Southern Cross Gold Achieves Significant Metallurgical Development At Sunday Creek Gold-Antimony Project
Parameter | AP02 Sample | RS02 Sample | Units |
Gold Grade | 93.2 | 59.3 | g/t |
Antimony Grade | 53.1 | 48.2 | % |
Arsenic Grade | 0.14 | 0.16 | % |
Iron Grade | 3.71 | 3.42 | % |
Sulphur Grade | 25.2 | 22.1 | % |
Calcium Grade | 0.53 | 1.37 | % |
Magnesium Grade | 0.45 | 0.84 | % |
The gold grade of the concentrate reflects the interplay between the proportion of feed gold associated with arsenic-iron sulphides, the ratio of gold to antimony in the feed, the gold recovered to the metallic gold product, and the flotation rate of gold in the first flotation stage.
Converting these concentrate assays to representative mineral percentages (Table 2) reveals the purity achieved through the process:
Table 2: Mineral Composition Analysis
Mineral Phase | AP02 Sample (%) | RS02 Sample (%) |
Stibnite | 74.2 | 67.3 |
Arsenopyrite | 0.3 | 0.4 |
Pyrite | 7.8 | 5.6 |
Non-Sulphide Gangue | 17.7 | 26.8 |
Performance Metrics - Validation of Success
Antimony recovery to concentrate ranged from 83.2% to 92.7% depending on feed type, while achieving antimony concentrate arsenic grades of 0.1% to 0.2% , significantly below the 0.6% thresholds typically required by antimony smelters.
The process consistently produces antimony concentrate grades up to 53.1% with gold grades in antimony concentrate reaching up to 93.2 g/t , while maintaining overall gold recovery of 91.8% to 95.6% across the three product streams.
Strategic Processing Framework
The development work has established a sophisticated three-product processing strategy that maximizes value recovery through complementary extraction methods (Table 3).
- The first product stream focuses on gravity metallic gold concentrate, achieving direct recovery of native gold representing up to 51.4% of feed gold to high-grade concentrates with minimal processing requirements.
The second and most significant development involves the antimony-gold concentrate, producing high-grade concentrates up to 53.1% Sb with low arsenic content below 0.2% As. These concentrates are potentially highly marketable to antimony smelters and could offer excellent potential payabilities. The third product stream captures remaining free gold and gold associated with pyrite-arsenopyrite in a marketable and leachable sulphide concentrate, ensuring high overall gold recovery is maintained across the entire process.
Table 3: Gold Distribution Across Products
Product | AP02 Au Recovery | RS02 Au Recovery | Product Quality |
Metallic Gold | 37.3% | 51.4% | Direct recovery |
Antimony-Gold Con | 36.5% | 28.8% | 59-93 g/t Au |
Au-S Concentrate | 18.0% | 15.5% | 7-23 g/t Au |
Total Recovery | 91.8% | 95.6% | |
Comprehensive Testing Methodology
The success of this work resulted from a comprehensive testing program that included diagnostic LeachWELL testing, gravity recovery optimization, timed flotation with chemical condition variations, two-stage bulk rougher flotation with separate cleaning stages, gravity testing of concentrates, and cyanide solubility analysis. Quarter core samples were crushed, homogenised and split for analysis at ALS Burnie Laboratory, with diagnostic cyanide leaching conducted alongside gravity recovery using Knelson concentrator technology with Mozley Panner upgrade and extensive flotation testing with staged reagent additions.
Future Development Pathway
The results demonstrate significant scope for further optimization through additional cleaning stages to remove non-sulphide gangue, multi-stage cleaning optimization, locked-cycle testing for overall recovery confirmation, and process recycling optimization. Future testing will focus on understanding the effect of grind size on recoveries, understanding gold-rich/lower antimony grades within deeper mineralization, and creating geometallurgical models across deposit zones.
This milestone relates to laboratory-based test work and does not involve any changes to site activities. Southern Cross Gold remains committed to ongoing consultation and transparency with our local community as the project advances through study phases.
About Sunday Creek
The Sunday Creek epizonal-style gold project is located 60 km north of Melbourne within 16,900 hectares ("Ha") of granted exploration tenements. SXGC is also the freehold landholder of 1,054.51 Ha that forms the key portion in and around the main drilled area at the Sunday Creek Project.
