
February 12, 2025
The Board of Inca Minerals Limited (ASX: ICG) (Inca or the Company) is pleased to provide shareholders a progress report on due diligence associated with the recently announced (ASX 5 February 2025) Binding Implementation Agreement to acquire Stunalara Metals Limited (Stunalara) via an off market takeover bid. Stunalara’s key asset is the high-grade gold & gold- antimony Hurricane Project located approximately 110km west-northwest of Cairns and 75km southwest of Port Douglas in North Queensland. Hurricane boasts multiple undrilled high-grade gold & gold-antimony prospects developed from rock chip and grab sampling.
Inca’s technical team recently conducted a site visit as part of the due diligence process to confirm and replicate historical geochemical data, culminating with the collection and dispatch for assaying of 84 rock chip samples. Assays have now been received for those samples with exceptional results recorded for gold (Au) and antimony (Sb) at multiple prospects including Holmes, Cyclone, Tornado, Hurricane and Bouncer confirming the high-grade prospectivity of the Hurricane Project.
Assay Highlights (Refer to table 1, Appendix 1 for full results)
Assays with gold greater than 5g/t:
- Hurricane South - Sample MC0374: 81.5g/t Au
- Hurricane North - Sample MC0368: 12.95g/t Au
- Hurricane South - Sample MC0379: 11.9g/t Au
- Bouncer - Sample HRX10042: 8.29g/t Au and 12.7% Sb.
- Typhoon - Sample HRX10055: 7.84g/t Au
- Holmes - Sample HRX10083: 6.4g/t Au
- Holmes - Sample MC0392: 6g/t Au
- 2 other samples returned gold greater than 4g/t, three with grades over 3g/t and 12 with grades over 1g/t.
Highly anomalous levels of Antimony (Sb) were also recorded, which included:
- Bouncer - Sample HRX10029 with 35.1% Sb
- Bouncer - Sample HRX10036: 20.8% Sb
- Bouncer - Sample HRX10042: 12.75% Sb
- Bouncer - Sample HRX10037: 9.54% Sb
- Bouncer - Sample HRX10033: 7.78% Sb
- Holmes - Sample MC0393: 5.28% Sb, and
- Holmes - Sample MC0398: 4.89% Sb
29 samples returned highly anomalous arsenic values > 0.1% (>1000ppm As, up to 9840ppm in 1 sample).
“The identification of high-grade gold and antimony in rock chips across different locations which have never been drilled, highlights the significant exploration potential of the Hurricane Project for the discovery of gold and antimony. Inca Minerals is looking forward to progressing follow-up exploration programs to build on this significant rock chip data,” said Inca Exploration Manager, Dr Emmanuel Wembenyui.
In addition to gold, the Hurricane Project results include high levels (up to 35%) of antimony, a critical and new economy metal. Antimony is listed as a critical mineral by the United States, the European Union, Japan, India, the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Austalia. New economy metals are pivotal for modern technologies, economies and national security, providing direct support for technologies that are paving the way to the transition from fossil fuels to net zero emmisions , advanced manufacturing and defence technologies/capabilities amongst other applications.
HURRICANE PROJECT
Inca is pleased to report highly encouraging results from a geological reconnaissance field trip to the gold and antimony Hurricane Project. The Hurricane Project is located about 110km west-northwest of Cairns and 75km southwest of Port Douglas in North Queensland, Figure 1.
The Hurricane Project comprises three tenements – EPM 19437, which hosts the Holmes, Porphyry, Monsoon and Cyclone prospects, EPM 25855 in which are located the Hurricane and Tornado Prospects, and EPM 27518, which hosts the Bouncer prospect, Figure 1.
Figure 1: Hurricane Project location map showing all three tenements, prospects and sample locations. The samples have been thematically mapped by gold, demonstrating the widespread occurrence of high-grade gold across the project. The project is sandwiched by 2 major northwest-southeast trending faults being the Hurricane and the Retina Faults. Locally, the project area is dominated by the Hodgkinson Formation and 2 late-stage felsic intrusions located within EPM 19437. Shown in the inset is the location of the Hurricane Project in North Queensland relative to the major towns of Cairns, Townsville and Brisbane.
