently planned for early 2027.
The company reported that Hole SH26-07 yielded 12.62m of mineralisation grading 3,786 grams per tonne (g/t) silver equivalent. Included within this were intervals measuring 6.95m at 6,730g/t and 2.74m at 16,604g/t silver equivalent, with the latter highlighted by 209.1g/t gold.
These results also showed notable concentrations of silver, lead and zinc.
Metalsource Mining CEO Joe Cullen said: “One of the advantages of a successful exploration programme is that each drill-hole makes the next one more intelligent.
“Over the past several months we have significantly improved our understanding of the geological controls at Silver Hill, and we are now applying that knowledge by deliberately targeting the highest-grade mineralisation identified to date.”
The company will construct new drill platforms west of the current drilling area to test the interpreted deep extension of the Silver Hill polymetallic system and further trace mineralisation along strike and at depth.
Additional platforms are also planned to examine targets identified during the recent property-scale induced polarisation survey.
While construction is under way, drilling activity will temporarily shift to the eastern part of the site to test the up-dip extension of gold-rich mineralisation between SH26-07, SH26-05 and SH25-02.
The company performs analytical testing at ALS Geochemistry in Reno, Nevada, and ALS Canada in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
The method involves crushing samples, pulverising a split for further analysis, then using a four-acid digest followed by ICP-AES, ICP-MS and fire assay techniques.
Metalsource Mining emphasised the preliminary nature of the data, stating that the exploration results are not sufficient to define a mineral resource.
Further drilling is required to assess the continuity, geometry and grade of mineralisation, and analytical results remain pending.
The latest phase reflects a methodical, staged approach to exploration at Silver Hill, with each round of drilling building on lessons learned from the last.
By concentrating new holes around the site of its strongest intercept so far, the company appears intent on confirming and expanding the highest-value portions of the deposit before committing to a formal resource estimate.
The dual-front approach, advancing new platforms to the west while shifting active drilling east, allows Metalsource Mining to keep testing multiple targets simultaneously rather than pausing operations during construction.
This is likely to help maintain momentum on the exploration timeline heading into 2027.
Last month, the company expanded its Silver Hill land holdings through option agreements for three additional properties, a move that points to continued confidence in the broader potential of the district as drilling results continue to come in.
