お知らせ • May 05
Bunker Hill Mining Corp Reports Initial Underground Exploration Drilling Results At Bunker Hill Mine
Bunker Hill Mining Corp. reported that it is on track for the restart of operations in June 2026 and to announce initial results from the underground exploration drill program underway on the Cate-Eight Target at the Bunker Hill Mine. This underground exploration program is designed to test high-grade silver targets near recently constructed mine infrastructure in the upper area of the mine, with the potential to be incorporated into the near-term production plan. Drillhole BHE26-01 intersected two new veins with high-grade silver-lead mineralization near existing underground mine infrastructure. These veins have never been mined or identified by previous exploration work conducted at the Bunker Hill Mine. Mineralization occurs within 40-120 feet of mine development and remains open for expansion in all directions. The current exploration target extends 350 feet along strike and 450 feet up-dip, highlighting exploration opportunities in the underexplored upper areas of the mine, close to the footprint of existing mine infrastructure. The program has only just started and is on track: Approximately 730 feet of the planned 25,000-foot campaign have been drilled. BHE26-02 has successfully intersected extensions to the Cate-Eight target and is being logged and prepared for sample submission in the first week of May. The Cate-Eight target is the first target to be tested in the multi-target 2026 exploration drill program. This target was intercepted by three historic drill holes in the 1970s before the mine closed, but these were not followed up on. It is interpreted as an offset segment of a vein within the Cate Fault Zone. The Cate-Eight Vein target is considered to belong to the silver-rich Galena-Quartz (GQ) series of veins, previously mined on the lower levels of the Bunker Hill Mine. This group of veins was historically underexplored and largely unexploited in the upper levels of the Mine and represents attractive, potentially high-grade silver exploration targets adjacent to mine infrastructure that could be brought into the near-term mine plan. The first hole into the Cate-Eight Target (BHE26-01) intercepted 52.3 feet of continuous visible galena mineralization (silver-bearing lead sulfide) starting at 154 feet downhole, with two distinct veins from 163.7-184.2 feet and 203-206.3 feet, both of which had internal zones of high-grade silver-lead mineralization (0.8 feet at 11.9 oz/ton silver and 29.3% lead and 2.3 feet at 11.1 oz/ton silver and 28.4% lead). The results confirm and extend mineralization beyond historic drill intercepts and support modelling of historic mapping and drill data, showing a mineralized structure (Cate-Eight) that may be included in future mine plans with continued encouraging drill intercepts. Six drillholes are planned to test the Cate-Eight Target, totalling approximately 2,200 feet. The second hole was completed on May 1, 2026, and is currently being logged, with samples highlighted for delivery to the SVL Lab in Smelterville, Idaho, in the first week of May 2026. Four additional drill holes will test the emerging Cate-Eight zone from the current drill station on the 8 Level. The ongoing underground drill program, announced in April 2026, is targeting: Exploration of higher-grade silver targets in the upper areas of the mine, proximal to existing infrastructure; Step-out drilling to test extensions of known mineralization and add near-mine resources; Infill and confirmation drilling within the current mine plan to support detailed stope design and grade control. Drilling is being conducted from stations on the 7 and 8 levels, with approximately 25,000 feet of diamond drilling planned over the coming months. Results will be released on a rolling basis as assays are received and compiled. Bunker Hill continues to make strong progress across all key workstreams as it advances toward restart, with approximately 93% of pre-production activities now complete. Underground development, infrastructure readiness, and equipment commissioning are progressing as planned, supported by operations team and established contractor base. With critical milestones achieved to date, the Company remains on track to commence production in June 2026, positioning Bunker Hill for a disciplined transition to steady-state operations. The Company has implemented rigorous QA/QC protocols, including the insertion of blanks and standards in all sample batches. QA samples inserted in the batch of samples for BHE26-01 all passed analyses for blanks and certified reference standards. Core sample intervals were selected based on visual geology and mineralization, and were cut, bagged and delivered to the lab by BHMC geologists. Samples were split and cut on a core saw where necessary, following a cut line placed by the geologist dividing visible mineralization into equal proportions. Samples were prepared and analyzed at Silver Valley Laboratory (SVL) in Smelterville, Idaho, using standard industry grind, split, and pulp preparation, followed by microwave digestion and Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) analysis, with overlimit samples assayed by fire assay with a gravimetric finish for silver. SVL’s Quality Assurance Program meets the quality requirements set forth in the ISO/IEC 17025:2017 Standard, as evidenced by the inclusion and reporting of internal quality control samples with all results.