
May 01, 2024
Rio Silver Inc. ("Rio Silver" or the "Company") (TSX.V: RYO) (OTC: RYOOF) The company announces that it has granted an aggregate of 2 million incentive stock options to directors, officers and consultants of the company, exercisable at a price of five cents with the following exercise periods: (i) one year as to 600,000 options; (ii) two years as to 400,000 options; and (iii) five years as to 1 million options, from the date of grant. The grant of these options is subject to the approval of the exchange.
About Rio Silver Inc.
Rio Silver is a resource development company that has been selectively identifying and acquiring precious metal assets that afford the best possible leverage and returns in anticipation of an increasingly more favorable precious metals bull market. Our Peruvian precious metal assets are wholly owned with no royalty obligations. The Ninobamba area Au/Ag targets are economically attractive as the mineralization suggests near surface, bulk mineable open pit targets.
Rio Silver is pleased with our host country as the Government continues to support mining policies ensuring continued growth and opportunity throughout Peru.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF RIO SILVER INC.
“Chris Verrico”
Christopher Verrico
604-762-4448
Chris.verrico@riosilverinc.com
Director, President and Chief Executive Officer
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
This news release includes forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements within, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward looking. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required by applicable laws.
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02 April
Rio Silver
Investor Insight
Rio Silver’s value proposition leverages a wholly owned 4,300 hectares of mineral concessions in a historic Peruvian mining district, a management team holding a 29 percent stake and over two decades of local experience, extensive exploration data and promising historical drill results.
Overview
Rio Silver (TSXV:RYO) is a precious metals mining and exploration company with a focus on the acquisition, exploration and development of precious metals deposits in South America. The company is currently focused on advancing its 100 percent-owned Niñobamba silver-gold project in Peru. The company has decades of experience navigating the mining regulatory landscape of Peru and considers itself to be well-positioned for the coming mining cycle.
Rio Silver’s flagship Niñobamba property is located in the Department of Ayacucho about 330 kilometers southeast of Lima. The 4,300-hectare property is wholly owned by the company and the project is drill ready. The Niñobamba project partially comprises a 2,200 hectare property which was previously owned by Newmont Mining (NYSE:NEM) and Southern Peru Mining. The balance was held by AngloGold Ashanti and Bear Creek Mining but has since been strategically acquired and consolidated into Rio Silver’s property.
The Ninobamba project engulfs a collapsed caldera, an ancient volcano, where the Niñobamba North and South zones were mineralized in a hot spring environment within the wall rock of the caldera surrounded by areas that contain high-sulfidation mineralization with near surface silver and gold deposits modeled for Rio Silver using leapfrog 3D software. The neighbouring Jorimina deposit, 6.5 kilometers to the west, where Newmont spent more than US$7 million, concluded an internal, positive, preliminary economic assessment, detailing a predominantly gold-rich, low to mid-sulfidation deposit found in the floor structure of this collapsed caldera.
In 2025, Rio Silver and African Energy Metals (NEX:CUCO.H;FSE:BC2; WKN:A3DEJG) signed an option agreement granting African Energy Metals a 100 percent interest in the Niñobamba gold-silver project in Ayacucho, Peru. Additionally, Rio Silver also entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the high-grade Maria Norte polymetallic silver property from Peruvian Metals (TSXV:PER), located in the historic Huachocolpa Mining District in Huancavelica, Southern Peru.
The company’s management and advisory team is made up of experienced industry veterans, some with as many as 25 years of experience working in Peru. The team has an in-depth understanding of the regulatory processes associated with mining exploration in the country.
To date, Rio Silver and other historical operators have completed US$10 million in exploration expenditure on the Niñobamba property. The company has low overhead expenditure and strong alliances in Peru that are helping it achieve new initiatives for enhanced sustainability.
The company now holds a 3 percent net smelter return (NSR) royalty with guaranteed minimum payments from a recent property sale and these initiatives enable more exploration by helping Rio Silver with sustaining costs.
Company Highlights
- Rio Silver owns six mineral concessions covering 4,300 hectares of wholly-owned land in a historic Peruvian mining district.
- The property was historically surrounded by big-name miners (Newmont, Southern Peru Copper) and is now wholly owned by Rio Silver.
- Experienced management team with more than two decades of mining experience in Peru.
