New Property Acquistions/Exploration Opportunities On Florida Canyon Zinc Project

DENVER, CO - Solitario Zinc Corp. reported the planned 2018 work program, additional property acquisitions and newly defined exploration opportunities on its Florida Canyon Zinc Project in Peru. Florida Canyon is held in a joint venture between Solitario (39%-interest) and Nexa Resources (61%-interest). Highlights of the planned 2018 work program include completion of the access road into the mineralized portion of the project area and permitting that will allow new underground tunneling, surface drilling and other activities associated with the future development of the project.

The terrain at Florida Canyon is steep and all previous project access supporting surface and underground work programs was conducted by helicopter. The lack of road access restricted the scope of field activities to further advance the project. With the completion of the road, heavy equipment will be able to enter the project area and allow feasibility related activities to proceed efficiently. Important future activities that will be facilitated by the completion of the road are the construction of an underground tunnel into the Karen-Milagros high-grade zinc zone, detailed undergroun resource/reserve definition drilling, surface drilling designed to increase the project resource and additional feasibility/infrastructure-related studies. Work is scheduled to begin in May after the rainy season ends and continue until the road is completed.

Approximately 5,400 hectares (13,300 acres) of new concessions covering prospective geology and geochemistry were acquired by Nexa in late-2017 on the northern border of the Florida Canyon claim block. Earlier in 2017 Nexa filed for 6,500 hectares (16,100 acres) of new concessions. The consolidated Florida Canyon land position now stands at 48,700 hectares (120,300 acres). 

Chris Herald, President and CEO said, “Completion of the access road into the mineralized area is critical to advancing the Florida Canyon project to a development stage. It is an important milestone as access has historically been the single biggest technical challenge to advancing the project.”