Drilling Progress at Peruvian Berenguela Polymetallic Mine

According to a report on Mining.com, Aftermath Silver, a Canadian exploration company, has encountered shallow mineralization at its Berenguela silver-copper-manganese mine in Peru, laying the groundwork for an update to its resource estimates.

In its report on Monday, the company stated that hole AFD129 intersected 12.35 meters of ore at a depth of 2.4 meters, with a silver grade of 302 g/mt, copper content of 0.66%, and manganese content of 10.64%.

Hole AFD130 intersected 35.55 meters of ore from the surface, with a silver grade of 322 g/mt, copper content of 0.58%, and manganese content of 6.88%. Within this, an intersection of 7.1 meters was encountered at a depth of 24.2 meters, with a silver grade of 1,174 g/mt, copper content of 0.8%, and manganese content of 11.14%.

Currently, the company is conducting Phase II drilling, planning to complete 82 diamond drill holes totaling 5,200 meters. The sample analysis results for the final 11 holes will be released soon, the company said.

"Our latest drilling results have extended the known mineralization to the north-central area, beyond the previously delineated resource boundaries," stated CEO Ralph Rushton.

"We have also discovered strong manganese mineralization at the easternmost part of the resource area, where there has been little previous drilling. We will incorporate the latest results into the ongoing resource update."

Historical mapping and resource models indicate that the orebody extends approximately 1,300 meters along strike. Recent drilling has extended the orebody to at least 1,550 meters along strike, with a maximum width of 400 meters in the center, 250 meters in the west, and a 50-meter offset between the central and western sections.

The drill holes intersect the orebody at a steep angle, so the above thicknesses are essentially true thicknesses.

Berenguela may potentially be an open-pitable silver-copper-manganese mine in the southern Puno region of Peru. The company aims to produce silver, copper, and battery-grade or fertilizer-grade manganese products.

The mine is located approximately 6 kilometers from highways, railways, and power lines, and is a 4-hour drive from the city of Arequipa via a paved road.