- Extensive trenching completed at the Niñobamba zone.
- The management team holds a 29 percent stake in the company.
- US$10 million in exploration expenditure completed to date by Rio and historical operators.
- All the historical data has been collected from previous owners.
- Historical drilling on the Niñobamba property intersected 130 meters of 2.55 oz/t silver and 72.3 meters of 1.19 g/t gold.
- New gold zone identified includes 56 meters at 98.9 g/t silver and 21.77 meters at 1.32 g/t gold, 102.46 g/t silver.
- Rio Silver and African Energy Metals signed an option agreement granting African Energy Metals a 100 percent interest in the Niñobamba gold-silver project in Ayacucho, Peru.
- Rio Silver has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the high-grade Maria Norte polymetallic silver property from Peruvian Metals. The property is located in the historic Huachocolpa Mining District in Huancavelica, Southern Peru.
Key Project
Niñobamba Silver Project, Peru
Located 330 kilometers southeast of Lima in the Department of Ayacucho, the Niñobamba property is 100 percent wholly owned by Rio Silver. The property includes six mineral concessions covering 4,300 hectares. The district has historically been mined by major international gold miners including Newmont Goldcorp and Southern Peru Mining.
The property was initially explored by AngloGold (JSE:ANG) in 2001. Anglo drilled five widely-spaced core holes totaling 861 meters focusing in an area of intense hydrothermal surface alteration. AngloGold’s drilling highlights included assay results of 87.0 grams per tonne (g/t) silver over a drilled interval of 130 meters starting from a depth of 9 meters reported from drill hole DDH-2 and 54.0 g/t silver over a drilled interval of 96 meters starting from 23 meters reported from the AN-04 drill hole.
Adjacent zones acquired from major miners
In 2016, Rio Silver consolidated its property by acquiring the surrounding 2,200 hectares of adjoining land from Newmont Mining and Southern Peru Copper. These included the 2,000 hectare Jorimina zone, which is located about 6.5 kilometers west of the Niñobamba and is believed to be part of the same high-sulfidation silver-gold system identified in the main Niñobamba zones. Along with the property came an extensive database of information including results and reports from an exploration program by the mining majors which encompassed 553 hectares. Newmont’s exploration included mapping, 2,147 rock samples and induced polarization geophysics. This historic exploration indicated a gold anomalous area of more than 700 meters by 1,000 meters as well as four strong chargeability anomalies coinciding with gold-silver in rock anomalies.
Newmont’s historic data includes samples of 17.4 meters of 3.06 g/t gold and 200 meters of 0.26 g/t gold. Historic exploration in the Jorimina zone conducted by Newmont in 2009 and 2010 shows highlights of 72.3 meters of 1.19 g/t gold starting at 53-meter depth.
In 2024, Rio Silver completed a surface access agreement with the local community for one year at the Jorimina project after an environmental impact study and community workshops were also completed to represent the final steps of the drill permitting application process.
Exploration and trenching results
To date, extensive trenching has been completed by Rio Silver on the Niñobamba property. In 2012, the company began conducting surface trenching in areas proximate to historical drilling locations. Exploration has focused primarily on the north and south zones of silver mineralization approximately 400 meters apart with variable thicknesses. Surface sampling near trenches in the north zone returned highlights of 1.32 g/t gold and 102.46 g/t silver. Sampling near trenches in the south zone returned highlights of 42.62 meters of 130.98 g/t silver. Additional highlights can be found on Rio Silver’s website.Management Team
Chris Verrico - President, CEO, and Director
Chris Verrico has extensive experience with rural-remote infrastructure construction and contract mining throughout BC, the Yukon, Alaska and Nunavut. He has been a director for a dozen startup junior mining companies, most of which have become public companies. Verrico has managed numerous exploration projects in North America, Mexico and throughout western South America. He is currently the director of Juggernaught Exploration.
Steve Brunelle - Chairman
Steve Brunelle is the former officer and director of Corner Bay Silver, which was acquired by Pan American Silver. He has 35 years of experience in mineral exploration throughout the Americas and is currently an Officer and Director for several TSXV companies.
