Sunshine Metals (ASX:SHN) reports gold results from a 66-hole reverse circulation drilling program at its Sybil Epithermal Gold Project in North Queensland.
The 4,357m program tested three target areas across the Francis Creek, Francis Creek East, and Blue Range prospects. Francis Creek delivered ‘high-grade’ intersections along the A Vein structure, including 4m @ 11.11 grams per tonne gold (Au) from 62m, and 6m @ 3.76g/t Au from 20m.
Meanwhile, the first-ever drilling at Francis Creek East intercepted shallow mineralisation, with results including 3m @ 2.36g/t Au from 15m and 1m @ 5.08g/t Au from 44m.
Managing Director Damien Keys says the results continue to expand the gold system and reinforce the project’s potential to become a ‘significant’ discovery.
“Sybil is located close to our Mt Moss processing facility, which is currently under refurbishment to achieve first gold production next year. Any discovery success at Sybil has the potential to further grow our resource base, building on our current resource at Liontown which will feed initial gold production,” Keys says.
The Francis Creek program comprised 39 holes for 2,734m. It confirmed mineralisation extending approximately 250m on the A Vein, 150m on the C and D veins, and 200m on the Main Vein northwest of the A Vein intersection. Notable intercepts returned 5m @ 3.52g/t Au from 25m, 4m @ 2.84g/t Au from 52m, and 5m @ 2.32g/t Au from 114m.
At Francis Creek East, 20 shallow holes for 1,255m tested sub-cropping epithermal quartz veins trending east-west. Results showed narrow, ‘high-grade’ mineralisation in the western area, with broader, low-grade mineralisation further east.
Seven holes for 368m at Blue Range intercepted epithermal veining but returned limited mineralisation, with a best intercept of 1m @ 0.49g/t Au from 31m.
Sunshine has completed cultural heritage surveying for a 2,600m follow-up program expected to commence this month (October 2026). Drilling will test A Vein extensions at Francis Creek, deeper targets at Francis Creek East, and initial drilling at the Burdekin Veins and Cisco targets.
The company reports recent reconnaissance mapping also identified new veining 300m north of Francis Creek East, returning 3.11g/t Au in rock chip sampling.
An extension to the magnetic-radiometric survey will commence in November.
Sybil sits approximately 135km west of Townsville and 140km north of Charters Towers, close to Sunshine’s Mt Moss processing facility.
Sunshine Metals is an Australian mineral explorer focused on gold, copper, silver, and polymetallic resources.
Write to Paula Fabe at Mining.com.au
Main image: Sunshine Metals
