Fortuna Silver Mines drills 1,299 g/t AgEq over 9.9 metres at San Jose mine, Mexico
Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. [FVI-TSX; FSM-NYSE] has discovered the Yessi vein, a new blind mineralized structure, at the San Jose mine in Mexico.
Paul Weedon, senior vice-president of exploration, commented, “Drilling by the mine geology team recognized a new blind zone of alteration and brecciation, resulting in the intersection of 1,299 g/t AgEq (g/t silver equivalent) over 9.9 metres in drill hole SJOM-1387, and 621 g/t AgEq over five metres in drill hole SJOM-1391. This new zone has been named the Yessi vein.”
Weedon continued, “Extension drilling intersected the Yessi vein approximately 200 metres further east of the Victoria mineralized zone, highlighting the potential size and strength of San Jose’s mineralized system.
Weedon added, “Drilling continues with additional holes planned along strike to the north and south to further define the extent of Yessis mineralization.”
Yessi vein drilling highlights include SJOM1387 that returned 1,299 g/t AgEq over an estimated true width of 9.9 metres. SJOM1391 returned 621 g/t AgEq over an estimated true width of five metres. SJOM1396 returned 483 g/t AgEq over an estimated true width of 0.7 metres.
Three drill holes totalling 1,118 metres were completed from an underground platform after infill drilling on the Victoria mineralized zone intersected alteration and brecciation toward the original planned depth in drill hole SJOM-1387. The resulting 200-metre extension returned intervals of up to 90 metres of brecciation, alteration and zones of mineralization. These holes support the interpretation of the Yessi vein, which represents the easternmost limit of mineralization intersected at San Jose to date and which does not have any surface expression, highlighting the regional prospectivity.
A review of the geochemical signature of the Yessi vein indicates a potentially different phase of mineralization with respect to the other San Jose mineralized structures, containing a higher gold to silver ratio and low levels of base metals. Further work is planned to better understand the relationship between the Yessi vein and the broader mineralized system at the San Jose mine.
Additional drilling is currently under way to define the strike extent and geometry of the Yessi vein. Mineralization remains open along strike to the north and south, and at depth.
Fortuna Silver Mines has five operating mines in Argentina, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Mexico, and Peru.