Cumulatively, 181 drill holes for 88,400.67 m have been reported from Sunday Creek since late 2020. Five holes for 929 m have been drilled for geotechnical purposes. An additional 14 holes for 2990.95 m from Sunday Creek were abandoned due to deviation or hole conditions. Fourteen drillholes for 2,383 m have been reported regionally outside of the main Sunday Creek drill area. A total of 64 historic drill holes for 5,599 m were completed from the late 1960s to 2008. The project now contains a total of sixty-six (66) >100 g/t AuEq x m and seventy-three (73) >50 to 100 g/t AuEq x m drill holes by applying a 2 m @ 1 g/t AuEq lower cut.
Our systematic drill program is strategically targeting these significant high-grade vein formations. Initially these have been defined over 1,500 m strike of the host from Christina to Apollo prospects, of which approximately 620 m have been more intensively drill tested (Rising Sun to Apollo). At least 77 'rungs' have been defined to date, defined by high-grade intercepts (20 g/t to >7,330 g/t Au) along with lower grade edges. Ongoing step-out drilling is aiming to uncover the potential extent of this mineralized system.
Geologically, the project is located within the Melbourne Structural Zone in the Lachlan Fold Belt. The regional host to the Sunday Creek mineralization is an interbedded turbidite sequence of siltstones and minor sandstones metamorphosed to sub-greenschist facies and folded into a set of open north-west trending folds.
Further Information
Further discussion and analysis of the Sunday Creek project is available through the interactive Vrify 3D animations, presentations and videos all available on the SXGC website. These data, along with an interview on these results with Michael Hudson, President & CEO, can be viewed at .
No upper gold grade cut is applied in the averaging and intervals are reported as drill thickness. However, during future Mineral Resource studies, the requirement for assay top cutting will be assessed. The Company notes that due to rounding of assay results to one significant figure, minor variations in calculated composite grades may occur.
Critical Metal Epizonal Gold-Antimony Deposits
Sunday Creek is an epizonal gold-antimony deposit formed in the late Devonian (like Fosterville, Costerfield and Redcastle), 60 million years later than mesozonal gold systems formed in Victoria (for example Ballarat and Bendigo). Epizonal deposits are a form of orogenic gold deposit classified according to their depth of formation: epizonal (<6 km), mesozonal (6-12 km) and hypozonal (>12 km).
Epizonal deposits in Victoria often have associated high levels of the critical metal, antimony, and Sunday Creek is no exception. China claims a 56 per cent share of global mined supplies of antimony, according to a 2023 European Union study. Antimony features highly on the critical minerals lists of many countries including Australia, the United States of America, Canada, Japan and the European Union. Australia ranks seventh for antimony production despite all production coming from a single mine at Costerfield in Victoria, located nearby to all SXG projects. Antimony alloys with lead and tin which results in improved properties for solders, munitions, bearings and batteries. Antimony is a prominent additive for halogen-containing flame retardants. Adequate supplies of antimony are critical to the world's energy transition, and to the high-tech industry, especially the semi-conductor and defence sectors where it is a critical additive to primers in munitions.
Antimony represents approximately 21% to 24% in situ recoverable value of Sunday Creek at an AuEq of 2.39 ratio.
In August 2024, the Chinese government announced it would place export limits from September 15, 2024 on antimony and antimony products. This puts pressure on Western defence supply chains and negatively affects the supply of the metal and pushes up pricing given China's dominance of the supply of the metal in the global markets. This is positive for SXGC as we are likely to have one of the very few large and high-quality projects of antimony in the western world that can feed western demand into the future.
Antimony Exempt from Executive Order on Reciprocal Tariffs
Southern Cross Gold Consolidated notes that antimony ores and concentrates (HTSUS code 26171000) are exempt from the April 2, 2025 US Executive Order on Reciprocal Tariffs. The exemption covers antimony ores and concentrates as well as unwrought antimony, antimony powders, antimony waste and scrap, and articles of antimony (HTSUS codes 81101000, 81102000, and 81109000).
About Southern Cross Gold Consolidated Ltd. (TSX: SXGC) (ASX: SX2)
Southern Cross Gold Consolidated Ltd. (TSX: SXGC) (ASX: SX2) controls the Sunday Creek Gold-Antimony Project located 60 km north of Melbourne, Australia. Sunday Creek has emerged as one of the Western world's most significant gold and antimony discoveries, with exceptional drilling results including 66 intersections exceeding 100 g/t AuEq x m from just 88 km of drilling. The mineralization follows a "Golden Ladder" structure over 12 km of strike length, with confirmed continuity from surface to 1,100 m depth.
