VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Zacatecas Silver Corp. (TSXV: ZAC | OTCQB: ZCTSF | FRA: 7TV) has announced the completion of its 2026 diamond drilling program at the El Cristo target, part of the Company’s Zacatecas Silver Project in the prolific Zacatecas Mining District, Mexico.
Drilling Program Highlights
Major Drilling completed 19 angled diamond drill holes totaling 2,027 meters over 32 days. Core recovery across mineralized zones exceeded 98%. The program tested shallow depth and strike extensions of the El Cristo intermediate sulphidation epithermal vein system, proximal to holes drilled in 2022 that intercepted significant intervals.
Previous notable intercepts include:
- 9.53 m @ 175 g/t AgEq (167 g/t Ag, 0.12% Zn, 0.03% Pb) in Hole CRI-2022-001
- 0.65 m @ 829 g/t AgEq (565 g/t Ag, 1.2 g/t Au, 2.7% Zn, 1.35% Pb) in Hole CRI-2022-005
- Additional elevated silver-equivalent grades from scout holes
Most holes intercepted near-surface (<100 m depth) mineralized structures with downhole widths up to 3–4 meters. Mineralization consists of classic multiphase quartz-carbonate base metal veins with abundant clotted sphalerite, galena, and pyrite. Assay results from previous campaigns show a strong correlation between gold/silver grades and the presence of sphalerite and galena.
Core Processing and Next Steps
All core has been photographed, cut, and sampled, and is being processed by ALS. Assay results will be released as they are received and compiled.
Eric Vanderleeuw, CEO and Director, commented: “Completing 19 holes for over 2,000 metres in 32 days, with core recovery above 98%, reflects strong execution by our team and our drill contractor at El Cristo. While assays remain pending, the core tells an encouraging story: we intersected multiphase veining with abundant sphalerite and galena across multiple holes, the same mineralization style that has consistently correlated with strong silver and gold grades in our prior drilling here. We look forward to receiving assays from ALS and reporting results as they come in. With El Cristo drilling complete, surface work and drill permitting advancing at Oso Negro, and a steady stream of results expected across the portfolio, this is shaping up to be a very active year.”
Photograph 1: Massive pyrite and abundant clotted sphalerite and galena and multiphase quartz-carbonate veining. Hole CRI-2026-29: 89.60 to 91.08.
