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IMPACT Silver Exploration Summary
Thursday January 10, 7:18 pm ET
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Jan. 10, 2008) - IMPACT Silver Corp. ("IMPACT") (TSX VENTURE:IPT - News) is pleased to provide a summary of its exploration activities in 2007 and plans for 2008. Most of IMPACT's exploration work was carried out at the Royal Mines of Zacualpan Silver District ("Zacualpan") and the adjacent Mamatla District in 2007. A smaller program took place in the Zacatecas Silver District.
ROYAL MINES OF ZACUALPAN EXPLORATION OVERVIEW
Zacualpan is located in central Mexico and consists of a 125-square-kilometer land package with wholly owned operating mines and a processing plant rated at 500 tonnes-per-day ("tpd") and currently operating at 300 tpd.
Since 2004, IMPACT has been reporting results from a large number of old mine prospects at Zacualpan. To put the results of this extensive field work, historical information and assays in context and prioritize exploration targets, IMPACT hired a senior geological database expert in early 2007 to compile a computer GIS (Geographic Information System) database encompassing all past mining and exploration data in the Zacualpan and neighbouring Mamatla Districts. To date, over 750 old mine workings have been entered into the database, of these IMPACT exploration crews have sampled in detail 87. Of these, ten priority targets were drill tested resulting in the discovery of two new mines (Chivo and San Ramon). Five of the other ten targets returned economically significant results that will lead to further drilling. At this point, only about 10% of the Zacualpan property has seen detailed exploration.
In 2008, an expanded drill budget including 12,000m of Phase 1 surface drilling and 5000m of underground drilling will continue to test targets. The field workforce has also been expanded to better tackle the more than 700 old mine workings that remain to be explored. Reconnaissance crews and prospectors continue to sample an expanded soil grid which will encompass an additional 12,000 samples in 2008 and more prospective old mine workings are being added to the existing data bank on a regular basis.
Due to the vast size of the Zacualpan district, exploration activity is carried out as a series of projects, each with its own dedicated team. A summary of exploration work completed in 2007 is discussed below with target areas described as near term, intermediate term and long term production potential (see map at http://www.impactsilver.com for locations).
Near Term Exploration Targets (Less than one year horizon to potential production)
Near Term Exploration targets are mainly located in the vicinity of active mine workings. Many of these targets are tested by the mine staff through underground sampling and IMPACT's wholly owned, continuously operating underground drill. The resulting samples are processed in a modern fully equipped laboratory that is located at the mine site. IMPACT does not routinely report assays from this underground sampling and drilling as the work is considered part of the daily management of mining operations.
In 2007 underground Near Term Exploration focused on the Guadalupe, Gallega and Chivo Mines. The underground drill is presently testing extensions of known veins on Level 195m of the Guadalupe mine outlining new areas for production. Other parts of the mines are re-evaluated by underground channel sampling. For example the San Lorenzo Vein on Level 195 at Guadalupe returned nine underground samples averaging 444g/t silver, 1.3% lead and 2.6% zinc across 0.54m true width ("TW") along a strike length of 90m with the best sample assaying 1,040g/t silver, 0.8% lead and 2.3% zinc across 1.1m TW and is now included in production plans for 2008. Similarly, underground exploration combined with surface drilling at the nearby Gallega Mine in 2007 discovered several new veins that are now in production.
Chivo Project
The Chivo Mine is the newest addition to IMPACT's production profile. In early 2007 drill results from 18 holes in the Chivo Silver Shoot lead to a production decision. Highlights of this work included the following: 937g/t silver, 0.35g/t gold, 1.88% zinc and 0.75% lead across 2.7m TW (DH Z-06-10) and 378g/t silver, 0.30g/t gold, 4.25% zinc and 1.76% lead across 4.7m TW (DH Z07-03).
In November 2007 the first underground workings reached the Chivo Silver Shoot. This shoot has since been exposed underground for a distance of 120m on the south end in preparation for commercial production. Underground sampling of this southern portion of the shoot has now been completed to NI43-101 standards and an additional five drill holes from surface have been completed to the north. Assays from this work are pending.
Exploration of several nearby targets continues on the premise that any of them could be readily and quickly integrated into the Chivo Mine. One of them, the San Patricio Vein, located 600m west of the Chivo Mine, is a branch off the main Lipton Vein which is host to the producing Guadalupe Mine further to the north. Four drill holes at San Patricio in 2007 returned highlights of 242g/t silver across 4.6m TW and 935g/t silver and 2.14% zinc across 0.6m TW. Further drilling is planned at San Patricio to expand on these results and on other targets in the Chivo Project area in 2008.
Intermediate Term Exploration Targets (1 to 3 year horizon to potential production)
Significant effort is being given to Intermediate Term Exploration Targets. The latest success in this category is the silver-rich Chivo Mine which progressed from discovery sampling in September 2005 to first drill hole assays in October 2006 and to first production in November 2007. A variety of Intermediate Term Exploration Targets were explored in the district in 2007.
