Diablo Resources Confirms 4,190g/t Silver at Utah Horn Silver Project Sampling
Key Takeaways
- First-pass reconnaissance sampling at Horn Silver returned peak grades of 4,190 g/t Ag, 1.40 g/t Au and 2.41% Cu from a single sample at Buckhorn, alongside 18.05 g/t Au at Michigan and 6.99% Cu at Accrington.
- Four distinct prospects — Buckhorn, Washington, Accrington and Michigan — have all returned high-grade polymetallic results, confirming district-scale mineralisation across multiple structural corridors.
- All principal commodities targeted — silver, copper, antimony, lead and zinc — appear on the US 2025 List of Critical Minerals, with Executive Order 14415 creating a strategic policy tailwind for domestic Utah explorers.
- Diablo holds an 80% interest in 101 patented and 101 unpatented claims at Horn Silver, with drill planning underway and maiden drilling at the nearby North Star Prospect (Star Range Project, ~15km away) scheduled to commence shortly.
- The project sits along strike and parallel to the historic Horn Silver Mine, which produced 17 Moz Ag at 604 g/t Ag — a historical benchmark that contextualises the scale of the district being explored.
Diablo Resources confirms district-scale silver and copper potential at Horn Silver Project
Diablo Resources has received exceptional first-pass reconnaissance rock sampling results from its Horn Silver Project in Utah, confirming a high-grade polymetallic footprint across multiple prospects. The ASX-listed explorer (ASX:DBO / OTCQB:DBORF) collected 66 grab samples (HS26-01 to HS26-66) from unpatented claims in the Frisco Mining District, Beaver County, with peak results including 4,190 g/t Ag at Buckhorn, alongside high-grade gold and copper across Washington, Accrington and Michigan prospects. These results strengthen the drill-target pipeline ahead of imminent drilling catalysts, with maiden drilling scheduled to commence shortly at the nearby North Star Prospect.
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Standout high-grade results across four prospects
Results confirm polymetallic mineralisation across a district-scale footprint, with significant silver, gold and copper grades returned from multiple structural corridors. These are grab samples — selective by nature and biased towards visibly mineralised material — and are not representative of average grade or indicative of drill-ready intercepts. The results validate historical interpretations of N–S and WNW structural controls on mineralisation across the project.
| Prospect | Peak Ag (g/t) | Peak Au (g/t) | Peak Cu (%) | Notable Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buckhorn | 4,190 (HS26-40) | 1.40 (HS26-40) | 2.41 (HS26-40) | Sb to 550 ppm; also 490 g/t Ag / 1.21 g/t Au (HS26-41) |
| Washington | 1,730 (HS26-53) | 8.45 (HS26-49) | 6.27 (HS26-49) | Zn to 30%; Pb to 14.5%; Mo to 0.35% |
| Accrington | 985 (HS26-25) | — | 6.99 (HS26-25) | Zn to 29.8% |
| Michigan | 793 (HS26-61) | 18.05 (HS26-66) | 2.14 (HS26-63) | W to 0.17% |
Buckhorn and Washington deliver the peak silver
Sampling at Buckhorn focused on an interpreted fault zone trending northeast from the historical Buckhorn Shaft. Surface alteration along the fault is characterised by ferruginous orange-brown colouration with sub-gossanous and brecciated textures. Samples from shallow workings parallel to the Buckhorn mineralised fault returned exceptional results, with HS26-40 delivering 4,190 g/t Ag, 1.40 g/t Au, 2.41% Cu and 550 ppm Sb. Sample HS26-41 returned 490 g/t Ag and 1.21 g/t Au.
Washington Prospect defines a ~950m WNW-trending corridor, with the central portion covered by unpatented claims. The area has been subject to historical mining, with several extensive workings along the WNW mineralised zone. Peak silver reached 1,730 g/t Ag (HS26-53), with gold to 8.45 g/t (HS26-49) and copper to 6.27% (HS26-49). The prospect displays a strong polymetallic signature, with lead to 14.5%, zinc to 20.6%, molybdenum to 0.35% and antimony to 697 ppm.
Accrington and Michigan add copper and gold depth
Accrington Prospect is characterised by numerous historical workings and defines a coherent polymetallic zone with multiple samples exceeding 1% Cu. Peak copper reached 6.99% (HS26-25), accompanied by 985 g/t Ag. Sample HS26-26 returned 861 g/t Ag and 4.16% Cu. Zinc anomalism is significant, with assays to 29.8%.