Geology of the Hurricane Project Regional Geology
The Hurricane Project area falls within the Mossman 1:250,000 and the Mount Mulligan 1:100,000 Queensland Geological map sheets. The regional geology traverses a wide Geological Timescale from the Devonian in the Hodgkinson Formation through granodiorite and rhyolitic Carboniferous and Permian intrusions to Triassic and Quaternary Sandstones. The Hodgkinson Formation comprises dark grey to greenish, fine to medium quartz greywackes interbedded with siltstones, mudstones and conglomerates. The Carboniferous to Permian granitic/granodiorite and rhyolite intrusions comprise a suite of felsic porphyritic intrusions. The main porphyritic bodies comprise medium to coarse-grained mineral crystals including euhedral hornblende- biotite, k-feldspar and quartz, which locally grade into fine-grained silicified granites.
Local Geology
The three tenements which make up the Hurricane Project are structurally set within two major NW-SE trending faults, being the Hurricane Fault and the Retina Fault. The Hodgkinson Formation dominates these tenements and comprises of tightly folded greywackes, siltstones, shales, cherts, conglomerates and limestones. Locally within the Hurricane Project are 2 felsic intrusions, which occur in EPM 19437 and are predominantly porphyritic granites. These intrusions are the major source of heat, which mobilised hydrothermal fluids to interact with surrounding country rock, leading to widespread alteration in the form of silicification, sericite and carbonates, and account for the deposition of epithermal gold, silver, and antimony mineralised veins. Epithermal gold deposits are strongly associated with hydrothermal fluids that are related to calc-alkaline volcanism and magmatism. Plots of La-Y-Nb on the ternary diagram of Cabanis and Lecolle, 1989; shows that the Hurricane Project falls within the Arc Calc-Alkaline geo-tectonic setting, supporting an epithermal exploration model for the project (Figure 2). Epithermal gold could be low or high sulfidation, depending on mineralogy and can occur as veins, stockworks, replacements or disseminations. Mineralisation within the project area is associated with variably altered, silicified and brecciated quartz veins ranging in widths from 2 to >50m and lengths over 700m. The mineralogy of the Hurricane Project which includes gold, antimony, silver, very limited sulphur, +/- lead and zinc, leans towards the low sulfidation model.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Inca Minerals Limited, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
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6m
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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David Erfle, editor and founder of Junior Miner Junky, shares his short-term outlook for gold, saying it could see a healthy test of US$3,200 per ounce — or even US$2,950 to US$3,000.
Erfle also shares his thoughts on what's coming for silver and copper prices.
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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Equity Metals: Advancing High-grade, District-scale Silver and Gold Assets in British Columbia
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The company is also advancing its newly acquired Arlington Project, a district-scale, never-before-drilled gold-copper-silver asset located in southern BC’s Greenwood Mining Division. With geological similarities to historic producers such as Phoenix and Buckhorn, Arlington is currently undergoing an aggressive 3,000-meter drill program, targeting high-grade, gold-enriched polymetallic mineralization.
The Silver Queen Project is Equity Metals’ 100%-owned flagship asset, located in the heart of British Columbia’s prolific Skeena Arch, approximately 35 kilometers south of Houston. Covering 18,871 hectares, the property comprises 17 crown-granted titles and 46 mineral tenure claims within the Omineca Mining Division. Strategically positioned among past-producing and active mines, including the Equity Silver Mine, Berg, Endako, and Mt. Milligan, the project is well supported by established infrastructure, with convenient access to roads, power, and rail.
Company Highlights
- Flagship High-grade Project – Silver Queen: Over 85 million silver-equivalent ounces defined in the heart of BC's Skeena Arch mineral belt, surrounded by Tier 1 infrastructure and historical producers.