Jeffrey J Reeder - Advisor
Jeffrey J Reeder is a professional geologist with more than two decades of experience working in Peru. Reeder possesses an in-depth understanding of the rules, practices, and processes involved in conducting mining and exploration in the country and is currently the president of Peruvian Metals which owns a custom toll milling facility in northern Peru.
Jim McCrea – Adviser
Jim McCrea has more than 30 years’ experience in exploration, mining geology and mineral resource estimation. He worked for junior mining/exploration companies and engineering companies SRK and Snowden. His geological expertise ranges from technical review and due diligence to resource estimation and feasibility studies. McCrea has experience in a range of commodities, but primarily gold, silver and copper, with particular focus on North and South America. He has performed ore body modeling and resource estimation for the successfully targeted takeover company Cumberland Resources by Agnico-Eagle Mines. More recently, McCrea completed many mineral resource estimations underpinning acquisitions such as Minera San Cristóbal S.A. of Bolivia, Arena Minerals and Montan Mining, to mention a few.
Richard Mazur - Director
Richard Mazur is the co-founder and past managing director of RLG International, operating in over 30 countries worldwide with more than 300 employees.
Jeffrey J. Reeder - Advisor
Jeffrey J. Reeder, P. Geo., holds a B.Sc. (Honours) in Geology from the University of Alberta and has been a registered professional geologist with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia since 1992. With 25 years of experience working in Peru and fluency in Spanish, Mr. Reeder has played a key role in identifying and acquiring significant mineral projects, including the Aguila Copper-Moly deposit—now being developed by Mexican mining giant Industrias Peñoles—and the Pinaya Copper-Gold project, currently under exploration by Kaizen Discovery.
Reeder is the president and CEO of Peruvian Metals, which operates a successful and expanding toll milling plant in northern Peru. Under his leadership, the company is also developing nearby mines to enhance the supply of ore to its growing mineral processing facility.
Eric H. Hinton - Advisor
Eric Hinton holds degrees from Haileybury School of Mines, Queen’s University, and Laurentian University and is a registered professional engineer in Ontario and Manitoba. A Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy, and Petroleum, he is also designated as a Qualified Person (QP) in underground mining by the Mining and Metallurgical Society of America and is recognized as a QP under National Instrument 43-101.
Christopher Hopton - CFO and Advisor
Christopher Hopton is a seasoned financial management professional with 25 years of experience. He has led financial operations for resource and biotech companies across Canada and South America. Since 2019, Hopton has served as chief financial officer (CFO) of the company, bringing expertise in financial planning, accounting policy, and business process optimization. In addition to his current role as CFO at Rio Silver, Hopton previously served as CFO of Central Resources, a junior mineral exploration company. He also played a key role in the successful restructuring of 360 Networks, a network communications firm, which ultimately led to its strategic acquisition by Bell Canada.
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Leveraging 25 years of mining experience in Peru
03 July
Bert Dohmen: Gold, Silver Key as Stock Market Bull Trap Looms
Bert Dohmen, founder and CEO of Dohmen Capital Research, sees physical gold and silver as key safe havens as a potential bull trap in the broad stock market plays out.
"We said we're probably going to go to a new high in a major, widely watched index like the S&P 500 (INDEXSP:.INX). It's going to be by a small amount a new high, and that's going to close the bull trap," he said.
Don't forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Charlotte McLeod, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
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03 July
Top 5 ASX Gold Stocks of 2025
Gold continued to perform well through the second quarter of 2025, reaching a new all-time high of AU$5,425 per ounce on April 22.
The price surge has occurred amid volatile equity and financial markets since the start of the year, driven by concerns over a global trade war and escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
The rising gold price has also been supported by uncertainty over a looming debt crisis in the United States. Some investors have turned away from dollar-denominated haven assets, such as US Treasuries, in favour of precious metals like gold.
What implications do these circumstances hold for ASX-listed gold stocks? Read on to discover which companies have seen the biggest gains in 2025. Data for this article was retrieved on June 25, 2025, using TradingView's stock screener, and only companies with market capitalizations greater than AU$10 million at that time were considered.
1. Forrestania Resources (ASX:FRS)
Year-to-date gain: 469.23 percent
Market cap: AU$23.91 million
Share price: AU$0.074
Forrestania Resources is a gold, copper and lithium exploration company with projects in Western Australia. Since the start of the year, the company has been focused on gold exploration at its Bonnie Vale and Forrestania projects.
