Blende Silver Corp. (TSX.V: BAG) (OTC: BAGGF) (WKN: A2QKT9) (FSE: BCW1) has announced that field crews are mobilizing to its 100%-owned Blende Silver-Zinc-Lead Project in north-central Yukon to commence the first phase of drilling targeting the project’s 3D induced polarization (IP) chargeability anomalies. The first drill holes, expected to start within approximately 10 days, will test the Central Zone, the roughly 2 km corridor between the West Zone and East Zone deposits.
This drilling marks the first time the company will directly test the priority 3D IP chargeability anomalies identified in a recent survey (see news release dated April 27, 2026). Notably, the anomalies in the Lower Central Zone and New Mountain Top areas have interpreted areal extents several times greater than the chargeability response over the defined West Zone mineralization. The West Zone anchors the company’s existing NI 43-101 mineral resource, and the survey response over it serves as a calibration reference.
Andrew H. Rees, President and CEO, emphasized the significance: “Blende is not a greenfield story. We already hold one of the larger known carbonate-hosted silver-zinc-lead resources in Western Canada, and our objective now is to test whether that resource can be expanded. Our 3D IP survey identified chargeability anomalies, coincident with low resistivity, that cover a larger area than the chargeability response over the West Zone that anchors our existing resource, and this program puts a drill directly into those targets for the first time.”
The upcoming holes are part of a planned multi-phase drill program. Phase 1 begins this summer, with the company intending to complete as many holes as site and weather conditions allow before the field season concludes in mid-September 2026, anticipated to be one to two holes. Drilling will then pause over winter, with plans to resume and expand in spring and summer 2027.
During the winter break, the company plans to mobilize equipment over the seasonal winter road to establish camp infrastructure and an airstrip on site. This infrastructure is intended to support a substantially larger, sustained exploration program in subsequent phases, improving access, capacity, and operating windows.
The Blende Project is described as hosting the largest carbonate-hosted silver-zinc-lead deposit in Yukon, based on a 1995 publication (M. Robinson and C.I. Godwin, Economic Geology). The project has an existing mineral resource estimate prepared in accordance with NI 43-101, as disclosed in the company’s news release dated May 20, 2021. The estimate is reported at a 1.5% ZnEq cutoff, with assumptions including silver at US$26 per ounce, zinc at US$1.30 per pound, and lead at US$1.00 per pound. The company notes that metal prices have changed since the effective date and the estimate has not been updated.
Historical exploration defined the East and West Zones, two primary mineralized zones located approximately two kilometers apart. The current drilling aims to test whether mineralization extends beyond these defined zones, potentially linking them. Prior review of 3D IP inversion data indicated that historical drilling in the Central Zone (13 holes) appears to have been positioned between two distinct chargeability anomalies rather than directly testing the strongest responses, warranting drill testing for possible extensions of mineralization between the West and East Zones.
The company cautions that geophysical anomalies, including IP chargeability responses, are not a direct indication of mineralization and may result from various geological factors. There is no certainty that drilling will intersect economic or sub-economic mineralization, and the program may not result in any increase to the existing mineral resource.
The scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Sarah Palmer, P.Geo., an independent consultant to the company and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. The company’s drill contractor is mobilizing to site to complete equipment inventory and finalize site readiness ahead of drilling.
Blende Silver Corp. is a Vancouver-based junior resource company focused on silver-zinc-lead exploration and development at its flagship Blende Project. The property covers 5,345 hectares, is winter road accessible, and is located approximately 63 km northeast of Keno Hill, Yukon, within the Keno Hill silver district. The project has undergone more than $9.2 million in past exploration, including 25,195 meters of drilling in 132 drill holes, though these historical figures have not been independently verified.
