Silver Mines Limited has secured land access to the Coomber Silver Prospect, reviving exploration on a site with significant historic silver intercepts. The company is advancing reconnaissance work to unlock the potential of this largely underexplored caldera near its flagship Bowdens Silver Project.
- Land access secured for Coomber Silver Prospect exploration
- Historic drilling revealed high-grade silver intercepts up to 36m at 105g/t Ag
- Coomber is a large, underexplored caldera structure with epithermal silver potential
- Reconnaissance program underway including mapping, sampling, and gravity surveys
- Prospect includes historic Rockwell Antimony Mine with gold and antimony mineralisation
Exploration Access Secured
Silver Mines Limited (ASX, SVL) has taken a significant step forward in its exploration ambitions by securing land access over the Coomber Silver Prospect, located 23 kilometres south of its flagship Bowdens Silver Project in New South Wales. This move enables the company to commence reconnaissance activities aimed at better understanding the prospect’s mineral potential.
Historic Drilling Highlights Silver Potential
The Coomber Prospect is not a new discovery. It was first identified by Conzinc Riotinto Australia Exploration (CRA) in 1989, shortly after the Bowdens Silver Deposit was found. Early drilling in 1991 returned impressive silver grades, including intervals such as 36 metres at 105 grams per tonne (g/t) silver from 18 metres depth, with a standout 16 metres at 176 g/t silver within that. Follow-up drilling by Silver Standard Australia in the mid-1990s confirmed the presence of significant silver mineralisation, with intercepts like 40 metres at 47 g/t silver.
Geological Setting and Mineralisation Style
Coomber sits on the rim of a caldera structure approximately 3.3 by 3.3 kilometres in size, part of the Rylstone Volcanics – a volcanic belt known for hosting epithermal silver deposits. The prospect’s mineralisation is silver-dominant, occurring along northwestern caldera margins and associated faults. The style is consistent with high-grade epithermal veins and breccias, similar to those at Bowdens, Australia’s largest undeveloped silver deposit.
Reconnaissance Program Underway
Silver Mines has initiated a reconnaissance exploration program involving geological mapping, rock and soil sampling, and plans for ground-based gravity surveys. These efforts aim to refine the structural controls on mineralisation and identify new targets within the caldera. The company intends to use these data to design a focused drilling campaign to test the prospect’s resource potential.
Additional Mineralisation at Rockwell Antimony Mine
Besides silver, the Coomber area includes the historic Rockwell Antimony Mine, where previous sampling identified gold and antimony mineralisation. Antimony is a critical metal with strategic importance globally, adding another dimension to the prospect’s exploration appeal.
Strategic Importance Within Silver Mines’ Portfolio
Managing Director Jo Battershill emphasised the significance of Coomber as part of Silver Mines’ broader strategy to expand its silver resource base in the highly prospective Rylstone Volcanics. While Bowdens remains the company’s primary focus, Coomber offers a complementary opportunity to discover additional high-grade silver mineralisation in a region with proven potential.
Bottom Line?
As Silver Mines advances exploration at Coomber, investors will watch closely for new drilling results that could add significant value beyond the flagship Bowdens project.
Questions in the middle?
- Will Silver Mines confirm and expand on historic high-grade silver intercepts at Coomber?
- How will the upcoming gravity surveys refine the understanding of mineralisation controls?
- What timeline is anticipated for the first drilling campaign and potential resource estimation?