- New Gold Discovery Potential – Arlington project: A district-scale, early-stage gold-copper-silver system with analogues to major past-producing skarn and vein-hosted mines in the region.
- Fully Funded for 2025: 9,000 meters of combined drilling is underway across both Silver Queen and Arlington with assay results expected to drive news flow through Q3 and Q4 2025.
- Experienced Management and Technical Team: Track record of discovery and mine development across North America, including the Penasquito and Eskay Creek mines and the Wind Mountain project.
- Exposure to Critical and Precious Metals: Balanced portfolio spanning silver, gold, copper and diamonds with optionality in battery materials (silica) and critical minerals.
This Equity Metals profile is part of a paid investor education campaign.*
Click here to connect with Equity Metals (TSXV:EQTY) to receive an Investor Presentation
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Munda Gold Mine - Purchase of Mine Camp, Nickel Rights and Water Assets from WIN Metals
Auric Mining Limited (ASX: AWJ) (Auric or the Company) together with WIN Metals Ltd (ASX: WIN) (WIN Metals or WIN) are pleased to announce that the two parties have successfully agreed to the purchase of a package of WIN assets including all nickel and associated minerals rights, water access rights and a fully equipped mining camp all relating to Auric’s Munda Gold Mine.
Highlights
- This milestone agreement considerably enhances Auric’s mining operations at its Munda Gold Mine.
- Acquisition includes a fully equipped mining camp and all related assets six kilometres from Munda Gold Mine.
- All Nickel rights and entitlements will be owned by Auric.
- Sole access and usage of stored water in the 132N pit by Auric.
- Total purchase price $1.4 Million (ex GST), payable in two tranches: Tranche 1 $900,000 paid 30 June 2025, Tranche 2 $500,000 due 31 July 2025.
Management Comment
Managing Director, Mark English, said:“This acquisition gives Auric greater control over our destiny for open pit mining at our Munda Gold Mine.
“Buying all nickel rights from WIN sees us taking another major step forward at Munda. We’ve moved mining at Munda along rapidly this year and are pleased this hurdle to progress our future expansion will be removed.
“There’s not much water around Widgiemooltha, so as part of this transaction, we are acquiring additional access to stored water in the 132N pit. Having adequate water is extremely important for our mining operations. The mining camp is another huge bonus for Auric being located just six kilometres north of our mine.
“We have reached a highly satisfactory agreement for all Auric shareholders,” said Mr English.
WIN Metals. Managing Director and CEO, Steve Norregaard, said:“WIN wish Auric all the best with their Munda gold project development.
“Proposed Nickel mining at Munda was not contemplated in WIN’s 2024 scoping study and as such would have been far into the future for the Mt Edwards Nickel Project. With the outlook of a prolonged subdued nickel price the opportunity to monetise a relatively small portion of the total projects nickel resource base will provide cash for investment into WIN’s gold assets. This is a transaction that makes sense for both companies,” said Mr Norregaard.
The Announcement
The total consideration is $1.4 million, (ex GST) payable in two separate tranches: the first tranche of $900,000 paid on 30 June 2025, the second, $500,000 due on or before July 31, 2025.
Included in the purchase is a fully equipped mining camp located six kilometres north of the Munda Gold Mine sufficient to house the entire workforce. Additional in the deal, Auric has also acquired sole access to all the water in the pit at 132N, just a short distance from the Munda mine.
Auric will at completion own all mineral rights at Munda, except lithium. The lithium mineral rights remain with WIN.
Upon completion of both tranches, on or before 31 July 2025, Auric will have paid WIN a total of $1.4 million (ex GST), for the mining camp, which includes all associated infrastructure such as solar panels, generators, bulk fuel storage, storage containers together with water rights to the 132N pit and all nickel rights and associated entitlements at Munda. The parties have agreed to expedite the grant of miscellaneous licences over the WIN tenements to secure road access as well as the camp.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Auric Mining, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
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