Bonnie Vale lies within the Eastern Goldfields. The property covers an area of 75 square kilometres and hosts multiple zones of mineralization, including the Ada Ann prospect. Historic drilling at the site has seen assays returned up to 12.8 grams per tonne (g/t) gold over 4 metres.
Shares started to gain after the company announced on February 13 that it had begun follow-up drilling at the prospect and would build on its maiden program at the site. The most recent results from the program were released on May 9, with the company reporting a highlighted assay of 4.3 g/t gold over 7 metres, including 25.6 g/t over 1 metre.
The company said the results showed some thickening of the mineralized zones at depth, adding that the known mineralization had been extended to the north and south, with the prospect open in all directions.
The company has also been working on its Lady Lila gold prospect at its Forrestania gold-lithium project. The prospect, located in the Southern Cross Greenstone Belt, has a strike length of 2 kilometres and a width of 700 metres. According to the company website, the deposit has an inferred resource of 24,000 ounces of gold from 514,000 tonnes of ore with an average grade of 1.4 g/t gold.
On May 12, Forrestania announced both an upcoming drill program at the Lady Lila prospect and the company's acquisition of a tenement immediately adjacent to it.
Additionally, Forrestania reported on May 16 that metallurgical engineer David Geraghty joined the company board as a non-executive director. The company noted that he is a highly experienced mining executive and brings a background in project development and operational expertise.
The company's share price climbed in the following weeks to reached a year-to-date high of AU$0.085 on May 28.
2. Native Mineral Resources (ASX:NMR)
Year-to-date gain: 361.54 percent
Market cap: AU$169.89 million
Share price: AU$0.18
Native Mineral Resources is a gold exploration and development company advancing its Charters Tower gold project in Northeast Queensland, Australia, to production in Q3 of this year. It also owns the Palmerville gold-copper project in the same state.
Native acquired Charters Tower in November 2024 for AU$18.9 million and a 2 percent royalty on gold production .
The project consists of 17 granted mining leases, one mineral development licence, six exploration permits and one exploration permit application. The site hosts the Far Fanning and Blackjack deposits, both of which have a historic exploration background. Additionally, Blackjack is home to a 340,000 tonne per annum gold processing plant.
The company announced on June 17 that it was on schedule for first gold pour at Blackjack by the end of July. At that time, the open pit was established, dry commissioning of the plant was underway and water and air services installations were nearing completion. Infrastructure and surface preparation is also on track to support the commencement of mining in Q3 2025.
As for Palmerville, Native Mineral Resources announced June 16 that it was granted a new exploration permit that expanded the project. The company is planning fieldwork at the project later this year.
Shares in Native Mineral Resource reached a year-to-date high of AU$0.22 on June 17.
3. Trek Metals (ASX:TKM)
Year-to-date gain: 290.91 percent
Market cap: AU$42.78 million
Share price: AU$0.086
Trek Metals is an exploration company with several assets throughout Australia, including the highly prospective Christmas Creek project. The property covers an area of 1,183 square kilometres in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia, and, according to Trek, has significant district-scale potential for gold and rare earth elements.
The company wholly acquired Christmas Creek as part of its acquisition of ArcherX in October 2023. Newmont (TSX:NGT,NYSE:NEM) had previously earned a 75 percent interest in the project from ArcherX, but returned it as part of a portfolio rebalancing.
Shares in Trek gained significantly starting on March 17 after the company reported visible gold in drill chips from its 2024 exploration campaign at the Martin target. The chips came from two previously reported high-grade intervals, one of which graded an average of 12.66 g/t gold over 10 metres.
Trek said it decided to fast-track drilling based on this discovery, along with down-hole televiewer data that confirmed a series of stacked veins.
Following surveying and earthworks in preparation of the next phase, Trek commenced a major drill at the site on June 4, targeting extensions of the Martin target while also focusing on mineralization from other targets.
The company followed up with an announcement on June 25 that it had secured an additional rig to enlarge the drill program for deeper exploration and to obtain more detailed structural information.
Shares in Trek reached a year-to-date high of AU$0.092 on June 23.
