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Highlights:
- Endeavour Silver completes underground ramp extension at Pitarrilla, intersecting high-grade silver, lead, and zinc veins.
- Nine diamond drill holes confirm the potential for large-scale underground mining at the Pitarrilla project.
- Pitarrilla project shows promising geological results with primary veins extending 600-800 meters vertically, indicating strong growth potential.
Endeavour Silver Corp. (TSX:EXK) has provided a significant update on its ongoing exploration and evaluation efforts at its 100%-owned Pitarrilla silver project, located in the Sierra Madre Occidental region of northern Mexico. Since acquiring the project in July 2022, Endeavour has been working diligently to advance the development of this promising asset, and recent results underscore its potential as a significant future silver, lead, and zinc producer.
The company has engaged engineering firms to conduct a series of technical studies, which will serve as the foundation for a future economic study. These studies are critical for determining the commercial viability of Pitarrilla, with a particular focus on understanding the deposit's high-grade mineralization, which could support an underground bulk tonnage mining scenario.
As part of its ongoing efforts, Endeavour Silver has refurbished and extended an existing underground ramp by over 1.3 kilometers. This ramp, which lies directly above the manto—a high-grade mineralized zone originally identified by SSR Mining—has been developed through the project's key feeder structures. These structures are interpreted to be the primary source of the silver, lead, and zinc mineralization at Pitarrilla. By creating crosscuts along the ramp, the company has been able to set up drill stations for additional core drilling. This work aims to further define the high-grade zones and test the feeder structures' continuity, which are believed to extend through the manto.
Initial results from the underground exploration work are promising. Endeavour has confirmed the presence of at least four primary mineralized structures: the Palmito, Danna, Victoria, and Casas Blancas veins. The exploration has also identified additional structures, such as the Norma vein and the Peña dike, which require further interpretation to determine their full significance. Notably, the Peña dike has shown the thickest mineralization, with channel samples averaging between 4.5 meters to 4.7 meters in width, providing strong evidence of the project's potential for underground bulk mining.
To date, Endeavour has completed nine diamond drill holes—six from surface and three from underground drill stations. The underground drill holes successfully intersected the targeted manto and veins, validating the geological model and confirming the presence of significant mineralization at depth. Surface drill holes focused on the Casas Blancas vein and also intersected mineralization, further strengthening the case for large-scale mining potential.
The geological model suggests that the four primary feeder veins extend vertically between 600 and 800 meters, with strike lengths approaching 700 meters. These veins appear to remain open at depth, which could potentially lead to further expansion of the resource. The Danna vein, in particular, is the largest, with an 800-meter vertical extent and a strike length nearing 500 meters. The typical vein thickness is around three meters, providing further support for the underground mining scenario being explored by the company.
Located 160 kilometers north of Durango City, Pitarrilla is a large, undeveloped silver project covering 4,950 hectares across five concessions. The project benefits from existing infrastructure, including direct access to utilities, and is supported by various key permits, including those for underground mining and development, water use, and environmental impact management.
