Wide Antimony Intercepts Confirm Critical Mineral Potential at Maverick Springs
Sun Silver Limited has announced significant antimony intercepts at its Maverick Springs Silver-Gold Project in Nevada, highlighting the expanding potential of this critical mineral within the existing precious metals system. This sun silver antimony discovery represents a significant development in the critical minerals space.
Standout Antimony Results Exceed US Benchmark Project Grades
Recent re-assaying of historical drill core has confirmed a significant 30.69-meter antimony intercept at 0.11% Sb from 186.02 meters in hole MR059, including high-grade intervals of 1.1 meters at 0.48% Sb. These results notably exceed the grades found at Perpetua Resources' Stibnite Project in Idaho, which hosts antimony resources at approximately 0.06-0.07% Sb.
"The antimony intercept from hole MR059 is a standout result, grading significantly higher than the published Reserve and Resource grades at Perpetua's Stibnite Project," said Andrew Dornan, Managing Director of Sun Silver. "With the current Maverick Springs Mineral Resource extending 2.4 kilometres in length and 1.4 kilometres in width, this result highlights the broader antimony potential of the project."
Additional evidence of the sun silver antimony discovery includes:
- Surface rock chip samples returning up to 0.22% Sb, confirming the presence of antimony at surface
- Visual stibnite (the primary antimony mineral) identified in historical drill cores MR063 and MR103
- Previous pXRF analysis showing antimony values up to 1.32% across a 1.3km strike
What is Antimony and Why Does it Matter?
Antimony is classified as a critical mineral by the United States government due to its essential applications in defense and technology sectors. Unlike gold and silver, which are primarily used for investment and jewelry, antimony serves vital strategic purposes:
- Military Applications: Used in armor-piercing munitions and military-grade flame retardants
- Technology: Critical component in thermoelectric and infrared technologies
- Energy Storage: Used in high-density battery systems for defense platforms
- Industrial: Important in flame retardants and lead-acid batteries
With China currently controlling approximately 60% of global antimony production, developing domestic sources has become a national security priority for the United States. In fact, other explorers like Warriedar Resources have recently uncovered high-grade antimony at their gold deposit, showing growing interest in this critical mineral.
Strategic Positioning for Defense Funding
Sun Silver has finalised a white paper for submission to the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) highlighting Maverick Springs' potential to serve as a secure domestic source of antimony. This positions the company to potentially access federal assistance through:
- Defense Production Act Title III (DPA III)
- Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy (OIBP)
- Strategic Materials initiatives through the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA)
Successful engagement could lead to non-dilutive funding, government-backed offtake agreements, or co-investment to support project development.
Comprehensive Re-Assay Program Underway
The company is conducting a large-scale re-assay program targeting historical drill core and pulps that were originally only tested for silver and gold. Additional antimony results are expected throughout Q3 2025, with approximately 30 historical holes submitted for multi-element analysis.
While some missing intervals in the historic pulps have been identified, visual identification of stibnite in core samples awaiting assay suggests the potential for additional antimony intercepts. This systematic approach may further define the extent of the sun silver antimony discovery across the broader project area.
Antimony Mineralisation: Technical Details
The antimony mineralisation at Maverick Springs appears to be associated with the existing silver-gold system. Key technical observations include:
- Antimony occurs primarily as stibnite, the main mineral form of antimony (Sb₂S₃)
- Mineralisation is hosted within quartz veining and brecciated structures
- Visual stibnite crystals up to 3cm in size have been identified in historical core
- The antimony-bearing zones appear to follow similar structural controls to the silver-gold mineralisation
These characteristics suggest a well-developed antimony mineral system with potential for both near-surface and deeper mineralisation. Furthermore, this approach to identifying critical minerals within existing precious metal deposits is becoming more common, as seen with exploration targets in the Alligator Rivers region for uranium.
Maverick Springs: A Multi-Commodity Resource Base
The Maverick Springs Project, located 85km from Elko in Nevada, already hosts a substantial JORC Inferred Mineral Resource of:
- 218Mt at 42.2g/t Ag and 0.31g/t Au
- 296.5 million ounces of contained silver
- 2.2 million ounces of contained gold
- 480 million ounces of silver equivalent
The potential addition of antimony as a recoverable mineral could significantly enhance the project's economic profile, particularly given its classification as a critical mineral. Similar to how ZMI recently secured drilling approval for their untested anomaly, Sun Silver's approach to systematic exploration could unlock significant additional value.
Why Investors Should Take Note
Sun Silver presents a compelling investment case for several key reasons:
-
Critical Mineral Exposure: The sun silver antimony discovery adds a strategic dimension to an already substantial precious metals resource
-
Location Advantage: Nevada is rated as the #1 mining jurisdiction globally by the Fraser Institute (2022)
-
Scale Potential: With antimony mineralisation identified across a 1.3km strike and at surface, the deposit shows potential for significant scale
-
Strategic Value: The U.S. government's focus on securing domestic supplies of critical minerals could provide funding and development advantages
-
Multi-Commodity Upside: The project offers exposure to precious metals (silver and gold) plus critical minerals (antimony)
As Sun Silver continues its exploration and re-assay program, investors should monitor upcoming results that could further define the extent and grade of antimony mineralisation across this large-scale deposit. This approach to identifying multiple commodities within a single deposit is becoming increasingly valuable, as demonstrated by Golden Cross unveiling high-potential copper zones at their existing project.
In addition, the growing emphasis on critical minerals for the energy transition, such as the breakthrough in graphene supercapacitors for hydrogen applications expected by 2025, highlights the strategic importance of discoveries like Sun Silver's antimony find.
Want to Catch the Next Major Mineral Discovery?
Discover how investors gain a critical edge by receiving instant alerts on significant ASX mining discoveries through Discovery Alert's proprietary Discovery IQ model, which transforms complex exploration data into actionable opportunities. Explore why major mineral discoveries can lead to exceptional returns by visiting the Discovery Alert discoveries page and start your 30-day free trial today.
