Southern Cross Gold Drills 66m Gold Zone at 1,236m Depth Extending Deposit
Southern Cross Gold Consolidated Ltd has intersected gold mineralization at a record depth of 1,236 metres below surface at its Sunday Creek project, significantly extending the known vertical extent of the Golden Dyke deposit.
- Deepest drill hole SDDSC194W1 confirms gold mineralization 460m below previous Golden Dyke intercepts
- 66m zone of dyke and altered sediment with gold present, including 0.9m at 5.4 g/t AuEq
- Drilling extends 490m beyond current exploration target, expanding deposit depth potential
- Geochemical signatures consistent with epizonal gold-antimony model at depth
- Nine rigs active with ongoing 200,000m drill program through Q1 2027
Record Depth Gold Mineralization at Sunday Creek
Southern Cross Gold Consolidated Ltd (ASX:SX2, TSX:SXGC) has announced a significant milestone at its Sunday Creek Gold-Antimony Project in Victoria, Australia, with its deepest drill hole to date intersecting gold mineralization 460 metres below the previously known mineralized zone at the Golden Dyke prospect. The drill hole SDDSC194W1 reached a depth of 1,236 metres below surface, confirming that the mineralizing system persists at record depth well beyond the current exploration target.
The hole intersected a 66-metre zone of dyke and altered sediment, interpreted to have a true thickness of 28 metres, containing gold mineralization including a high-grade interval of 0.9 metres at 5.4 grams per tonne gold equivalent (AuEq). This result materially expands the potential vertical extent of the deposit and demonstrates continuity of the host sequence at depth, with thickness comparable to shallower intervals.
Geochemical and Structural Insights Support Ongoing Exploration
Southern Cross Gold’s President and CEO Michael Hudson highlighted that the arsenic-to-antimony ratios observed at depth align with the epizonal gold-antimony model, indicating the correct fluid chemistry signature within the sulphosalt zone at the brittle-ductile transition. This geochemical confirmation provides strong vectoring confidence for further deep drilling and exploration.
The drilling orientation was south-to-north, designed as a control hole to test the mineralized system well below the last known intercepts at Golden Dyke. The company noted that the hole was drilled sub-parallel to the vein sets, which form a "Golden Ladder" structure, meaning some individual veins may have been missed, yet anomalous gold was present throughout the entire true thickness of the intersection. This supports the interpretation of a thick, repeatable, and fertile host sequence at depth.
Expanding the Scale of Sunday Creek with Ongoing Drill Program
The new deep intercept extends approximately 490 metres below the defined exploration target at Golden Dyke and is comparable in depth to mineralization discovered at the Rising Sun prospect, reinforcing the interpreted scale of the broader Sunday Creek system. Southern Cross Gold is currently drilling a second deep hole, SDDSC226W1, targeting close to two kilometres depth to further test the vertical extent of mineralization.
Nine drill rigs are operational on the Sunday Creek project, with a total of 49 holes pending assay results. The company is progressing a large-scale 200,000-metre drill program scheduled through to the first quarter of 2027. This follows a series of recent high-grade discoveries at Sunday Creek, including record intersections at the Apollo prospect, which demonstrated consistent mineralization and high antimony grades near surface Southern Cross Gold Uncovers Record High-Grade Gold and Antimony at Apollo.
Strategic Importance of Gold-Antimony Mineralization
Sunday Creek is an epizonal gold-antimony deposit located within the Melbourne Structural Zone of the Lachlan Fold Belt. The project’s dual-metal profile is strategically significant given antimony’s critical mineral status globally, especially amid supply constraints linked to China’s export restrictions. Antimony is essential for defence, semiconductor, and energy transition technologies.
Southern Cross Gold holds 100% ownership of the Sunday Creek project, including 1,392 hectares of freehold land around the main drill area. Preliminary metallurgical testing indicates non-refractory mineralization amenable to conventional processing, with gold recoveries between 93% and 98% through gravity and flotation methods.
While these drilling results are promising, full assay data from ongoing holes remain pending, and true widths are estimated based on drill orientation. The company’s systematic approach to expanding the mineralized system at depth and along strike will be critical to defining the resource potential and economic viability of Sunday Creek.
Bottom Line?
Southern Cross Gold’s confirmation of deep gold mineralization at Sunday Creek significantly expands the deposit’s potential depth, underpinning ongoing exploration efforts to delineate a large-scale gold-antimony system in a strategic jurisdiction.
Questions in the middle?
- How will pending assay results from the 49 active drill holes influence the resource model at Sunday Creek?
- What are the implications of the deep arsenic-to-antimony geochemical signatures for targeting high-grade zones?
- How might Southern Cross Gold’s strategic positioning as a potential Western antimony supplier impact its market valuation?
