High grade silver and gold assays expand Tonopah West footprint

Blackrock Silver reported striking assay results from 22 completed holes in its Eastern Expansion program at the Tonopah West project, which spans Nye and Esmeralda counties. The company said the program drilled about 6,798 metres using RC pre collars with diamond core tails and identified multiple high grade intercepts across at least three northwest oriented mineralized structures within a roughly 1.2 kilometre eastern expansion trend.

Among the highlighted results, drill hole TXC25 173 returned a 0.92 metre intercept grading 2,122.7 grams per tonne silver equivalent, including 1,162 grams per tonne silver and 8.79 grams per tonne gold from 220.9 metres, and a separate 1.04 metre zone grading 534.8 grams per tonne silver equivalent. Drill hole TXC25 178 returned 6.4 metres averaging 296.6 grams per tonne silver equivalent, which included a 0.46 metre sub interval at 3,853 grams per tonne silver equivalent. These grades point to focused high grade shoots within a larger system of parallel mineralized splays interpreted off the Pittsburg Monarch fault.

Company materials said the assay package will feed into an updated mineral resource estimate and a preliminary economic assessment targeted for early 2026. For Nye County residents the most immediate implications are continued exploration activity on local ground, potential for increased contractor and service demand, and a longer term pathway toward project development if economic studies and permitting advance favorably.

Market and policy context will shape outcomes. Project economics will depend on updated resource size as well as silver and gold price moves, costs for underground or surface development, and the timeline for environmental reviews and permitting. Locally elected officials and county planners will monitor the pace of drilling and any uptick in employment or service contracts that could affect tax receipts and county revenues.

Blackrock’s results expand the technical story at Tonopah West and set expectations for resource and economic updates early next year. Continued drilling and assay follow up will determine whether the new high grade intercepts translate to materially larger resources and potential development scenarios that would be consequential for the Nye County economy.