Southern Cross Gold Consolidated Ltd. announced significant new results from drill hole SDDSC120W1, at the Rising Sun and Golden Dyke prospects, part of the 100%-owned Sunday Creek project. HIGH LEVEL TAKEAWAY: Southern Cross Gold's latest drill hole at Sunday Creek (SDDSC120W1) has delivered outstanding results, headlined by a 7.5 m intersection grading 36.2 g/t gold within a broader 347 m intersection within the mineralized host. The hole intersected six high-grade vein sets, including two previously unknown, with spectacular zones including 1.0 m @ 262.1 g/t AuEq and 0.3 m @ 122.1 g/t AuEq.
Notably, the drilling successfully extended known mineralization up to 88 m down-dip on key structures. The technical execution proved particularly impressive, with the team successfully drilling at an opposing orientation to earlier holes. This new angle provided crucial validation of structural assumptions, with the predicted RS15 vein set intersected with metre-level accuracy.
After the parent hole deviated into thefootwall, the team's wedge strategy maintained optimal 90 m spacing while testing the target corridor, demonstrating the team's growing understanding of the system, critical factors for resource definition and eventual development. These results carry heightened strategic significance given the current geopolitical landscape. China's September 2024 announcement of antimony export restrictions has intensified Western nations' search for secure supplies of this critical metal, essential for defense and high-tech applications.
Sunday Creek's emergence as one of the Western world's most significant gold-antimony discoveries comes at a crucial time, with its roughly 20% insitu antimony value component providing strategic optionality while the primary gold economics de-risk development. The project's location in Victoria, Australia, adds another layer of appeal, offering the security of a tier-1 jurisdiction when secure supply chains are increasingly vital. The combination of exceptional grades, growing resource scale, strategic metal exposure, and premier jurisdiction positions Sunday Creek as a uniquely compelling discovery in the current market context.
HIGHLIGHTS: SDDSC120W1 successfully intersected 6 high-grade vein sets across a 347 m intersection through the host sequence, delivering exceptional results: Peak values reached of 464.0 g/t Au and 17.5% Sb. Notable high-grade zones included: Primary intersection: 7.5 m @ 36.6 g/t AuEq (36.2 g/t Au, 0.2% Sb) from 731.9 m, including: 1.0 m @ 262.1 g/t AuEq (261.5 g/t Au, 0.3% Sb) from 734.3 m; 0.4 m @ 33.8 g/t AuEq (Au only) from 773.3 m; 1.5 m @ 25.2 g/t AuEq (21.0 g/t Au, 2.2% Sb) from 804.2 m including: 0.3 m @ 122.1 g/t AuEq (103.0 g/t Au, 10.2% Sb); 0.4 m @ 28.0 g/t AuEq (9.2 g/t Au, 10.0% Sb) from 819.4 m, including; 0.2 m @ 45.5 g/t AuEq (15.2 g/t Au, 16.1% Sb). The hole added to Sunday Creek's impressive strike-rate, bringing the total number of high-grade intersections to 56, each exceeding 100 gold-equivalent gram-meters (AuEq g/t x m) from 71.4 km of drilling.
SDDSC120W1 was important as it demonstrated: A clear ability to target gold-antimony mineralization, after the parent hole deviated, allowing the team to redrill and hit high-grade zones within a 348 m corridor while maintaining proper spacing. Its perpendicular orientation to previous drilling provided crucial validation of structural continuity assumptions and grade continuity, with its main intersection (7.5m @ 36.2 g/t Au) hitting the predicted vein set accurately and showing consistent mineralization with nearby holes. Drill Hole Discussion: SDDSC120W1 was drilled east to west as a daughter navigational hole from the parent SDDSC120 (23 July, 2024) with the intention of targeting the northern strike extent of several vein sets within the western portion of the Rising Sun prospect.
The drill hole successfully tested a prospective corridor of 347 m @ 1.2 g.t Au (uncut) (ie the cumulative downhole length of dyke/breccia/altered sediment between the "rails of the ladder") and intercepted six mineralized vein sets, two of which were previously unknown (the "rungs of the ladder"). The hole contained six intervals >20 g/t Au (up to 464.0 g/t Au) and five intervals of >2% Sb (up to 17.5% Sb). The hole intersected three modelled vein sets, and defined three additional previously unmodelled vein sets one of which lies outside the exploration target area.
