8.7m at 30.6g/t Gold Highlights Santana’s Rise & Shine Deposit Expansion

Exceptional Drill Results at Rise & Shine

Santana Minerals Limited has announced outstanding drilling results from the northern extents of its Rise & Shine (RAS) gold deposit in New Zealand. The recent diamond drilling campaign has delivered high-grade intercepts that confirm the continuity of the high-grade core, known as the HG1 domain, and suggest a significant extension to the underground mine life.

The standout intercept, hole MDD487, returned an impressive 8.7 metres at 30.6 grams per tonne (g/t) gold, ranking it among the top 10 drill holes ever recorded at the RAS deposit. Notably, this interval included two assays exceeding 100 g/t, highlighting the exceptional grade and consistency of the mineralisation.

Extending the High-Grade Core

These results build on previous drilling in the northern Honeypot zone, extending the HG1 domain at least 230 metres down-plunge beyond the current underground reserve. This extension represents a potential 60% increase in mine life relative to the existing mine design, indicating a substantially larger underground operation than previously envisaged.

Additional intercepts from recent drilling include 27.6 metres at 3.5 g/t gold and 12.6 metres at 4.2 g/t gold, further confirming the robustness of the mineralised system. The total down-plunge length of the RAS system now exceeds 2 kilometres, with mineralisation extending 650 metres beyond the current mine plan.

Confidence in Geological Model and Future Potential

The consistency and thickness of the high-grade intercepts reinforce the strength and predictability of Santana’s geological model. The HG1 domain alone contains 60% of the Indicated gold resource within just 34% of the rock mass, underscoring its economic significance.

Santana’s CEO, Damian Spring, emphasised the importance of these findings, stating that the results "strengthen our confidence in the geological model and the consistency of the high-grade domains." The company is actively pursuing further infill and extensional drilling to delineate the resource more precisely and support upcoming pre-feasibility studies.

Robust Exploration and Quality Assurance

The drilling program employed industry-standard diamond core techniques with rigorous quality control measures, including certified standards, blanks, and duplicate samples. Assays were conducted using fire assay and photon assay methods, ensuring accuracy and representativity of the results. The secure tenure of the mineral permits and established royalty arrangements provide a stable framework for advancing the project.

Concurrent with drilling, Santana is progressing metallurgical, environmental, geotechnical, and hydrological studies to underpin future mining and processing operations. These integrated efforts aim to translate the promising exploration results into a viable and sustainable mining development.