Jacknife - Silver Valley-Type Ag-Pb-Zn
Opportunity – Expand known historic resources through step-out drilling in a premier Ag-Pb-Zn region.
Overview: Jacknife has a historic resource identified through underground sampling in a 500-meter section of a 7-km vein system during the 1970s and 1980s. This represents a significant starting point for exploration and development. The absence of federal permitting requirements for existing patented mining claims can streamline the process, enabling efficient exploration activities.
To capitalize on this opportunity, a strategic exploration plan will be devised, focusing on historic data, systematic mapping and sampling, geophysical surveys, a step-out drilling campaign, and updated resource estimation and modeling.
Regional Geology
Jacknife is situated within the Mesoproterozoic metasedimentary carbonate and clastic rocks of the Belt Supergroup, which includes the Wallace, St. Regis, Revett, and Prichard Formations. These formations also host mineralization in the Silver Valley district. Additionally, the region around Jacknife contains granodiorite to quartz monzonite porphyritic intrusions, akin to those found in the Silver Valley district.
Project Geology
The host rocks consist of Mesoproterozoic carbonate and clastic units, similar to those found in the Silver Valley, suggesting a geological setting conducive to Ag-Pb-Zn mineralization.
ENE and NE striking shear zones, along with their structural intersections, represent key untested targets for exploration.
The presence of 0.5-5 m thick siderite-calcite-quartz veins containing minerals such as tetrahedrite, argentiferous galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, prousite, and pyrite is indicative of a classic epithermal or mesothermal vein system. These veins may represent conduits for mineralizing fluids carrying silver, lead, zinc, and other associated metals.akin to those found in the Silver Valley district.
Geochemistry
Historic work conducted by Sunshine and Duval in the 1960s and 1970s identified numerous zones of anomalous silver-lead-zinc (Ag-Pb-Zn) mineralization beyond known resources, providing valuable insights for modern exploration efforts.
Targets
The vein system with 7 km of known strike and over 600 m vertical extent of known mineralization represents a significant advancement in the understanding and potential of the project. The observation that veins strengthen within deeper formations such as the St. Regis and Revett Fms suggests the possibility of even richer mineralization at depth.
With promising exploration results, focusing on resource expansion near the historic resource is a logical step to capitalize on existing mineralization. By systematically extending drilling and exploration efforts along strike and at depth from the known mineralization, it's possible to delineate additional ore bodies and expand the overall resource base.
Next Steps
With the Jacknife project situated on 335 acres of patented land that requires minimal permitting for exploration and potential mine development, there is a clear path toward a near-term production scenario. The absence of permitting hurdles streamlines the process and reduces the time and resources needed to advance the project toward production.
Additionally, having the right of first refusal on an existing 150 tons per day (tpd) flotation mill nearby provides a significant advantage. This allows for the efficient processing of ore once production begins, minimizing capital expenditure and accelerating the project's timeline to cash flow generation.