Sunday Creek's strategic value is enhanced by its dual-metal profile, with antimony contributing approximately 20 % of the in-situ value alongside gold. This has gained increased significance following China's export restrictions on antimony, a critical metal for defense and semiconductor applications. Southern Cross' inclusion in the US Defense Industrial Base Consortium (DIBC) and Australia's AUKUS-related legislative changes position it as a potential key Western antimony supplier. Importantly, Sunday Creek can be developed primarily based on gold economics, which reduces antimony-related risks while maintaining strategic supply potential.
Technical fundamentals further strengthen the investment case, with preliminary metallurgical work showing non-refractory mineralization suitable for conventional processing and gold recoveries of 92-96% through gravity and flotation.
With a strong cash position, over 1,000 Ha of strategic freehold land ownership, and a large 60 km drill program planned through Q3 2025, SXGC is well-positioned to advance this globally significant gold-antimony discovery in a tier-one jurisdiction.
NI 43-101 Technical Background and Qualified Person
Michael Hudson, President and CEO and Managing Director of SXGC, and a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, and Mr Kenneth Bush, Exploration Manager of SXGC and a RPGeo (10315) of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists, are the Qualified Persons as defined by the NI 43-101. They have prepared, reviewed, verified and approved the technical contents of this release.
Analytical samples are transported to the Bendigo facility of On Site Laboratory Services ("On Site") which operates under both an ISO 9001 and NATA quality systems. Samples were prepared and analyzed for gold using the fire assay technique (PE01S method; 25 g charge), followed by measuring the gold in solution with flame AAS equipment. Samples for multi-element analysis (BM011 and over-range methods as required) use aqua regia digestion and ICP-MS analysis. The QA/QC program of Southern Cross Gold consists of the systematic insertion of certified standards of known gold and antimony content, blanks within interpreted mineralized rock and quarter core duplicates. In addition, On Site inserts blanks and standards into the analytical process.
Information in this announcement that relates to new metallurgical results contained in this report is based on information compiled by Mr. Craig Brown, a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. He is the Metallurgical Consultant to Southern Cross Gold Consolidated Ltd. He has sufficient experience which is relevant to the style of mineralization and types of deposits under consideration and to the activity being undertaking to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 edition of the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves (the JORC Code). Craig Brown has consented to the inclusion in this report of the matters based on this information in the form and context in which it appears.
SXGC considers that both gold and antimony that are included in the gold equivalent calculation ("AuEq") have reasonable potential to be recovered and sold at Sunday Creek, given current geochemical understanding, historic production statistics and geologically analogous mining operations. Historically, ore from Sunday Creek was treated onsite or shipped to the Costerfield mine, located 54 km to the northwest of the project, for processing during WW1. The Costerfield mine corridor, now owned by Mandalay Resources Ltd contains two million ounces of equivalent gold (Mandalay Q3 2021 Results), and in 2020 was the sixth highest-grade global underground mine and a top 5 global producer of antimony.
SXGC considers that it is appropriate to adopt the same gold equivalent variables as Mandalay Resources Ltd in its 2024 End of Year Mineral Reserves and Resources Press Release, dated February 20, 2025. The gold equivalence formula used by Mandalay Resources was calculated using Costerfield's 2024 production costs, using a gold price of US$2,500 per ounce, an antimony price of US$19,000 per tonne and 2024 total year metal recoveries of 91% for gold and 92% for antimony, and is as follows:
AuEq = Au (g/t) + 2.39 x Sb (%)
Based on the latest Costerfield calculation and given the similar geological styles and historic toll treatment of Sunday Creek mineralization at Costerfield, SXGC considers that a AuEq = Au (g/t) + 2.39 x Sb (%) is appropriate to use for the initial exploration targeting of gold-antimony mineralization at Sunday Creek.
JORC Competent Person Statement
Information in this announcement that relates to new metallurgical results contained in this report is based on information compiled by Mr. Craig Brown, a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. He is the Metallurgical Consultant to Southern Cross Gold Consolidated Ltd. He has sufficient experience which is relevant to the style of mineralization and types of deposits under consideration and to the activity being undertaking to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 edition of the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves (the JORC Code). Craig Brown has consented to the inclusion in this report of the matters based on this information in the form and context in which it appears.