4. African Gold (ASX:A1G)
Year-to-date gain: 224.56 percent
Market cap: AU$86.85 million
Share price: AU$0.185
African Gold is a gold exploration company with projects in Côte d’Ivoire. The company’s primary focus in 2025 has been on the Blaffo Guetto prospect at its Didievi gold project in Central Côte d’Ivoire.
During the first half of 2025, African Gold conducted a 10,000 metre diamond drill program at the site, with the intention of upgrading its July 2024 maiden inferred resource of 452,000 ounces of gold from 4.93 million tonnes at an average grade of 2.9 g/t gold.
On June 23, the company announced that its efforts had yielded a significant boost to its resources, reporting an updated inferred resource of 989,000 ounces from 12.4 million tonnes, with an average grade of 2.5 g/t, using a cut-off grade of 0.8 g/t. The announcement added that the gold system has been primarily tested at near-surface depths of approximately 300 metres and has demonstrated mineralization open in all directions.
African Gold has also been drilling at other targets at Didievi this year that are outside the resource area. The company reported the discovery of a large gold system at the Poku Trend in April, and confirmed continuous gold mineralisation over 600 metres at the Pranoi prospect in May.
In addition to exploration work, on March 25 African Gold announced a strategic partnership with Montage Gold (TSX:MAU), a fellow gold company in Côte d’Ivoire advancing its Koné gold project towards production in 2027, as well as a private placement for up to AU$1.84 million with separate investors that was later upsized to AU$2.7 million.
Montage and insiders would acquire a large stake in African Gold through a share swap of 2.03 million shares of Montage for 92.38 million shares in African Gold, both valued at AU$6.47 million, as well as through a placement of 12.37 million shares to Montage insiders worth AU$866,000. Following the completion of the deal on June 13, Montage holds a 17.5 percent stake in African Gold.
Shares in African Gold reached a year-to-date high of AU$0.195 on June 26.
5. Torque Metals (ASX:TOR)
Year-to-date gain: 203.92 percent
Market cap: AU$76.35 million
Share price: AU$0.145
Torque Metals is a gold exploration company working to advance its flagship Paris gold project in Western Australia. The property covers an area of 700 square kilometres near Kalgoorlie.
In June, Torque completed its merger with Aston Minerals that was announced on January 28. The combined business controls 1.75 million ounces of gold resources between Torque’s Paris project and Aston’s Edleston gold project in Ontario, Canada.
The company has spent the first half of 2025 focused on exploration work at its Paris project, announcing the discovery of parallel lodes on March 6. The trends were identified through shallow drilling, with one located 80 metres southeast of the main Paris deposit and the other,= 100 metres northwest.
Initial assays from the drilling returned highlighted drill samples from the southeastern lode of 4.04 g/t gold over 4 metres, which included an intersection of 7.39 g/t over 2 metres. Meanwhile, the northwestern lode returned a highlighted sample of 1.02 g/t over 7 metres.
The company furthered the exploration work in April through the use of down-hole electromagnetic surveys. It reported on May 5 that the surveys detected large off-hole conductors "extending well beyond the current mineral resource estimate," indicating potential for resource growth. Due to the success of the surveys thus far, Torque said it plans to continue using the method over further targets at its project.
The most recent announcement from the project came on May 8, when the company reported that it had been awarded a co-funded diamond drilling grant through Western Australia’s Exploration Incentive Scheme. The company will receive AU$144,500 toward drilling for gold extensions west of the known zones.
Shares in Torque reached a year-to-date high of AU$0.155 on June 26.
FAQs for ASX gold stocks
How to invest in gold on the ASX?
As Australia is a top gold-mining jurisdiction and the country's government is supportive of mining, there are plenty of options for investing in gold on the ASX. Between gold miners operating major projects and gold explorers hunting for the next significant gold discovery, investors can choose what kind of company matches their risk appetite and portfolio.
When looking for a gold company to invest in, be sure to do your due diligence and learn about the company's key characteristics, including its leadership team, its finances and the geology of its projects.
How to buy gold stocks on the ASX?
Once you’ve selected a company or multiple companies to invest in, you can buy gold stocks using trading apps with access to ASX stocks, or you can get the help of a stock broker.
How to buy gold ETFs on the ASX?
