High-Grade Antimony Discoveries Confirm Exceptional Potential at Red Mountain's Armidale Project
Red Mountain Mining (ASX: RMX) has reported exceptional high-grade antimony results from its 100% owned Armidale Antimony-Gold project in New South Wales, with rock chip samples returning values up to 28.34% Sb from its Oaky Creek prospect.
Record-Breaking Antimony Grades Reveal Significant Resource Potential
Initial rock chip sampling at the Armidale project has delivered outstanding results that significantly expand the known mineralisation footprint at Oaky Creek. Key highlights include:
- Multiple high-grade antimony samples returning 28.34% Sb, 28.33% Sb, and 16.38% Sb
- High-grade antimony discovered up to 500m along strike from historical workings
- Ten rock chip samples contained over 2.5% Sb
- Results suggest potential for a large orogenic antimony mineral system
The most significant finding is that high-grade antimony mineralisation extends well beyond the previously known areas, with one sample containing 28.3% Sb collected approximately 500m northwest of the Oaky Creek North historical workings, indicating the potential scale of the mineralising system.
"These high-tenor antimony results confirm our initial assessment that the Armidale project has exceptional potential for significant antimony-gold mineralisation," said Mauro Piccini, Company Secretary of Red Mountain Mining.
Strategic Exploration Plans Underway
Red Mountain has outlined a comprehensive exploration strategy to further develop the Armidale project:
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Immediate Work at Oaky Creek: Shallow costeaning is planned to expose bedrock beneath strong soil antimony anomalies where no visible outcrop exists.
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New Target Areas: The company will undertake soil and rock chip sampling campaigns over the East Hills Antimony and Horsley Station Gold prospects in the southern portion of the project.
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Gold Assay Results Pending: Gold assays from the Oaky Creek rock samples are expected in July 2025, which could add significant value to the project given that similar systems in the region typically contain high-grade gold mineralisation.
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Target Generation: The company aims to generate drill-testable targets at Oaky Creek by late 2025.
Understanding Antimony: A Critical Element in Modern Technology
Antimony is classified as a critical mineral by many countries due to its essential role in various industries and limited global supply. This semi-metallic element is primarily used in:
- Flame retardants (around 60% of global consumption)
- Lead-acid batteries for energy storage
- Military applications including ammunition and armor plating
- Semiconductor manufacturing and electronics
- Medical applications including treatments for parasitic diseases
The global antimony market is dominated by China, which produces approximately 60% of world supply. Australia's New England Orogen, where Red Mountain's project is located, is recognised as the country's premier antimony province.
For investors, antimony represents an opportunity in the critical minerals space, with prices influenced by both industrial demand and strategic stockpiling by various nations.
Project Setting and Regional Context
The Armidale Antimony-Gold Project is strategically positioned within Australia's premier antimony province:
| Project Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | Southern New England Orogen, NSW |
| Total Area | 391km² (100% owned by RMX) |
| Strike Length | 85km immediately west of the Peel Fault |
| Proximity | ~100km west of Larvotto's Hillgrove Project |
| Geological Setting | Isoclinally folded Carboniferous metasediments |
| Mineralisation Style | Hydrothermal quartz veins, breccias and stockworks |
| Target Metals | Antimony, Gold, Tungsten |
The project area contains over 400 known orogenic gold and base metal mineral occurrences along its 400km strike extent but is considerably underexplored, with less than 200 mostly shallow drillholes over its length.
Extension of Mineralisation Beyond Historical Workings
The high-grade antimony at Red Mountain Mining's Armidale project demonstrates significant extension of mineralisation beyond historical workings. Rock chip sampling results indicate a strong correlation between mineralised samples and soil antimony anomalies, suggesting a potentially extensive mineralised system.
Particularly significant is the discovery of high-grade antimony at Red Mountain Mining approximately 500m northwest of the historical workings at Oaky Creek North. This finding, combined with the identification of two strong soil antimony anomalies (>50ppm Sb) at locations where no outcrop was observed, suggests considerable potential for resource expansion.
The vein-hosted antimony mineralisation at Oaky Creek appears to have a significant strike extent, potentially indicating a large-tonnage deposit. This interpretation is supported by:
- The spatial correlation between mineralised rock samples and elevated antimony in soils
- The discovery of high-grade antimony in outcrop well beyond historical workings
- The presence of a 2km-long soil anomaly at Oaky Creek North and a 1km-long anomaly at Oaky Creek South
Future Work Programs and Additional Targets
Based on these encouraging results, Red Mountain Mining has planned a structured approach to advance the Armidale project:
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Oaky Creek Exploration: Shallow costeaning will expose bedrock beneath soil antimony anomalies where no outcrop was observed, particularly targeting two new strong anomalies located approximately 800m SSE of Oaky Creek North and 300m NW of Oaky Creek South.
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Detailed Geological Mapping: This will help understand the relationship between the Namoi Fault system and the orogenic vein-hosted antimony mineralisation.
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Additional Prospects: Systematic exploration of the East Hills antimony prospect and Horsley Station gold prospect through soil sampling programs covering areas of historical mining activity.
The East Hills antimony prospect features several shallow pits and a shaft on a stibnite-bearing reef striking at 170°, approximately parallel to the Cobadah and Peel Faults. Red Mountain plans to collect 88 soil samples over a 500 x 600m grid.
At the Horsley Station gold workings, which comprise a 10m x 3m x 12m deep open cut mined for gold from a narrow quartz reef, the company plans to collect 233 soil samples to locate gold and antimony discovery expansion potential.
Investment Thesis: Why Red Mountain Mining Deserves Attention
Red Mountain Mining presents a compelling investment opportunity for several key reasons:
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High-Grade Asset: The exceptional antimony grades (up to 28.34%) position Armidale among the highest-grade antimony projects globally.
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Strategic Metal: Antimony is a critical mineral with limited global production sources outside China, creating potential supply pressures.
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Dual Commodity Potential: The project offers exposure to both antimony and gold, with gold assay results pending.
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Exploration Upside: The identification of mineralisation 500m from historical workings suggests significant potential for resource expansion.
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Systematic Approach: Red Mountain is undertaking the first systematic modern exploration of the area, with initial results already validating this approach.
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Location Advantage: Situated in mining-friendly New South Wales, the project benefits from established infrastructure and skilled workforce availability.
Why Investors Should Follow Red Mountain Mining
The high-grade antimony at Red Mountain Mining's Armidale project represents an important development in Australia's critical minerals sector. With China currently dominating global antimony production, the discovery of high-grade antimony at Casablanca and other projects in Australia has strategic implications.
The company has defined a clear pathway to advance the project, with immediate exploration plans designed to expand the known mineralisation footprint and generate drill-ready targets. For investors seeking exposure to critical minerals with strong fundamentals, Red Mountain offers a compelling opportunity at an early stage of project development.
With antimony prices supported by critical mineral demand and limited global supply options, Red Mountain's Armidale project represents a timely opportunity in a sector gaining increasing strategic importance.
The company's diversified portfolio, which includes gold projects in Western Australia and Canada, as well as lithium projects in Nevada, provides additional pathways for value creation while maintaining focus on its high-potential Armidale Antimony-Gold Project. Furthermore, recent high-grade antimony at Ricciardo gold deposit by other explorers highlights the growing interest in this critical mineral across multiple Australian jurisdictions.
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