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VANCOUVER, BC, April 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - Kootenay Silver Inc. (TSXV: KTN) (the "Company" or "Kootenay") is pleased to announce that drilling is underway for its' Q1/Q2 diamond drilling program at Columba Silver Project ("Columba") Chihuahua, Mexico. The proposed program includes 15-17 drillholes for a combined 5,000 metres and is designed to expand upon previous intercepts along the highly prospective D-Vein target.
The current drilling program is designed to extend the D-Vein in preparation of a follow up program of likely 15,000 meters, aimed to delineate a maiden resource expected in late 2024 which is dependent on additional drilling beyond the 5000-meter program and the financing it requires. In addition to the D-Vein, the Company maintains a priority list of new vein targets and known vein extensions all warranting drill testing. The first assay results are expected in 4 to 6 weeks time.
Recent drilling in late 2023 focused on the "D-Vein" target, a silver bearing quartz-calcite-barite vein structure hosting the highest grades and widths yet seen at Columba. D-Vein has been intercepted by drilling over a length of 450 metres horizontally and to a depth of 250 metres. Geological mapping and sampling indicate an additional 800 metres of prospective strike length before the interpreted D-Vein structure intersects with the trace of the B-Vein/F-Vein corridor.
Kootenay's President & CEO, James McDonald states, "We are very excited to get underway drilling Columba once again. The initial holes of this program will be shallow to confirm dip and then will transition into large step outs along strike of around 100 meters. This is to quickly determine and demonstrate the overall size of the D Vein shoot along strike."
Drill highlights, maps and sections from the project are tabulated on the Company's website at the links below
Click to view the drill plan, long section, and cross sections.
Table 1. Highlights from Drilling Across the Columba Project
| Hole ID | From | To | Interval | Silver | Gold | Pb % | Zn% |
| F-VEIN SYSTEM | | | | | | | |
| CDH-19-040 | 21.00 | 25.90 | 4.90 | 194 | | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| Includes | 22.85 | 23.73 | 0.88 | 808 | | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| CDH-19-041 | 15.00 | 54.90 | 39.90 | 159 | | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Includes | 42.85 | 44.00 | 1.15 | 919 | | 0.4 | 0.1 |
| CDH-20-046 | 71.00 | 77.80 | 6.80 | 264 | | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Includes | 71.80 | 72.40 | 0.60 | 1585 | | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| CDH-20-049 | 124.00 | 126.80 | 2.80 | 762 | | 0.4 | 0.5 |
| Includes | 125.80 | 126.80 | 1.00 | 2010 | | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| CDH-21-094 | 175.00 | 184.00 | 9.00 | 354 | | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Includes | 176.90 | 178.40 | 1.50 | 985 | | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| CDH-22-121 | 248.60 | 250.23 | 1.63 | 2330 | | 0.1 | 0.8 |
| And | 260.00 | 262.00 | 2.00 | 161 | | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| J-VEIN SYSTEM (JZ Zone) | | | | | | | |
| CDH-19-030 | 149.15 | 175.00 | 25.85 | 200 | | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| Includes | 156.17 | 158.07 | 1.90 | 982 | | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| CDH-20-060 | 144.00 | 208.00 | 64.00 | 132 | | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| Includes | 152.00 | 153.00 | 1.00 | 1025 | | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| Includes | 193.00 | 194.00 | 1.00 | 1160 | | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Includes | 194.00 | 195.00 | 1.00 | 776 | | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| CDH-21-103 | 166.00 | 210.00 | 44.00 | 333 | | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Includes | 188.00 | 194.00 | 6.00 | 2035 | | 0.5 | 0.2 |
| Includes | 192.15 | 193.07 | 0.92 | 9,840 | | 2.6 | 0.1 |
| B-VEIN SYSTEM | | | | | | | |
| CDH-20-082 | 127.50 | 198.00 | 70.50 | 112 | | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| Includes | 183.00 | 192.00 | 9.00 | 691 | | 0.1 | 0.5 |
| Includes | 184.50 | 189.10 | 4.60 | 1186 | | 0.2 | 0.5 |
| CDH-21-112 | 197.50 | 227.00 | 29.50 | 219 | | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Includes | 212.00 | 214.00 | 2.00 | 1050 | | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Includes | 214.00 | 215.00 | 1.00 | 781 | | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| D-VEIN SYSTEM | | | | | | | |
| CDH-21-110 | 176.10 | 206.00 | 29.90 | 453 | | 0.6 | 1.4 |
| Includes | 178.20 | 196.00 | 17.80 | 650 | | 0.9 | 2.3 |
| Includes | 181.17 | 182.00 | 0.83 | 1915 | | 0.5 | 3.5 |
| Includes | 191.00 | 192.00 | 1.00 | 1565 | | 3.1 | 8.9 |
| Includes | 192.00 | 193.00 | 1.00 | 1360 | | 5.4 | 9.0 |
| Includes | 201.30 | 201.85 | 1.00 | 1765 | 0.35 | 1.2 | 1.5 |
| CDH-22-125 | 269.55 | 304.00 | 34.45 | 540 | 0.26 | 0.4 | 1.6 |
| Includes | 283.12 | 292.82 | 9.70 | 1746 | 0.88 | 1.1 | 5.2 |
| Includes | 283.12 | 289.72 | 6.60 | 2498 | 1.28 | 1.6 | 7.5 |
| Includes | 286.00 | 288.45 | 2.45 | 5840 | 3.00 | 3.1 | 17.3 |
| CDH-23-138 | 182.94 | 196.5 | 13.56 | 599 | | 0.5 | 1.2 |
| Includes | 185.00 | 186.00 | 1.00 | 2060 | | 3.2 | 4.3 |
| CDH-23-141 | 250.00 | 279.00 | 29.00 | 208 | | 0.2 | 0.5 |
| Includes | 266.70 | 276.37 | 9.67 | 510 | 0.20 | 0.5 | 1.0 |
| Includes | 274.00 | 276.37 | 2.37 | 1142 | 0.10 | 0.9 | 2.5 |
| Intervals quoted above are core-lengths, estimated true widths of intervals above range from 60-85% of quoted core lengths. |
The company has completed over 30,000 meters of diamond drilling in 147 holes at Columba since 2019 and intercepted numerous veins with high silver grades and widths indicating excellent resource potential. Prospective veins on the project are hosted within a volcanic caldera setting, the surface extent of mapped veins measuring roughly 4 kilometres by 3 kilometres. Management believes that Columba may be a newly recognized vein district that is nearly entirely preserved from erosion.