For investors who prefer broader exposure to a sector, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are a good option, and the ASX is home to multiple gold-focused ETFs. Because they are traded on exchanges like stocks, you can buy ETFs using the same methods described above. ASX-listed gold ETFs to consider include:
- ETFS Physical Gold (ASX:GOLD), which promises "low-cost access to physical gold via the stock exchange" and can be redeemed for physical gold.
- Perth Mint Gold (ASX:PMGOLD), which tracks the international price of physical gold.
- BetaShares Gold Bullion (ASX:QAU), which also tracks the physical bullion price.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Australia for real-time updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Dean Belder, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
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03 July
Sun Summit Minerals: Advancing District-scale Gold and Copper Projects in British Columbia
Sun Summit Minerals (TSXV:SMN,OTCQB:SMREF) is a Canadian mineral exploration company advancing district-scale gold and copper projects in British Columbia. Its flagship JD Project, located in the prolific Toodoggone district, is the focus of an aggressive 5,000-meter drill program in 2025 targeting a potential multi-million-ounce epithermal gold-silver system.
With funding in place, a five-year exploration permit secured, and an on-site camp established, Sun Summit is executing a disciplined strategy to build scale, unlock resource value, and deliver returns to shareholders. Reinvigorated by a revamped leadership team and a refined vision, the company is leveraging high-grade, strategically located assets to drive long-term growth.
The JD and Theory projects cover over 25,000 hectares in the heart of British Columbia’s Toodoggone mining district, one of Canada’s most prospective regions for epithermal gold-silver and porphyry copper-gold systems. The district hosts several significant deposits, including Thesis Gold’s Ranch and Lawyers projects (4.7 Moz gold equivalent, ~C$250 million market cap), Centerra Gold’s Kemess underground development, and TDG Gold’s Shasta-Baker project. The area is well supported by infrastructure, including hydroelectric grid access, all-season roads, and the nearby Sturdee airstrip.
Company Highlights
- Aggressive Discovery Strategy: Sun Summit Minerals is actively advancing the JD and Buck projects in BC, targeting epithermal gold-silver and porphyry copper-gold systems. A fully funded 5,000-meter drill program at JD underway in 2025, aiming to define a multi-million-ounce resource.
- Strategic Location: Both assets are situated in prolific and mining-friendly regions of British Columbia. The flagship JD project lies in the Toodoggone district—home to Thesis Gold and Centerra’s Kemess Mine, while Buck is near the Blackwater, Huckleberry, and Equity Silver mines in central BC.
- Re-rate Potential Opportunity: Trading at just ~$7/oz gold equivalent (EV/oz) based on Buck alone, with no value currently ascribed to JD, the company represents a deep value opportunity compared to the next-door neighbour Thesis Gold trading at ~$50/oz. Success at the drill bit from the ongoing drill program at JD could drive the potential re-rating.
- Fully Funded for 2025: A recent C$10M raise (May 2025) enables a robust exploration program, including drilling, geophysics, and soil sampling. The company is well-positioned to achieve its 2025 and 2026 exploration milestones without further dilution.
- Experienced, Capital Markets-Savvy Leadership: CEO Niel Marotta brings capital markets acumen from Fidelity and Orezone. The broader team includes senior geologists and advisors with decades of success in gold discoveries and mine development in BC.
- Positioned for Consolidation: With majors like Freeport, Centerra, and Skeena investing heavily in adjacent properties, Sun Summit is strategically located and advancing at the right time in the Lassonde Curve to benefit from industry-wide M&A and consolidation trends.
This Sun Summit Minerals profile is part of a paid investor education campaign.*
Click here to connect with Sun Summit Minerals (TSXV:SMN) to receive an Investor Presentation
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02 July
High grade gold in early stage drilling at Sandstone
02 July
Meeka Metals Reports First Gold Pour at Murchison Project
Meeka Metals (ASX:MEK) has poured the first gold at its flagship Murchison project in Western Australia.
The pour happened on Tuesday (July 1), and in a Wednesday (July 2) press release, the company said the project’s production is in line with schedule, happening within 12 months of breaking ground.
Murchison sits near several multimillion-ounce gold mines and hosts a large, high-grade resource of 1.2 million ounces at 3 grams per tonne (g/t) gold on granted mining leases.
Meeka released a definitive feasibility study in December 2024, outlining a 10 year production plan for the project. Up to 76,000 ounces per annum are targeted, with an average of 65,000 ounces approximated for the first seven years.
