Azarga Metals (TSXV:AZR) has announced that it has approved plans for the first drilling program at its newly acquired Unkur Copper-Silver project in the Zabaikalsky province in eastern Russia. As quoted in the press release: During the first phase of drilling, the Company aims to drill between eight and ten diamond drill holes totaling approximately …

During the first phase of drilling, the Company aims to drill between eight and ten diamond drill holes totaling approximately 3,000 cumulative linear meters. The program will employ two drill rigs operating from late-July / early-August through the end of November. Assaying will be conducted by SGS Minerals Services in Chita, with results expected in the October to December period.
Objectives of first phase drilling are to:
Verify significant high grade intercepts from historic drilling;
Begin compiling subsurface data that will be the basis for a 43-101 compliant Resource estimate. Initially, this will focus on demonstrating an Inferred Resource as this can be the basis for fast-tracking a Preliminary Economic Assessment (Scoping Study);
Demonstrate copper and silver grades from drill core with expected better recovery than historic drilling;
Assess distribution of silver mineralization both within, and if present, outside of copper mineralization envelope. Historic analyses of drill core were in general only within the copper mineralized envelope;
Gain geologic understanding that will help with resource estimates and planning of future drilling programs;
Demonstrate grade and thicknesses of portions of the Unkur deposit;
Take samples of sufficient unoxidized mineralized material to make several composites for metallurgical testing (subject to budget constaints).

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