Skeena Resources Ltd. Feb. 26 reported some exceptional silver grades in its final batch of assay results from its 2019 drill program at the Eskay Creek gold-silver project in British Columbia's Golden Triangle.

Over a 14-year span ending in 2008, an underground mine operated by Barrick Gold Corp. produced roughly 3.3 million ounces of gold and 160 million oz of silver averaging 45 grams per metric ton gold and 2,224 g/t silver, which at the time made Eskay Creek the world's highest-grade gold mine and fifth-largest silver mine by volume.

While large quantities of underground resources remain at Eskay Creek, Skeena has focused on deposits that can be mined from the surface since acquiring the property from Barrick in 2017.

This work includes 14,266 meters of surface drilling in 209 holes completed last year.

This final batch of results are from 21E and HW zones.

The strong silver mineralization was tapped in HW, which is located toward the northwest end of a proposed open pit at Eskay Creek.

One hole drilled at HW, SK-19-246, cut 14.3 meters averaging 13.24 g/t gold and 701 g/t silver. This includes a 0.9-meters subsection averaging 5.18 g/t gold and 5,860 g/t silver, and a second 0.9-meter section averaging 176 g/t gold and 1,530 g/t silver.

Drilling at 21E, which is along the southeast margin of the proposed pit, cut more modest but respectable grades, including 25 meters of 2.58 g/t gold and 51 g/t silver in SK-19-222A; 14 meters of 3.36 g/t gold and 40 g/t silver in SK-19-217; and 13.5 meters of 1.94 g/t gold and 166 g/t silver in SK-19-237.

Skeena Resources said the 2019 infill drilling at 21E has correlated extremely well with the historical drilling with respect to grades, widths and spatial distribution of mineralization.

The infill drilling has resumed at Eskay Creek property with four rigs. Skeena expects to begin exploration drilling at this historic gold-silver mine property in the coming weeks.

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Shane Lasley, Publisher

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