The study also focused on restarting the Andy Well mill, with site activity commencing during Q1 2025. Process plant commissioning followed in the next quarter, with the first gold pour following its projected schedule of mid 2025.
“It is an impressive achievement by the team to deliver first gold on time and within 12 months of breaking ground at the Murchison,” said Managing Director Tim Davidson. “We are now focused on ramping up gold production toward our targeted 80 kilo ounces per annum with the arrival of the third dig fleet and expanded open pit mining plan underway.”
Drilling at Turnberry Central, part of Murchison, was announced on June 10. Results include 30 metres at 1.09 g/t gold from 29 meters, including 9 meters at 2.45 g/t gold.
The company announced in mid-June that process plant commissioning was underway at Murchison.
Underground mining at Murchison’s Andy Well mill is set to begin in the third quarter of 2025. As per a company presentation shared by Meeka on June 19, Andy Well hosts a mineral resource of 505,000 ounces at 8.6 g/t gold.
First ore from Andy Well is expected in the third quarter of this year.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Australia for real-time news updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Gabrielle de la Cruz, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
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02 July
Sun Summit Minerals
Investor Insight
Sun Summit Minerals is targeting the delineation of a multi-million-ounce gold-silver resource at its flagship JD project. With strategic positioning in an emerging consolidation hotspot, compelling valuation metrics, and a track record of discovery, Sun Summit is primed to deliver substantial value creation in the coming quarters.
Overview
Sun Summit Minerals (TSXV:SMN,OTCQB:SMREF) is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on developing its district-scale gold and copper projects in British Columbia. The company’s flagship JD Project, located in the Toodoggone district, is undergoing an aggressive 5,000-meter drill campaign in 2025 aimed at delineating a multi-million-ounce epithermal gold-silver system.
Complementing JD is the company’s Buck project, a large, bulk-tonnage gold-silver system near Houston, BC, with an initial NI 43-101 resource estimate and significant exploration upside.
With capital in hand, a five-year exploration permit secured, and a camp established at JD, Sun Summit is executing a focused strategy to build scale, unlock resource potential and drive shareholder value. The company has taken lessons from its past and re-emerged with a sharpened vision, an overhauled team and assets that are not only high-grade but strategically located to create shareholder value.
Company Highlights
- Aggressive Discovery Strategy: Sun Summit Minerals is actively advancing the JD and Buck projects in BC, targeting epithermal gold-silver and porphyry copper-gold systems. A fully funded 5,000-meter drill program at JD underway in 2025, aiming to define a multi-million-ounce resource.
- Strategic Location: Both assets are situated in prolific and mining-friendly regions of British Columbia. The flagship JD project lies in the Toodoggone district—home to Thesis Gold and Centerra’s Kemess Mine, while Buck is near the Blackwater, Huckleberry, and Equity Silver mines in central BC.
- Re-rate Potential Opportunity: Trading at just ~$7/oz gold equivalent (EV/oz) based on Buck alone, with no value currently ascribed to JD, the company represents a deep value opportunity compared to the next-door neighbour Thesis Gold trading at ~$50/oz. Success at the drill bit from the ongoing drill program at JD could drive the potential re-rating.
- Fully Funded for 2025: A recent C$10M raise (May 2025) enables a robust exploration program, including drilling, geophysics, and soil sampling. The company is well-positioned to achieve its 2025 and 2026 exploration milestones without further dilution.
- Experienced, Capital Markets-Savvy Leadership: CEO Niel Marotta brings capital markets acumen from Fidelity and Orezone. The broader team includes senior geologists and advisors with decades of success in gold discoveries and mine development in BC.
- Positioned for Consolidation: With majors like Freeport, Centerra, and Skeena investing heavily in adjacent properties, Sun Summit is strategically located and advancing at the right time in the Lassonde Curve to benefit from industry-wide M&A and consolidation trends.
Key Projects
JD & Theory Projects
The JD & Theory projects span more than 25,000 hectares in the heart of the Toodoggone mining district in north-central BC, one of Canada’s most prospective belts for epithermal gold-silver and porphyry copper-gold systems. The district is home to Thesis Gold’s Ranch and Lawyers deposits (4.7 Moz gold equivalent, C$250 million market cap), Centerra’s Kemess underground development, and TDG Gold’s Shasta-Baker project. Infrastructure around the project includes hydroelectric grid access, the nearby Sturdee airstrip and all-season roads.
