High‑grade mineralization expands at Silver Queen Gold‑Silver project in British Columbia
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Equity Metals Corporation has reported fresh drill results from its 2025 summer campaign at the Silver Queen Project in British Columbia, reaffirming the project’s potential as a significant source of high-grade gold and silver mineralization. The company’s latest assay results from the No 3 Vein confirm a material extension of mineralized zones both along strike and to greater depth, a development that is expected to feed directly into an updated mineral resource estimate anticipated in early 2026.
The Silver Queen Project, which is fully owned by Equity Metals, has long been recognized as a promising epithermal gold-silver system situated within British Columbia’s prolific Skeena Arch. This summer’s drilling has not only extended known mineralized structures but also identified multiple new vein intercepts, enhancing the resource’s lateral and vertical continuity.
Deeper drilling returns high grades
Among the standout results were intercepts from drillholes SQ25-160 and SQ25-164. SQ25-160 revealed a 1.3-meter interval grading 4.7 grams per tonne gold, 471 grams per tonne silver, 2.5 percent copper and additional base metals, translating to 1,128 grams per tonne silver-equivalent. The same hole included a 0.7-meter subinterval with even higher grades, returning 8.9 grams per tonne gold and 890 grams per tonne silver.
SQ25-164 intersected 1.7 meters averaging 519 grams per tonne silver with significant lead and zinc content, amounting to 910 grams per tonne silver-equivalent. A narrower 0.4-meter section within this hole yielded over 2,000 grams per tonne silver, 7.9 percent lead and 14.5 percent zinc, producing one of the highest silver-equivalent grades reported to date at 2,687 grams per tonne.
Collectively, these drill results extend the down-dip continuity of the No 3 Vein to a vertical depth of 450 meters, which marks a substantial increase from previous drilling limits. The vein has now been traced for 650 meters laterally, highlighting the scope for further high-grade additions.
Enhancing the resource base
The No 3 Vein system, along with its southern extension known as NG-3, already accounts for 65 percent of the current mineral resource at Silver Queen, based on the last NI 43-101 compliant estimate completed in late 2022. According to the company, the new intercepts from the 2025 campaign are considered “accretive” to the existing model, meaning they will likely lead to a resource expansion when integrated into a revised estimate in early 2026.
Multiple veins were intersected in most drill holes during the summer program, including historic structures such as the No 2 Vein. This suggests a denser and more interconnected vein system than previously assumed. Notably, much of the new mineralization is located near historical underground workings, which could improve future development scenarios by reducing the need for costly new infrastructure.
Equity Metals drilled 21 core holes in total, covering 8,143 meters at the No 3 North target. Nineteen of these have been assayed, with the final two awaiting results. These two holes tested the outer boundaries of the current vein model, and results could further extend the known footprint of the deposit. In parallel, the company completed a regional surface sampling campaign, including stream sediment and soil geochemistry surveys, aimed at identifying district-scale targets for future exploration.
Infrastructure and exploration advantage
What distinguishes the Silver Queen Project from many other British Columbia exploration assets is its legacy infrastructure. The site includes an existing decline into the No 3 and George Lake veins, a maintained tailings facility and direct access to provincial power, road and rail networks. This strategic location has been instrumental in the company’s ability to conduct cost-effective drilling while laying the groundwork for future development.
More than 20 veins have been identified across the property’s six square kilometer footprint, indicating significant potential for further discovery beyond the No 3 Vein system. Hosted within a sequence of Cretaceous to Tertiary-age rocks, the veins exhibit classic epithermal textures and mineralogy, pointing to a deep-seated porphyry system that has only been partially delineated.
VP Exploration Rob Macdonald described the 2025 program as a success, saying the results reinforce the geological continuity of the high-grade veins and enhance the quality of the broader resource model. He emphasized that 2026 exploration will focus on incorporating this new data into the updated mineral resource, while also expanding drilling into less-explored zones of the Silver Queen property.
Outlook
As Equity Metals prepares its next resource estimate, expectations are high that the Silver Queen Project could emerge as a key asset within British Columbia’s evolving precious and base metals sector. With strong grades, significant scale, robust infrastructure and continued exploration success, the project stands out in a jurisdiction renowned for its mining-friendly policies and geological prospectivity.
While still in the exploration stage, the project’s economics continue to improve as more high-grade material is defined at depth and along strike. For investors and stakeholders watching the space, the 2026 drill campaign and pending resource update will be key milestones that could signal Silver Queen’s transition from exploration to development.