A highly prospective silver asset with over 28,000 meters of drilling in over 300 historical drill holes, across 3.5 kilometers of strike. Shallow mineralization open in all directions, with the best surface targets still to be tested.
Hercules is a replacement-style disseminated silver (lead-zinc-manganese+/-copper) system hosted in a Jurassic aged volcanic tuff of rhyolitic composition (the “Hercules Rhyolite”).
Modern systematic exploration by the Company has located a porphyry copper target in the adjacent andesitic volcanic rocks underlying the Hercules Rhyolite to the east. Shallow level porphyry style alteration has been mapped within a new copper-in-soil anomaly extending over 2 kilometers from the historically defined silver mineralization.
The disseminated silver-lead-zinc mineralization has been de-risked by over 28,000 meters of drilling across 3.5 kilometres of strike. Historical operators were focused on developing a shallow high-grade open pit resource with short vertical drill holes, preventing a full understanding of structural controls. The Company has aggressive plans to drill over 5.5 kilometers of strike, verify the historical drilling and its suitability towards a maiden resource estimate, as well as test the new 2 kilometer long copper porphyry target discovered in 2021/2022.
The Hercules property is located mostly on Idaho state land with grandfathered exploration, mining and milling rights. Idaho is ranked one of the top jurisdictions in the world for mining regulations, taxation regime and permitting policy.
4,246 acres located in Washington County, Idaho, just 2.5 hours northwest of Boise International Airport by highway.
The November 2022 Phase I drill program was designed to test and verify historical drilling assays as well as gain the geological and geotechnical information needed to support a Phase II drilling campaign in early spring of 2023.
The program consisted of infill and step-out holes at the Frogpond and Hercules Adit Zones with additional step-out holes to test open zones with little to no prior drilling.
The new 3D IP survey over the Hercules Adit, Frogpond and Belmont Zones, identified a large untested chargeability anomaly at depth. The results demonstrate the excellent exploration potential at Hercules and will contribute to 2023 drilling.
Fraser Institute, 2021
4,246 acres located in Washington County, Idaho, just 2.5 hours NW of Boise International Airport by Highway. High voltage transmission line traverses across the property.
Replacement-style oxide and sulfide silver (lead-zinc-manganese+/-copper) as breccias and fracture-fillings hosted within a Jurassic rhyolite tuff, which is underlain by interbedded andesitic volcanics and carbonates which display porphyry-style alteration accompanied by strong copper-in-soil values at surface.
Analogous to the Hardshell deposit in Arizona, a high-grade silver-lead-zinc-manganese deposit associated with the Hermosa-Taylor carbonate replacement deposit (CRD). Porphyry-style mineralization/alteration occurs to the east, in stratigraphically deeper volcanics and carbonates at Hercules.
Robust standalone development project that could be potentially integrated with nearby mines.
28,000 meters of drilling have been completed in over 300 historical drill holes, spanning 3.5 kilometers of strike. Two zones of continuous mineralization at shallow depth, which remain open in all directions.
Recent soil sampling and historical IP surveys indicate the best targets remain to be tested, with over 5.5 kilometers of anomalous soils and a new untested porphyry-style copper anomaly immediately adjacent to the east of the CRD-style silver mineralization.
Paper drill logs from the 1960’s-1980’s were recovered and digitized into a modern database. Assays include:
Hole ID | Year | From (m) | To (m) | Interval (m) | Ag (g/t) | Pb (%) | Zn (%) |
| 80-1 | 1980 | 73.15 | 103.63 | 30.48 | 335.6 | 0.17 | 0.54 |
| including | 1980 | 82.3 | 91.44 | 9.14 | 828.2 | 0.24 | 0.8 |
| including | 1980 | 96.01 | 99.06 | 3.05 | 317.8 | 0.04 | 0.22 |
| 80-12 | 1980 | 7.62 | 22.86 | 15.24 | 56 | No Assay | No Assay |
| AND | 1980 | 36.58 | 74.68 | 38.1 | 144.3 | 0.13 | 0.37 |
| including | 1980 | 50.29 | 53.34 | 3.05 | 485 | No Assay | No Assay |
| AND | 1980 | 82.3 | 97.54 | 15.24 | 129 | 0.02 | 0.07 |
| 80-13 | 1980 | 114.3 | 141.73 | 27.43 | 394.3 | 0.21 | 0.7 |
| including | 1980 | 115.82 | 126.49 | 10.67 | 904.3 | 0.32 | 1.31 |
| 80-04 | 1980 | 85.34 | 108.2 | 22.86 | 297.4 | 0.22 | 0.26 |
| 83-42 | 1983 | 1.52 | 45.72 | 44.2 | 143.9 | 0.13 | 0.26 |
| including | 1983 | 12.19 | 15.24 | 3.05 | 807.7 | 0.25 | 0.21 |
| 83-P19 | 1983 | 15.24 | 62.48 | 47.24 | 377.5 | 0.39 | 0.91 |
| Including | 1983 | 24.38 | 32 | 7.62 | 606.2 | 0.49 | 1.64 |
| Including | 1983 | 35.05 | 44.2 | 9.15 | 1,166.40 | 1.05 | 1.82 |
| 83-P7 | 1983 | 42.67 | 74.68 | 32.01 | 174.6 | 0.56 | 2.21 |
| 84-P3 | 1984 | 25.91 | 71.63 | 45.72 | 380.3 | 0.61 | 3 |
| Including | 1984 | 27.43 | 33.53 | 6.1 | 998.9 | 1.18 | 7.53 |
| 84-P6 | 1984 | 4.57 | 44.2 | 39.63 | 175.9 | 0.12 | 0.32 |
| AC 7710 | 1977 | 44.2 | 59.44 | 15.24 | 770 | 1.36 | 0.2 |
| Including | 1977 | 48.77 | 56.39 | 7.62 | 1,377.70 | 2.62 | 0.3 |
| AND | 1977 | 126.49 | 132.59 | 6.1 | 146.2 | 0.05 | 0.1 |
| DDH-3 | 1965 | 33.53 | 35.05 | 1.52 | 289.3 | 0.1 | No Assay |
| AND | 1965 | 44.2 | 68.58 | 24.38 | 122.9 | No Assay | No Assay |
| AND | 1965 | 82.3 | 117.35 | 35.05 | 266.7 | 0.69 | 3.63 |
| Including | 1965 | 92.96 | 99.06 | 6.1 | 718.5 | 0.48 | 1.63 |
| RC 771 | 1977 | 77.72 | 109.73 | 32.01 | 300.3 | 0.22 | 0.49 |
| including | 1977 | 97.54 | 106.68 | 9.14 | 750.1 | 0.34 | 0.4 |
Above: Select historical intercepts from 1965-1988 demonstrate some of the better holes drilled