The Company confirms that it is not aware of any new information or data that materially affects the information included in the original document/announcement and the Company confirms that the form and context in which the Competent Person's findings are presented have not materially modified from the original market announcement.
- Ends -
This announcement has been approved for release by the Board of Southern Cross Gold Consolidated Ltd.
For further information, please contact:
Mariana Bermudez - Corporate Secretary - Canada
... or +1 604 685 9316
Executive Office: 1305 - 1090 West Georgia Street Vancouver, BC, V6E 3V7, Canada
Nicholas Mead - Corporate Development
... or +61 415 153 122
Justin Mouchacca, Company Secretary - Australia
... or +61 3 8630 3321
Subsidiary Office: Level 21, 459 Collins Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
Forward-Looking Statement
This news release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions and accordingly, actual results and future events could differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. You are hence cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of present or historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include words or expressions such as "proposed", "will", "subject to", "near future", "in the event", "would", "expect", "prepared to" and other similar words or expressions. Factors that could cause future results or events to differ materially from current expectations expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements include general business, economic, competitive, political, social uncertainties; the state of capital markets, unforeseen events, developments, or factors causing any of the expectations, assumptions, and other factors ultimately being inaccurate or irrelevant; and other risks described in the Company's documents filed with Canadian or Australian securities regulatory authorities (under code SX2). You can find further information with respect to these and other risks in filings made by the Company with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada or Australia (under code SX2), as applicable, and available for the Company in Canada at or in Australia at (under code SX2). Documents are also available at . The Company disclaims any obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable law.
JORC Table 1
Section 1 Sampling Techniques and Data
Criteria | JORC Code explanation | Commentary |
Sampling techniques |
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Locations of field samples were obtained by using a GPS, generally to an accuracy of within 5 metres. Drill hole and trench locations have been confirmed to <1 metre using a differential GPS. Samples locations have also been verified by plotting locations on the high-resolution Lidar maps Drill core is marked for cutting and cut using an automated diamond saw used by Company staff in Kilmore. Samples are bagged at the core saw and transported to the Bendigo On Site Laboratory for assay. At On Site samples are crushed using a jaw crusher combined with a rotary splitter and a 1 kg split is separated for pulverizing (LM5) and assay. Standard fire assay techniques are used for gold assay on a 30 g charge by experienced staff (used to dealing with high sulphide and stibnite-rich charges). On Site gold method by fire assay code PE01S. Screen fire assay is used to understand gold grain-size distribution where coarse gold is evident. ICP-OES is used to analyse the aqua regia digested pulp for an additional 12 elements (method BM011) and over-range antimony is measured using flame AAS (method known as B050). Soil samples were sieved in the field and an 80 mesh sample bagged and transported to ALS Global laboratories in Brisbane for super-low level gold analysis on a 50 g samples by method ST44 (using aqua regia and ICP-MS). Grab and rock chip samples are generally submitted to On Site Laboratories for standard fire assay and 12 element ICP-OES as described above. |
Drilling techniques |
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A standard 3 metre core barrel has been found to be most effective in both the hard and soft rocks in the project. |
Drill sample recovery |
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Logging |
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Core orientations marked at the drill rig are checked for consistency, and base of core orientation lines are marked on core where two or more orientations match within 10 degrees. Core recoveries are measured for each metre RQD measurements (cumulative quantity of core sticks > 10 cm in a metre) are made on a metre-by-metre basis. Each tray of drill core is photographed (wet and dry) after it is fully marked up for sampling and cutting. The 1⁄2 core cutting line is placed approximately 10 degrees above the orientation line so the orientation line is retained in the core tray for future work. Geological logging of drill core includes the following parameters: Rock types, lithology Alteration Structural information (orientations of veins, bedding, fractures using standard alpha-beta measurements from orientation line; or, in the case of un-oriented parts of the core, the alpha angles are measured) Veining (quartz, carbonate, stibnite) Key minerals (visible under hand lens, e.g. gold, stibnite) 100% of drill core is logged for all components described above into the company MX logging database. Logging is fully quantitative, although the description of lithology and alteration relies on visible observations by trained geologists. Each tray of drill core is photographed (wet and dry) after it is fully marked up for sampling and cutting. Logging is considered to be at an appropriate quantitative standard to use in future studies. |
