Maverick Springs Delivers Record 7.8% Antimony Hit in Growing Critical Minerals Discovery
Sun Silver has announced exceptional antimony results from its ongoing re-assay program at the Maverick Springs Project in Nevada, confirming a substantial critical minerals opportunity alongside its established silver-gold resource.
Record Antimony Grades Confirm Emerging Critical Mineral Potential
The latest results from Sun Silver's (ASX: SS1) systematic re-assay program have delivered the highest antimony grades to date at Maverick Springs, with hole MR103 returning an impressive 7.8% Sb within a broader zone of 59m at 0.1% Sb from 189.2m.
This standout result was complemented by another significant intercept in hole MR092, which returned 26m at 0.1% Sb from 236m, further demonstrating the consistency and scale of antimony mineralization across the project.
What makes these results particularly noteworthy is their comparison to Perpetua Resources' Stibnite Project, which hosts average antimony grades of approximately 0.06-0.07% Sb. Sun Silver's latest intercepts significantly exceed these grades, highlighting the potential economic significance of the antimony mineralization at Maverick Springs.
"A 7.8% antimony sample is a standout result and reinforces the growing scale of this critical mineral at Maverick Springs. Importantly, it occurs within a broad antimony zone, further underscoring the potential for extensive and consistent critical mineralisation across the system," said Sun Silver Managing Director Andrew Dornan.
Understanding Antimony: A Critical Strategic Metal
Antimony is classified as a critical mineral by the United States government due to its essential applications in defense, technology, and energy industries, combined with supply chain vulnerabilities. The metal is primarily used in flame retardants, lead-acid batteries, and as a hardening agent in lead for ammunition and other applications.
The U.S. currently has no domestic antimony production despite its designation as a critical mineral, making new discoveries like the Sun Silver antimony discovery potentially strategically significant for domestic supply security.
Antimony's price has shown strength in recent years due to supply constraints and growing demand from emerging technologies. The metal's critical status and limited production outside of China (which produces approximately 60% of global supply) creates a compelling market opportunity for new western-based projects with significant antimony grades.
Expanding the Multi-Commodity Potential
Sun Silver is executing a comprehensive re-assay program targeting historical pulp samples, drill core, and coarse rejects that were originally only analyzed for silver and gold. This ongoing work is revealing substantial antimony zones throughout the deposit, which extends approximately 2.4km in length and 1.4km in width.
The company's initial 2024 portable X-Ray Fluorescence analysis and laboratory assays confirmed antimony mineralization with values up to 13,199ppm (1.32%), with mineralization identified in all five historic holes tested over a 1.3km strike, highlighting the project's broad scale.
Currently, approximately 30 historical holes have been submitted for multi-element assay, with the company rapidly advancing its understanding of antimony mineralization and expanding the potential scale of critical mineral distribution across the project.
Nevada: A Premier Mining Jurisdiction
Sun Silver's cornerstone Maverick Springs Project is strategically located 85km from the fully serviced mining town of Elko in Nevada and is surrounded by several world-class gold and silver mining operations, including Barrick's Carlin Mine.
Nevada ranks as the top mining jurisdiction globally according to the Fraser Institute's 2022 survey, offering Sun Silver significant advantages in terms of infrastructure, skilled workforce availability, and regulatory clarity.
The Project, proximal to the prolific Carlin Trend, already hosts a substantial JORC Inferred Mineral Resource of 218Mt grading 42.2g/t Ag and 0.31g/t Au for 296.5Moz of contained silver and 2.2Moz of contained gold (480Moz of contained silver equivalent).
With the deposit remaining open along strike and at depth, and multiple mineralized intercepts located outside the current Resource constrained model, there appears to be significant potential for resource growth beyond the established precious metals inventory.
Why Investors Should Track Sun Silver
Sun Silver presents a compelling investment case with multiple value drivers:
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Multi-commodity exposure – With substantial silver and gold resources now complemented by emerging antimony potential, the company offers investors exposure to both precious metals and high-grade antimony discovery in a single asset.
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Strategic location – Operating in Nevada, rated the #1 mining jurisdiction globally, provides significant advantages for project development and operational stability.
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Resource scale and growth potential – The existing 480Moz silver equivalent resource provides a substantial foundation, while ongoing exploration continues to demonstrate growth potential.
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Critical minerals upside – The Sun Silver antimony discovery adds a potentially valuable new dimension to the project, particularly given the metal's critical status and limited domestic U.S. production.
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Near-term catalysts – With further results expected throughout Q3 2025 from the ongoing re-assay program, investors can anticipate regular news flow and potential value catalysts.
As antimony continues to gain recognition for its critical applications and supply constraints, Sun Silver's Maverick Springs Project appears well-positioned to benefit from growing interest in secure, western-based sources of this strategic metal, alongside its established precious metals endowment. Warriedar Resources uncovers high-grade antimony at its projects, while Sun Silver's antimony discovery represents an emerging opportunity in the critical minerals sector that may provide significant future value for shareholders.
Furthermore, the gold-antimony discovery trend continues to attract attention in the market, with other explorers like Sunshine Metals intercepting promising gold-silver veining at their projects as well.
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