West Coast Silver (ASX:WCE) has reported diamond drilling has intersected 67.1m @ 19 grams per tonne silver (Ag) from surface at its Elizabeth Hill Silver Project in Western Australia.
Hole 26WCDD036 extends the near-surface silver zone west of the current mineral resource estimate (MRE) block model and includes ‘higher-grade’ zones of 12.3m @ 22g/t silver (Ag) from 24.7m and 10.9m at 24g/t Ag from 43.9m.
Additional intersections include 48.5m @ 19g/t Ag from 1.5m in hole 26WCDD035, incorporating 25.5m @ 23g/t Ag from 16m, and 24m @ 14g/t Ag from 35.5m in hole 26WCDD033.
Diamond holes 26WCDD031–036 have infilled and extended the mineralised zone at Elizabeth Hill North, confirming broad zones of low to moderate grade silver within, below, north, and west of the current MRE block model.
The near-surface zone sits around the known ‘high-grade’ silver system and remains open, with potential to add volume and contained metal to the current MRE.
At Elizabeth Hill Deeps, hole 26WCDD030 returned ‘minor’ silver mineralisation, constraining the northern extent of the newly identified ‘high-grade’ zone, which remains open to the east and south.
Executive Director Sergei Smolonogov says the latest drilling results confirm that silver mineralisation extends beyond the historical underground mine and is associated with a broader mineralised structural corridor along the Munni Munni Fault.
“When combined with earlier 2026 RC [reverse circulation] results, the footprint of lower grade mineralisation north and west of the existing MRE has been expanded and infilled but not closed out,” Smolonogov adds.
“This shows that a significant volume of lower grade mineralisation is zoned about higher grade silver, increasing the potential for additional contained silver at lower grades.”
West Coast Silver plans to complete surface geophysical surveys in Q3 2026, with results feeding an updated JORC 2012 MRE and Scoping Study in Q4, followed by further step-out and infill diamond drilling to advance resource conversion and define the new ‘high-grade’ zone below historical mining.
Elizabeth Hill is one of Australia’s highest-grade silver projects based on historical production, having produced 1.2 million ounces from 16,830 tonnes at 2,194g/t before ceasing in 2000 due to low silver prices.
West Coast Silver holds a diversified exploration portfolio across Western Australia, including the Falcon Gascoyne joint venture, Errabiddy Graphite, and Andover South projects, in addition to the Elizabeth Hill Silver Project.
Write to JC Villarba at Mining.com.au
Images: West Coast Silver
