Record-Breaking Silver Intercept Highlights Major Expansion Potential at Maverick Springs
Sun Silver Limited has announced exceptional results from the first extensional hole of its 2025 drill program at the Maverick Springs Silver-Gold Project in Nevada, with drill hole MR25-211 delivering the highest-grade silver equivalent assay in the project's history.
Historic 10,548 g/t Silver Equivalent Hit Sets New Project Record
Drill hole MR25-211 has produced truly remarkable results, intercepting a broad 70.1-meter mineralized zone grading 160 g/t silver equivalent (144.5 g/t Ag, 0.179 g/t Au) from 255.12 meters. Within this extensive interval lies an exceptional 22.4-meter high-grade zone of 460 g/t silver equivalent (440.5 g/t Ag, 0.226 g/t Au).
Most impressively, the hole includes a stunning 10,548 g/t silver equivalent interval (10,397 g/t Ag, 1.78 g/t Au), shattering the previous project record of approximately 6,146 g/t AgEq from historic hole MR06-167.
"We are excited to report the initial results from our 2025 drill program which continue to support the Company's belief that the untapped potential in the northwest of the property has the capacity to further transform the Project's existing 480Moz AgEq Mineral Resource. Intercepting 10,548 g/t AgEq, the highest in project history confirms the presence of exceptional high-grade mineralisation beyond the current resource footprint and sets a strong tone for the 2025 program." – Andrew Dornan, Managing Director of Sun Silver
Strategic Northwest Extension Could Significantly Expand Resource Base
What makes these results particularly significant is their location – drill hole MR25-211 was strategically positioned as an extensional hole to the northwest of the existing resource boundary. The hole successfully intercepted high-grade mineralisation over 100 meters north of the current Mineral Resource envelope, demonstrating substantial expansion potential in this direction.
The drilling has revealed a highly fractured and silicified breccia zone with quartz veining and acanthite (silver) mineralisation, characteristic of the high-grade zones at Maverick Springs. Notably, the hole also returned significant antimony intercepts of up to 8,895 ppm Sb, which may present additional economic potential.
Understanding Silver Equivalent Calculations
When evaluating silver-gold deposits, silver equivalent (AgEq) calculations provide a useful metric for comparing overall metal value. At Maverick Springs, AgEq values are calculated using:
- Gold price: USD $2,412.50/oz
- Silver price: USD $28.40/oz
- Equivalency ratio: 85:1
- Assumed metallurgical recoveries: 85% for both gold and silver
This formula provides a standardized way to express the combined value of both metals in terms of silver content, offering investors a clearer picture of the deposit's economic potential.
The record-breaking silver intercept by Sun Silver Ltd clearly demonstrates the high-grade nature of the Maverick Springs deposit, with the recent results suggesting significant potential for resource growth beyond the currently defined boundaries.
Geology of Maverick Springs
The Maverick Springs deposit has been classified differently by various technical experts over time. Some reports have identified it as a Carlin-type or sediment/carbonate-hosted disseminated silver-gold deposit, while others suggest it has more affinity with a low-sulphidation, epithermal gold-silver deposit. Recent fieldwork has noted similarities to a Carbonate Replacement Deposit (CRD).
Regardless of classification, the geological setting remains consistent:
- Host Rocks: The mineralisation is hosted in Permian sediments, primarily limestones and dolomites
- Intrusions: These sediments have been intruded locally by Cretaceous acidic to intermediate igneous rocks
- Structure: The mineralisation has formed a large sub-horizontal gently folded (antiformal) shaped zone with a shallow plunge to the south
- Mineralisation Style: Characterised by pervasive decalcification, weak to intense silicification, and weak alunitic argillisation alteration
This geological context helps explain why the record-breaking silver intercept by Sun Silver Ltd occurred where it did, and why the northwest extension area holds such significant potential for further high-grade discoveries.
Upcoming Catalysts: Focus on Resource Expansion
With the Maverick Springs Project currently hosting an inferred mineral resource of 218 million tonnes grading 42.2 g/t Ag and 0.31 g/t Au for 480 million ounces of silver equivalent, these new high-grade results suggest significant potential for resource growth.
The immediate focus of the 2025 drill program appears to be:
- Further testing northwest extensions where MR25-211 encountered exceptional grades
- Drill testing shallow targets for antimony, silver, and gold
- Potential re-assaying of historic core in strategic areas
- Infill drilling in areas of particular interest
The record-breaking silver intercept by Sun Silver Ltd sets a strong foundation for this ongoing work, potentially leading to a meaningful expansion of the existing resource base. In other regions, similar exploration success has been seen with high-grade gold at Mt Palmer highlighting the potential rewards of targeted drilling programs.
Why Investors Should Track Sun Silver
Sun Silver represents a compelling opportunity for precious metals investors for several key reasons:
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Scale and Growth Potential: With an existing 480 million ounce silver equivalent resource that remains open for expansion, Maverick Springs ranks among the largest undeveloped silver-gold projects in North America.
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Exceptional Grades: The recent intercept of 10,548 g/t AgEq demonstrates the presence of bonanza-grade zones within the broader deposit, which could significantly enhance project economics.
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Prime Mining Jurisdiction: Nevada consistently ranks as one of the world's top mining jurisdictions, offering established infrastructure, skilled workforce, and a supportive regulatory environment. Furthermore, Sierra Nevada Gold's acquisition in the region showcases the area's potential.
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Strategic Location: Proximity to the prolific Carlin Trend and surrounded by world-class operations from major mining companies like Barrick Gold enhances the project's strategic value.
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Multiple Metals Opportunity: The presence of significant antimony values alongside silver and gold could provide additional economic upside, particularly given antimony's classification as a critical mineral. Recently, Warriedar Resources uncovered high-grade antimony at their Ricciardo Gold Deposit, showing growing interest in this critical mineral.
As Sun Silver continues to advance its 2025 drill program at Maverick Springs, further results will provide greater clarity on the ultimate scale and grade of what is already one of the largest silver-gold resources in the United States. Early stage exploration projects in other regions, such as those showing promising auger results in the Siguiri Basin, demonstrate the global nature of the search for precious metals deposits.
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