Michigan Prospect lies in the western portion of the project area, proximal to the sediment-intrusive contact. Gold and significant silver/copper mineralisation has been identified over approximately 250m along a northerly trending fault zone within altered granite and silicified sediments. Standout results include HS26-66: 18.05 g/t Au, 199 g/t Ag and 2.07% Cu. Tungsten assays reached 0.17%.
Why these critical minerals results matter
First-pass reconnaissance rock sampling is an early exploration step designed to identify and rank drill targets, not define a resource. Geologists collect grab samples from outcrop, historical workings or float to test the tenor of mineralised material and map structural controls on mineralisation. This sampling is selective by nature — it targets visibly mineralised rock to assess potential — and the grades returned are not representative of average grade across a mineralised zone or indicative of widths that may be encountered in drilling.
“Polymetallic” refers to deposits hosting multiple economic metals. The Horn Silver Project displays carbonate replacement deposit (CRD) and skarn-style mineralisation — systems where hot fluids associated with intrusive rocks replace carbonate host rocks, depositing metal-bearing minerals in structurally controlled zones. These systems commonly host silver, copper, lead and zinc together, often with antimony, molybdenum and tungsten.
The critical minerals angle strengthens the strategic context. Silver and copper were added to the US 2025 List of Critical Minerals by the United States Geological Survey. Antimony, lead and zinc are also listed. This means all principal commodities targeted across Diablo’s Utah portfolio are US-recognised critical minerals.
- Silver
- Copper
- Antimony
- Lead
- Zinc
In July 2026, the United States issued Executive Order 14415, Securing America’s Defence Supply Chains and Ensuring Domestic Acquisition of Critical Minerals. The order includes measures relating to critical material supply chain mapping and accelerated testing and qualification of new sources used in defence production. What this tells you is that US critical minerals policy creates a strategic tailwind for a domestic Utah polymetallic explorer operating in a recognised critical-minerals jurisdiction.
How the results fit the historic Horn Silver Mine
High-priority drill targets are emerging along strike and parallel to the historic Horn Silver Mine, which had historical production of 17 Moz Ag @ 604 g/t Ag (referenced as historical in source documents — this is not Diablo’s production or a resource estimate). Results validate historical interpretations of N–S and WNW structural corridors controlling mineralisation across the district.
Diablo holds an 80% interest in the Horn Silver Project, comprising 101 patented and 101 unpatented claims. The remaining 20% is held by Opal Resources Ltd, which also holds a 1% royalty over all claims. This is a historically mined district, not a first discovery.
CEO Lyle Thorne
“The first-pass reconnaissance sampling program within the unpatented claims at Horn Silver materially strengthened Diablo’s critical-minerals exploration target pipeline, confirming multiple zones of anomalous silver, gold, copper and antimony while outlining several newly emerging structural and geochemical mineralised corridors across the project. These early results demonstrate exciting potential, adding meaningful depth to our exploration inventory and complementing existing near-mine targets at the historic Horn Silver Mine and identified regional prospects. This exploration work including detailed sampling, mapping and structural analysis will aim to identify and rank the high impact drill targets. In parallel, scheduled drilling at the North Star Prospect in the Star Range Project is providing another near-term catalyst for the Company. With multiple new emerging targets and drilling set to commence, shareholders can expect a strong cadence of news flow over the coming months as first-pass results are followed by more detailed work programs including drilling.”
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Near-term catalysts and next steps
Exploration is accelerating, with drill planning underway for the Horn Silver Project and maiden drilling scheduled to commence at North Star (Star Range Project, approximately 15km away). Portfolio synergy across the Utah portfolio enables shared logistics, contractors and permitting across multiple projects.
- Integrate assay results into the regional database.
- Update geological models.
- Commence drill planning for the Horn Silver Mine.
- Rate, rank and prioritise remaining targets leading to drilling.
- Complete acquisition of patented claims as per the option agreement.
Diablo is positioned for a sustained period of exploration activity with multiple catalysts pending. The combination of near-mine drill targets at Horn Silver and the imminent North Star drilling program creates a dual-catalyst pipeline over the coming months.
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