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Sun Summit Minerals Corp. (TSXV: SMN,OTC:SMREF) (OTCQB: SMREF) ("Sun Summit" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has engaged Fuse Advisors Inc. ("Fuse") and Blue Coast Research Ltd. ("BCR") for an initial metallurgical test program for the Creek and Finn zones at the Company's JD Project in the Toodoggone Mining District, north-central British Columbia.
An initial metallurgical testwork program has commenced, focused on gaining a stronger understanding of the processing requirements for the JD Project, which encompasses the Creek and Finn zones. Details include:
The metallurgical program aims to focus on the Creek and Finn zones for head characterization, mineralogy, comminution, and gold and silver recovery testwork, facilitating preliminary flowsheet development for a potential bulk tonnage mine.
The testwork program will investigate gold and silver recovery methods through a combination of cyanide leach, gravity concentration, and flotation.
Four master composites (MC) will be assembled from spatially distributed continuous interval composites.
Two MC composite samples will be tested from the Creek zone: lower-grade altered pyrite rich material and higher-grade quartz carbonate veins and breccia zones.
Two MC composite samples will be tested from the Finn zone: higher-grade, silicified and locally strongly veined/brecciated intervals; and lower-grade, variably altered footwall tuffs.
Interval composites will represent a "mining unit" of 5 meters by assembling sequential samples.
A total of 20 interval composites will be tested from select coarse core rejects from the 2025 drill program, totalling approximately 302 kg of material.
Planned interval composite grade ranges for metallurgical testwork(*), with selections derived from previously disclosed drill assay results, include:
Creek Zone Quartz Carbonate Vein: 4 - 10 g/t Au
Creek Zone Altered Pyrite Rich: 0.5 - 1 g/t Au
Finn Zone High Grade: 3 - 6 g/t Au
Finn Zone Low Grade: 0.5 - 1 g/t Au
(*) Ranges are solely for composite selection and are derived from previously disclosed assay results. They do not represent mineral resource or exploration target disclosure.
"We are very excited to kick off this critical first-stage metallurgical testwork program at our JD Project," said Niel Marotta, CEO of Sun Summit Minerals. "Results from this detailed study will form part of a planned NI 43-101 technical report that will also include our inaugural mineral resource estimate for JD, expected in Q1 of 2027."
Sample Preparation
Upon receipt at the BCR laboratory, samples will be inventoried and cross-referenced against a sample list provided by Sun Summit. Each composite will then be stage crushed to 100% passing 10 mesh (1.7mm) to minimize the further generation of fines. Composites will be homogenized by passing multiple times through a rotary splitter. Once homogeneous, triplicate head assay sub-samples will be taken, and replicate 1.0 kg charges for metallurgical testwork will be produced.
Chemical and Mineralogical Characterization
Head samples will be assayed for the following:
Triplicate Au by Fire Assay with ICP-OES finish
Ag, Cu, Pb, Zn, Fe by four-acid digest (4AD) with ICP-OES finish
Total Sulphur and Total Carbon by combustion IR techniques
Multi-element ICP scan
Cyanide-soluble Au and spiked leach shake tests
Each sample will also be ground and sampled for mineralogical analysis using BCR's in-house TESCAN TIMA platform. This method will generate modal mineralogy, liberation and mineral associations.
Metallurgical Testwork
Grind calibration testing will be completed to ensure primary grind size. Gravity assessment tests will investigate the potential for gravity recoverable gold using a Knelson MD3 lab gravity concentrator. The Knelson concentrate will then be passed over a superpanner. Each test product will be assayed for Au. A particle size distribution ("PSD") will be completed on the Knelson tailings to verify primary grind size.
A number of sulphide rougher flotation tests have been allocated which will be assayed for Au, Ag, Fe, and Stotal. A PSD will be completed on the final tailings to verify primary grind size. Rougher testing will investigate the effects of primary grind size, collector type(s) and addition, and retention time.
A number of cleaner flotation tests have also been allocated. Each cleaner test will be assayed for Au, Ag, Fe, and Stotal. A PSD will be conducted on the rougher tailings to verify primary grind size. Allowance has also been included for Malvern sizing of regrind products. Cleaner testwork will investigate the effects of collector type(s) and dosage, as well as regrind size.
A number of 48-hour cyanidation bottle rolls have been allocated. Each test will be assayed for Au and Ag, with a multi-element ICP scan on the final PLS. A PSD will be completed on the final residue to verify primary grind size.
