Santana Minerals Limited (ASX:SMI), a gold exploration and development company focused on its projects including the Rise and Shine (RAS) deposit, recently announced high-grade gold infill drill results from its ongoing campaign. The drilling targeted the southern area of the Rise and Shine deposit, where early-stage open pit mining is planned. These initial results, from the first four holes of a 12-hole program, are designed to close up drill hole spacing and confirm the position of pre-production mining to ensure a consistent ore feed at planned processing rates.
Strong intercepts from holes MDD504 and MDD524A confirmed the tenor of the thick high-grade mineralised domain (HG1) within the upper Rise and Shine Shear Zone (RSSZ). Notably, MDD504 also intercepted an additional zone of high-grade mineralisation beneath the HG1 in a domain currently classified as low-grade (LG1). Further results from MDD525 reinforced the continuity of stacked mineralised zones in the south of RAS, while fringe hole MDD523 confirmed the southern margin of the high-grade domain. Significant intercepts included 15.5 metres at 7.7 grams per tonne gold from 185.0 metres in MDD504, and 7.0 metres at 6.4 grams per tonne gold from 181.1 metres in MDD524A.
Santana’s CEO, Damian Spring, commented on the results, stating that with permitting and financing progressing, the company is now focused on refining the mine plan ahead of development. Mr Spring added that these infill results provide increased confidence in the high-grade ore that will underpin the early years of production. The infill drill program is continuing with eight additional drill holes to be completed, aiming to further close hole spacing in areas targeted for early ore production, with mine plans being refined ahead of advanced financing activities.
