Silver Bow Mining has commenced underground diamond drilling at its silver-gold Rainbow Block project in Butte, Montana, USA. This marks the first such activity in the Butte mining district in over 30 years.
The company announced that drilling has begun from a specialized drill station located within the newly constructed Rainbow Decline at an elevation of 1,293 m.
According to the company, previous surface drilling in these areas revealed the presence of high-grade silver, gold, zinc, lead, and other significant minerals.
In May, Silver Bow Mining received authorization from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality to proceed with work on the Rainbow Decline and to construct a 6,000-foot (1,829 m) underground tunnel, which will connect to the existing level of the Lexington tunnel. In August, preparations began for the creation of a new Rainbow Portal, while underground access via the Chief Joseph portal was restored.
"In my career, I have never seen a setup like this: from a single underground station, we can drill in virtually every direction to test 12 separate vein targets, each an extension beyond our current Mineral Resource estimate," said Travis Naugle, CEO of Silver Bow Mining.
"With high-grade results from numerous veins already in hand from this year’s surface programme, we are doing what we committed to do: following up from underground, seeking to advance growth in the Rainbow Block Mineral Resource and evaluating the project’s future development potential."
According to the company, underground drilling allows for better orientation of drill rigs and shorter drilling distances, providing greater flexibility in assessing the continuity of target veins. The Rainbow and Chief Joseph declines are expected to serve as key sites for further exploration as underground development progresses.
The current drilling campaign aims to expand and enhance the value of mineral resources, as well as to gather geological data for future project planning.
In August, Silver Bow Mining signed a definitive asset purchase agreement to acquire the Jefferson County Metallurgical Complex in Montana from Montana Goldfields and Montana Tunnels Mining.
Hélène Tarin, Editor-in-Chief of the Asian Bureau, Rough&Polished
