The primary purpose of the 2011 exploration program, which includes a 17,000m drilling program and a 12,000m trenching program, is to test known existing structures at a shallow depth to expand the current silver and gold resource at Pinguino.
The Marta Noroeste vein is the first target to be tested within a 420m zone along a mineralized zone totaling approximately 1,500m in strike length.
Drilling continues to return excellent grades and the highest to date within the structure, including 4.0m grading 965g/t Ag and 3.23g/t Au.
Initial drilling in 2011, together with a trenching survey, identified three shoots developing along the Marta Noroeste vein.
The Central shoot, which was identified by previous drilling in 2010, has increased in the 2011 drilling to date, and remains open in all directions.
The North shoot, discovered by the current 2011 drilling program (hole PR14-11 that reports 1m @ 1.02g/t Au and 659g/t Ag), remains open to the north.
The South shoot, discovered by trenches (MNW-08-10 that reports 13.6m @ 0.53g/t Au and 32g/t Ag), remains open in all directions and will be drill tested in the 2011 program.
Of the 17,000m planned for the first half of 2011, a total of 106 reverse circulation (RC) drill holes, covering 7,300m, have been completed with the first drill rig at the Pinguino property.
