The latest results from Sunstone Metals Ltd (ASX:STM) have revealed high-grade visible gold from trench samples at its Limon discovery in southern Ecuador, setting the company up for a “pivotal” drilling program next month to define the extent of the large mineralised system and prepare for a maiden resource.
This area hosts a conceptual epithermal gold-silver exploration target of 0.9-1.7 million ounces of gold equivalent within 30-44 million tonnes at a gold equivalent grade between 0.9 and 1.2 g/t.
High-grade results
The latest assays highlight the growing size and strong grades of Limon and continue to strengthen this target.
Analysis of duplicate samples (from Trench LM-05c) at the project’s Western target returned significantly higher gold results than previously reported of 14.95 metres at 4.8 g/t gold and 2.1 g/t silver, including 6.2 metres at 10.7 g/t gold and 3.5 g/t silver.
Individual duplicate results over intervals of 1 metre returned results up to 69.9 g/t gold while visible gold was identified from panning samples from this trench and suggests nuggety gold.
The trenching program also returned anomalous gold and copper, further defining the large Limon gold-copper porphyry target for future drilling.
Upcoming drilling program
As a result of these assays, the upcoming drilling program is aimed at defining and expanding the Central Shoot and testing the Western Target (NYSE:TGT) where trenching results show high-grade gold with associated silver.
Drilling is expected to begin in June, initially focusing on these two areas which are 1 kilometre apart. Results will help to define the large-scale nature of the Limon system.
Sunstone managing director Patrick Duffy said: “This upcoming drilling program will target these areas where we know there is high-grade gold near surface.
“The results from these first two areas will set us up well to continue to test the many other targets within the 2-kilometre x 2-kilometre Limon porphyry-epithermal field.
“The goal is to demonstrate clearly that there is huge resource growth potential at Bramaderos as well as early development opportunities at Limon.”
Limon gold-in-soils map showing extensive anomalous gold over an area of 1.7 x 1.0 kilometres. Circled areas have seen only partial testing and show epithermal gold-silver domains. The black dashed line shows the Limon porphyry target outline.
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