Sub-sampling techniques and sample preparation |
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Quality of assay data and laboratory tests |
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1⁄4 duplicates - half core is split into quarters and given separate sample numbers (commonly in mineralized core) - low to medium gold grades indicate strong correlation, dropping as the gold grade increases over 40 g/t Au. Blanks - blanks are inserted after visible gold and in strongly mineralized rocks to confirm that the crushing and pulping are not affected by gold smearing onto the crusher and LM5 swing mill surfaces. Results are excellent, generally below detection limit and a single sample at 0.03 g/t Au. Certified Reference Materials - OREAS CRMs have been used throughout the project including blanks, low (<1 g/t Au), medium (up to 5 g/t Au) and high-grade gold samples (> 5 g/t Au). Results are automatically checked on data import into the MX database to fall within 2 standard deviations of the expected value. Laboratory splits - On Site conducts splits of both coarse crush and pulp duplicates as quality control and reports all data. In particular, high Au samples have the most repeats. Laboratory CRMs - On Site regularly inserts their own CRM materials into the process flow and reports all data Laboratory precision - duplicate measurements of solutions (both Au from fire assay and other elements from the aqua regia digests) are made regularly by the laboratory and reported. Accuracy and precision have been determined carefully by using the sampling and measurement techniques described above during the sampling (accuracy) and laboratory (accuracy and precision) stages of the analysis. Soil sample company duplicates and laboratory certified reference materials all fall within expected ranges. |
Verification of sampling and assaying |
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Location of data points |
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Data spacing and distribution |
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Orientation of data in relation to geological structure |
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The steep nature of some of the veins may give increases in apparent thickness of some intersections, but more drilling is required to quantify. A sampling bias is not evident from the data collected to date (drill holes cut across mineralized structures at a moderate angle). |
Sample security |
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Audits or reviews |
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Section 2 Reporting of Exploration Results
Criteria | JORC Code explanation | Commentary |
Mineral tenement and land tenure status |
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Exploration done by other parties |
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Rock chip sampling around Christina, Apollo and Golden Dyke mines. Rock chip sampling down the Christina mine shaft. Resistivity survey over the Golden Dyke. Five diamond drill holes around Christina, two of which have assays. ELs 872 & 975 - CRA Exploration Pty Ltd Exploration focused on finding low grade, high tonnage deposits. The tenements were relinquished after the area was found to be prospective but not economic. Stream sediment samples around the Golden Dyke and Reedy Creek areas. Results were better around the Golden Dyke. 45 dump samples around Golden Dyke old workings showed good correlation between gold, arsenic and antimony. Soil samples over the Golden Dyke to define boundaries of dyke and mineralization. Two costeans parallel to the Golden Dyke targeting soil anomalies. Costeans since rehabilitated by SXG. ELs 827 & 1520 - BHP Minerals Ltd Exploration targeting open cut gold mineralization peripheral to SXG tenements. ELs 1534, 1603 & 3129 - Ausminde Holdings Pty Ltd Targeting shallow, low grade gold. Trenching around the Golden Dyke prospect and results interpreted along with CRAs costeans. 29 RC/Aircore holes totalling 959 m sunk into the Apollo, Rising Sun and Golden Dyke target areas. ELs 4460 & 4987 - Beadell Resources Ltd ELs 4460 and 4497 were granted to Beadell Resources in November 2007. Beadell successfully drilled 30 RC holes, including second diamond tail holes in the Golden Dyke/Apollo target areas. Both tenements were 100% acquired by Auminco Goldfields Pty Ltd in late 2012 and combined into one tenement EL4987. Nagambie Resources Ltd purchased Auminco Goldfields in July 2014. EL4987 expired late 2015, during which time Nagambie Resources applied for a retention licence (RL6040) covering three square kilometres over the Sunday Creek Goldfield. RL6040 was granted July 2017. Clonbinane Gold Field Pty Ltd was purchased by Mawson Gold Ltd in February 2020. Mawson drilled 30 holes for 6,928 m and made the first discoveries to depth. |
Geology |
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Drill hole Information |
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Data aggregation methods |
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Relationship between mineralization widths and intercept lengths |
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Diagrams |
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Balanced reporting |
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Other substantive exploration data |
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Further work |
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To view the source version of this press release, please visit
SOURCE: Southern Cross Gold Consolidated Ltd.

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