Highlights

  • Hole MDD487 intercepted 8.7m at 30.6g/t gold, among the top ten gold intercepts at RAS.
  • The HG1 domain contains 60% of the Indicated gold resource while occupying only 34% of the rock volume.
  • Down-plunge extensions now total over 2 km with mineralization extending 650m beyond current underground mine design.

Santana Minerals Ltd (NZX:SMI) has announced recent drilling results from the northern region of the Rise & Shine (RAS) deposit have revealed remarkable high-grade gold intercepts that confirm the continuation of the HG1 domain core. These findings highlight the potential for significant underground mine life extensions beyond the current design, driven by consistent high grades and an expanding mineralized system.

High-Grade Intercepts Reinforce Core Continuity

Drill hole MDD487 delivered a standout result of 8.7 meters grading 30.6 grams per tonne (g/t) gold, ranking it among the top ten holes ever drilled at RAS. This interval included consistent grades above 15g/t, with two assays surpassing 100g/t (pre-top-cut interval: 8.7m @ 40.2g/t), attributed to fine disseminated gold. This confirms the HG1 (high-grade) domain as the strongest zone within the broader ore system.

Extensions Indicate Potential for Larger Underground Operations

The northern Honeypot zone results extend the HG1 domain at least 230 meters further down-plunge, suggesting a 60% increase over the current underground reserve and substantial mine life extension potential. Additional drill intercepts include:

  • MDD487: 8.7m @ 30.6g/t Au from 302.3m (true width 7.1m)
  • MDD483: 27.6m @ 3.5g/t Au from 447.4m (true width 25.4m)
  • MDD486: 12.6m @ 4.2g/t Au from 479.4m (true width 11.3m)
  • MDD485: 6.7m @ 2.0g/t Au from 459.3m (true width 6.3m)

Step-Out Drilling Extends Orebody Length

An aggressive step-out hole, MDD484A, returned 2.2m grading 5.8g/t Au at 667.8m depth (true width 1.8m), extending the RAS orebody a further 190 meters down-plunge beyond previous drilling. The overall down-plunge length now exceeds two kilometers, with mineralization extending 650 meters beyond current mine designs. This success underscores the reliability and predictive power of the geological model guiding exploration.