The JD project hosts a 4.5 km mineralized corridor, known as Creek-Finn, with multiple underexplored targets showing evidence of both high-grade veins and broad disseminated gold systems. Historic and recent drill highlights include:
- 2.1 grams per ton (g/t) gold over 122.5 m including 121 g/t gold over 1.5 m (CZ-24-004)
- 11.7 g/t gold over 22 m including 61.2 g/t gold over 4 m (CZ97-008)
- 7.3 g/t gold over 35.7 m including 215.4 g/t gold over 1 m (JD95-0472)
The Creek Zone features high-grade epithermal veins within broader disseminated zones, supported by strong IP anomalies and gold-in-soil results up to 12.2 g/t gold. The Finn Zone hosts near-surface mineralization with extensive historical drilling (~270 holes) and is open in all directions. Other targets include McClair (porphyry copper), East McClair (copper-gold skarn) and Moosehorn.
The 2025 program includes 5,000 meters of core drilling across 25 holes, 20 km of IP geophysics, 2,000+ soil samples, and full-scale camp operations. A five-year permit secured in April 2025 provides exploration continuity through 2030.
Camp setup at JD project
Sun Summit can earn 100 percent of the JD project by making staged cash/share payments and completing work commitments through 2029. With ~C$6 million earmarked for the project this year alone, Sun Summit is expected to fulfill its 2025 and 2026 earn-in obligations without additional equity raises.
Buck Project
The 100 percent owned Buck project spans 52,000 hectares and is located near key deposits, including Artemis Gold’s Blackwater (8 Moz gold), Imperial’s Huckleberry copper mine, and Newmont’s historic Equity Silver mine. Buck features near-surface bulk-tonnage gold-silver mineralization with porphyry copper-molybdenum potential at depth.
In February 2025, Sun Summit published its inaugural NI 43-101 mineral resource:
- Indicated: 1.15 Mt @ 0.519 g/t gold equivalent (19,100 oz)
- Inferred: 52.2 Mt @ 0.489 g/t gold equivalent (820,400 oz)
Mineralization remains open in all directions. Buck is considered a strategic asset providing leverage to rising gold prices and future transaction potential, but currently receives minimal capital allocation as JD is prioritized.
Management Team
Niel Marotta – Chief Executive Officer and Director
Niel Marotta has more than two decades of capital markets experience, including a successful tenure at Fidelity (FMRCo.), where he managed the top-performing Select Gold Fund and oversaw >$1 billion in AUM. He was previously VP at Orezone Resources, where he helped lead its C$350 million acquisition by IAMGOLD. Marotta has raised over $1 billion in financing and is driving Sun Summit’s transition from a legacy explorer to a discovery-focused value generator.
Brian Lock – Executive Chairman
A veteran of the mining industry with 40+ years of executive experience, Brian Lock has led multiple public companies, including Castle Peak Mining and Scorpio Gold. His expertise spans project development, M&A and corporate governance.
Waseem Javed – Chief Financial Officer
A seasoned mining CFO, Waseem Javed ensures disciplined capital deployment and financial controls. His experience spans junior explorers and mid-tier producers across Canada and the US.
Ken MacDonald – VP Exploration
Ken MacDonald is a registered professional geologist with over 30 years in mineral exploration and permitting in BC. Formerly with the BC Mines Branch and multiple juniors, he leads Sun Summit’s technical programs and NI 43-101 compliance.
Christopher Leslie – Technical Advisor
An expert in porphyry and epithermal systems, Christopher Leslie led the discovery of the 8 Moz Blackwater deposit while at Richfield Ventures, and later served as VP exploration for Tower Resources. He was instrumental in advancing the JD-Theory project during its prior ownership.
Robert D. Willis – Senior Advisor
Founder of several successful exploration companies, including Pioneer Metals and Manhattan Minerals, Robert Willis has 35+ years of technical and executive experience across North and South America.
Terry Salman – Strategic Advisor
Founder of Salman Partners and one of Canada’s most influential mining financiers, Terry Salman has backed dozens of successful juniors over a 40-year career in mining investment banking.
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