Timeline
Fuse has estimated that the metallurgical testwork program will be carried out over 3 months with key results provided as received.
About Fuse Advisors Inc.
Fuse is a leading and highly experienced group of qualified professional geologists and mining engineers who provide independent consulting services to the mining and exploration sectors, including metallurgical resource estimation. Experience includes testwork management, conceptual flowsheet design, and owner's representative and qualified persons services. Fuse provided owner's team project management support for the Company's Buck Project and for Thesis Gold & Silver Inc.'s prefeasibility study.
About Blue Coast Research Ltd.
BCR provides bankable metallurgical laboratory testwork and consulting services from their laboratory facilities located in Parksville, BC. They specialise in precious, critical, and base metal metallurgical flowsheet development, evaluating a wide range of processes and technologies including grinding, froth flotation, and gravity concentration at scales from micro-testing to full continuous pilot plant. In addition, BCR has extensive capability in cyanidation, including heap leach amenability testwork.
National Instrument 43-101 Disclosure
The scientific and technical disclosure in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Sun Summit's Vice President Exploration, Ken MacDonald, P.Geo., a "qualified person" (as defined in National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects of the Canadian Securities Administrators).
Community Engagement
Sun Summit is engaging with First Nations on whose territory our projects are located and is discussing their interests and identifying contract and work opportunities, as well as opportunities to support community initiatives. The Company looks forward to continuing to work with local and regional First Nations with ongoing exploration.
About the JD Project
The JD Project is located in the Toodoggone Mining District in north-central British Columbia, a highly prospective, deposit-rich mineral trend. The project covers an area of over 15,000 hectares and is in close proximity to active exploration and development projects, such as Thesis Gold and Silver's Lawyers and Ranch projects, TDG Gold's Baker-Shasta projects, Amarc Resources' AuRORA project, Centerra's Gold's Kemess East and Underground projects, as well as the past-producing Kemess open pit copper-gold mine (Figure 5).
The project is 450 kilometres northwest of the city of Prince George and 25 kilometres north of the Sturdee airstrip. It is proximal to existing infrastructure in place to support the past-producing Kemess mine, including roads and a hydroelectric power line.
The JD Project is in a favourable geological environment characterized by both high-grade epithermal gold and silver mineralization, as well as porphyry-related copper and gold mineralization. Some historical exploration, including drilling, geochemistry and geophysics, has been carried out on the property, however the project area is largely underexplored.
About Sun Summit
Sun Summit Minerals (TSXV: SMN,OTC:SMREF) (OTCQB: SMREF) is a mineral exploration company focused on the discovery, expansion, and advancement of district-scale gold and copper assets in British Columbia. The Company's portfolio is anchored by its flagship JD Project, alongside the Theory Project in the prolific Toodoggone region of north-central BC, and the Buck Project in central B.C. Further details are available at www.sunsummitminerals.com.
On behalf of the board of directors
Niel Marotta
Chief Executive Officer & Director
info@sunsummitminerals.com
For further information, contact:
Matthew Benedetto, Simone Capital
mbenedetto@simonecapital.ca
Tel. 416-817-1226
Forward-Looking Information
This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation that is based on expectations, estimates, projections and interpretations as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves predictions, expectations, interpretations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often, but not always, using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "interpreted", "management's view", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "potential", "feasibility", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking information and are intended to identify forward-looking information. This news release contains the forward-looking information pertaining to, among other things: the geographical focus areas of the metallurgical program; the types and aggregate amounts of composite samples to be tested pursuant to the metallurgical program; results from the metallurgical program forming part of NI 43-101 technical report, and the inclusion therein of inaugural mineral resource estimates for the Company's JD Project, and the timing thereof, if any; the estimated time to complete the metallurgical testwork program. Although the forward-looking information contained in this news release is based upon what management believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, Sun Summit cannot assure shareholders and prospective purchasers of securities of the Company that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking information, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended, and neither Sun Summit nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of any such forward-looking information. Such factors include, among others, risks relating to the ability of exploration activities (including drill results) to accurately predict mineralization; errors in management's geological modelling; the ability of Sun Summit to complete further exploration activities, including drilling; property, option and royalty interests in the JD Gold Project; the ability of Sun Summit to obtain required approvals; the results of exploration activities; risks relating to mining activities; the global economic climate; metal prices; dilution; environmental risks; and community and non-governmental actions. Sun Summit does not undertake, and assumes no obligation, to update or revise any such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information contained herein to reflect new events or circumstances, except as may be required by law.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/291564
