Text:Alexco Resource Corp.today announced results from the final 32 of 50 drill holes comprising the balance of the 2016 diamond drill program in the Bermingham deposit area of the Keno Hill Silver District ("KHSD") in Canada'sYukon Territory. Preliminary metallurgical test results from Bermingham have also been received.
Numerous significant silver-rich intercepts have been received in the latest batch of Bermingham results including true width intercepts ranging from 7.16 meters ("m") grading 4,375 grams per tonne ("g/t") (140.7 ounces per ton ("oz/t")) silver, and 3.98 meters grading 6,477 g/t (208.2 oz/t) silver in the extensively mineralized Bear Vein, to an initial intercept grading 1,676 g/t (53.9 oz/t) silver over a true width of 0.51 meters in the newly identified and contiguous West Dipping Vein.
Metallurgical testing on mineralized material from the Bermingham deposit indicates expected silver and lead recoveries in the 94% to 96% range while producing a lead concentrate grading in excess of 60% lead and 30,000 g/t silver. Metallurgical parameters used to achieve these results are consistent with the current flowsheet of the existing District Mill at Keno Hill.
Alexco President and CEO Clynt Nauman commented "In addition to excellent metallurgical results, we now recognize four silver-rich mineralized vein sets in the Bermingham discovery area, the most important being the Bear Vein that ranges in true width up to 7.49 meters at 87.3 oz/t silver (K-16-0608) and in grade up to 239.9 oz/t silver over 4.98 meters true width (K-15-0580) and has been traced with relatively close spaced drilling over a down-plunge extent of 270 meters (over a vertical range of 230 meters) with an increased plunge width of up to 100 meters. The top of the deposit is approximately 160 meters from surface and the deposit remains open at depth.
The picture emerging from the Bermingham discovery is one reflecting the tenor and geometry of historically mined ores at Keno Hill with these most recent results returning numerous very high grade intercepts ranging from 12 kilograms per tonne (387 oz/t) silver over 2.1 meters true width to 33 kilograms per tonne (1,069 oz/t) over a narrower interval of 0.18 m true width. This pattern is what makes Keno Hill the world class high grade silver district it is; and more importantly it demonstrates that new high grade silver discoveries are still to be made even within one kilometer of the 90 million ounce producing historic Hector-Calumet mine."
