Aim-listed mineral exploration and development company Tertiary Minerals reports that preliminary rock samples taken at its Mt Tobin silver prospect, in Nevada, in the US, have returned values of up to 101 g/t silver.

Several other samples, taken from the prospectors hand dug pits, have returned silver grades of between 15 g/t and 91 g/t silver.

These and other anomalous results were returned over a 450 m strike length sampled to date.

This project comprises four newly staked claims located 73 km south of Winnemucca in north central Nevada.

A preliminary programme of field evaluation has now been completed by Nevada-based consulting geologist Ivan Johnston, targeting a zone of stratiform alteration and mineralisation in chert and silicified sediments over a thickness of 45 m to 60 m, and a strike length of 1 200 m.

This zone was reportedly defined by outcrops and a significant silver/lead/zinc geochemical anomaly in exploration carried out in the 1980s.

Various rock samples have been collected for analysis and soil samples taken on a pilot traverse.

The Mt Tobin prospect’s main target comprises a large area of hydrothermal alteration 60 m wide by 1 200 m long, with associated silver geochemical anomaly recorded by previous explorers.

The mineralisation is open to north and south, structurally controlled and spatially related to dyke intrusion.

Tertiary plans further mapping, sampling and soil sampling to better define the widths and strike extent of mineralisation in this poorly exposed area.

Executive chairperson Patrick Cheetham says that in line with these good results, the company is looking forward to increasing the pace of exploration on this and other precious metal projects in its Nevada portfolio this summer and autumn.

“It is an interesting time for silver with the silver price up 80% in the past 18 weeks and arguably showing more leverage than the gold price in the current market conditions.”