San Antonio Project
The San Antonio zone is located four kilometers southeast of the Zacualpan mill and 1350m northeast of the Chivo Mine. On surface it is marked by a large glory hole, two old adits and a foundation for an old processing plant. Highlights from the 11 hole drill program in 2007 include the following:
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SAN ANTONIO DRILL HOLES
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TOP OF
DRILL INTERCEPT ESTIMATED ZINC LEAD SILVER GOLD
HOLE No. (m) TW (%) (%) (g/t) (g/t)
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SECTION 2000N
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Z07-15 53.5 2.9 7.81 3.76 50 0.91
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Including: 0.9 15.95 8.10 97 1.63
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Z06-22 47.4 1.1 4.09 4.46 118 5.12
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SECTION 2050N
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Z07-21 82.8 4.5 11.55 1.94 33 0.51
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Including: 1.8 16.53 1.63 25 0.55
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Further drilling is planned for the San Antonio Zone and other nearby veins in 2008 and soil sampling, prospecting and mapping are planned for the general San Antonio Project area.
Cuchara Project
The Cuchara Mine is located three kilometers east of the Zacualpan mill. The main shoot has been mined intermittently for hundreds of years and was last in production in 2004. Recent drilling tested the southern extension of the Cuchara Vein system beyond historic mining areas returning the following highlights:
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CUCHARA EXTENSION DRILL HOLES
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DRILL TOP OF ESTIMATED SILVER GOLD ZINC LEAD
HOLE No. INTERCEPT (m) TW (m) (g/t) (g/t) (%) (%)
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Z07-29 107.5 2.2 641 0.02 1.67 0.53
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Including: 0.6 1,340 0.02 2.27 0.80
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Z07-30 18.8 1.5 229 0.07 1.17 0.35
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In early 2007, a new discovery was also made at the nearby Oscar Vein:
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OSCAR VEIN DRILL HOLE
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DRILL TOP OF ESTIMATED SILVER GOLD ZINC LEAD
HOLE No. INTERCEPT (m) TW (m) (g/t) (g/t) (%) (%)
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Z07-26 95.0 0.3 2,820 7.83 7.83 3.48
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Mapping and prospecting has identified a cluster of at least ten other veins with old workings in the Cuchara area. Data compilation and surface work are continuing in preparation for further drilling of these and other nearby veins.
Pino Prospect
The Pino Prospect lies on the Lipton Vein system. It is located 700m south of the Guadalupe Mine which has historically produced 10 million ounces of silver predominantly from the Lipton Vein. The Pino Prospect area is marked by a large soil anomaly and sparse old small mine workings. Highlights from drilling returned:
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PINO PROSPECT DRILL HOLES
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DRILL TOP OF ESTIMATED SILVER GOLD ZINC LEAD
HOLE No. INTERCEPT (m) TW (m) (g/t) (g/t) (%) (%)
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Z06-19 125.5 4.9 8 0.06 1.84 0.59
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Including: 3.3 11 0.05 2.29 0.67
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Z06-21 63.6 2.7 84 0.09 2.67 0.64
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and: 1.7 109 0.11 3.58 0.84
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This initial test indicated this to be a zinc-rich prospect. The best holes (19 and 21) were both drilled near the valley bottom and indicate that metal values were increasing with depth in the vein structure. In late 2007 one additional hole was drilled to test this system to greater depth. Assays are pending. Additional drill sites have been prepared to further test this zone to depth in 2008.
Longer Term Exploration Targets (3 to 5 year horizon to potential production)
IMPACT field crews have been exploring various mineralized areas at Zacualpan with longer term production possibilities. The most significant of these is the CPN Gold-Copper Zone.
CPN Gold-Copper Project
The Carlos Pacheco-Nochebuena ("CPN") Project covers a sizeable target area within the larger Zacualpan District. It is located five kilometers southwest of the Zacualpan mill in the central portion of IMPACT's land holdings covering a 10-square-kilometer area of large-scale, well mineralized with Copper-Gold and Silver-Zinc-Lead veins. In early 2007 the first results of sampling in some old mine workings returned highlights of:
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CARLOS PACHECO ADIT SAMPLES
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ESTIMATED GOLD COPPER SILVER
LOCATION TW (m) (g/t) (%) (g/t)
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End of adit 2.7 14.6 0.46 58
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Including: 1.2 32.4 0.80 106
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8m from end of adit 2.4 5.9 0.70 80
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Including: 0.9 10.9 1.27 134
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The Cobre Prospect is an old adit located on the Pacheco Vein System 3.5 kilometers south of the Pacheco Prospect. Samples were collected in five places over the 25m exposed length of the vein in the adit and returned the following values:
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COBRE ADIT SAMPLES
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ESTIMATED GOLD COPPER SILVER
LOCATION TW (m) (g/t) (%) (g/t)
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Average of 5 samples along 25m
exposed length of vein 1.0 1.2 2.34 181
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including 1.2 0.2 7.81 88
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Through much of 2007, a dedicated exploration team has been mapping and sampling the CPN Project area in preparation for a major drill program in 2008. Results from the 2007 exploration work will be released when all assays are received and interpreted.
These significant copper and gold zones are found at lower elevations in the Zacualpan district and may be indicative of a copper and gold district underlying the silver district. IMPACT geologists consider this idea to hold big blue sky exploration potential and incorporate the possibility into their exploration planning.