Critical Resources Defines Three Gold-Antimony Targets at Silver Peaks
Key Takeaways
- A desktop review of more than 1,250 historical soil and stream-sediment records has defined three priority gold-antimony targets — Lamb Hill–Three O'Clock, Stone Burn South, and the Northern Soil Anomaly — across Critical Resources' 497.69 km² Silver Peaks Prospecting Permit in Otago, New Zealand.
- Stone Burn South sits immediately adjacent to OceanaGold's +10 Moz Macraes gold camp and returned historical BLEG stream-sediment results of 45.2 ppb Au and 39.3 ppb Au from two separate catchments, supported by pXRF pathfinder geochemistry of up to 68 ppm As and 17 ppm Sb.
- No drilling has been identified at any of the three target areas in the historical record, meaning the permit is genuinely underexplored — the desktop review is a low-cost step that focuses field effort before any capital-intensive commitment.
- Drilling is not permitted under the current prospecting permit and would require a separate minerals exploration permit, which is not assured — progression depends on field verification results and regulatory approvals.
- Critical Resources holds a 90% interest in Silver Peaks through its subsidiary Goldfire Resources Limited, with the permit forming part of a broader 1,694 km² New Zealand footprint that includes confirmed gold-antimony bedrock at Croesus.
Three gold-antimony targets defined at Silver Peaks, New Zealand
A desktop review of more than 1,250 historical soil and stream-sediment records has defined three priority gold-antimony targets within Critical Resources’ 497.69 km² Silver Peaks Prospecting Permit (PP 61275) in Otago, New Zealand. The company holds a 90% interest in the permit through its wholly owned subsidiary Goldfire Resources Limited, with Silver Peaks forming part of a broader 1,694 km² New Zealand footprint.
The three named targets are Lamb Hill-Three O’Clock (Priority 1), Stone Burn South (Priority 2), and the Northern Soil Anomaly (Priority 3). The review is a cost-effective, low-expenditure step that converts a large, comparatively underexplored permit into focused, actionable areas for field testing.
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The three priority targets
Lamb Hill-Three O’Clock (Priority 1)
Six historical bulk leach extractable gold (BLEG) stream-sediment samples from this target returned between 7.5 and 13.0 ppb Au, all exceeding the historical program’s regional anomaly threshold of 5 ppb Au. The highest result was BWD114 at 13.0 ppb Au with 26 ppm As. BLEG is a sampling method that tests stream sediments for fine gold particles washed downstream from a possible bedrock source upstream.
Two historical antimony lodes (ACN 5577 and ACN 5578), approximately 3 km apart and each described as approximately 1.5 m thick, contribute to the target definition. The gold-arsenic stream anomaly lies approximately 3.5 km north of the nearer occurrence. Regional geological interpretation places this area within a northwest-trending mineralised fault system traceable for up to 25 km across the Barewood-Hindon district, correlating southeast towards Lyders Workings and Lamb Hill.
Stone Burn South (Priority 2)
Stone Burn South sits immediately south of the Hyde-Macraes Shear Zone and adjacent to OceanaGold’s (TSX:OGC) +10 Moz Macraes gold camp (source: OceanaGold NI 43-101, March 2024). Historical BHP BLEG stream-sediment sampling returned 45.2 ppb Au and 39.3 ppb Au from two separate catchments.
Later pXRF soil sampling provided a supporting arsenic-antimony pathfinder response, with results of up to 68 ppm As (LW02-189) and 17 ppm Sb (LW03-201). The convergence of gold-in-stream anomalies from two separate catchments, combined with pathfinder geochemistry, makes this a well-supported target for early field verification.
Northern Soil Anomaly (Priority 3)
Also positioned south of the Hyde-Macraes Shear Zone, the Northern Soil Anomaly is defined by a cluster of historical gold-arsenic soil composite results. Key results include 16.0 ppb Au with 34 ppm As (NTS008), 10.0 ppb Au with 42 ppm As (NTS009), and 10.5 ppb Au with 24 ppm As (NTS264). A separate soil site, NTS965, returned 57.5 and 58.5 ppb Au from two size fractions at the same location.
A 2005 review of the underlying MR3999 soil survey noted that shallow composite sampling was affected by loess dilution and wide spacing, making the results unsuitable for grade estimation. They are used here for target-scale guidance only.
Important context: All gold values reported across these three targets are parts per billion in soil composites and stream sediments. They are exploration vectors pointing toward a possible bedrock source and do not establish bedrock grade, width, or mineralised continuity.
| Target | Priority | Key Historical Result | Pathfinder Support |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lamb Hill–Three O’Clock | 1 | Up to 13.0 ppb Au (BLEG) | 2 historical Sb lodes |
| Stone Burn South | 2 | 45.2 ppb Au (BLEG) | 68 ppm As, 17 ppm Sb (pXRF) |
| Northern Soil Anomaly | 3 | 16.0 ppb Au (soil composite) | Up to 42 ppm As |
What is BLEG stream-sediment sampling and why does it matter?
Bulk leach extractable gold (BLEG) stream-sediment sampling tests the fine gold content of material collected from stream beds, with each sample representing the upstream catchment area draining into that point. When gold is detected, it signals that a potential bedrock source may exist somewhere upstream, not that economic mineralisation has been found at the sample location itself.
The co-occurrence of gold with arsenic (As) and antimony (Sb) is significant. This geochemical association is characteristic of orogenic gold systems like the Macraes deposit, where these pathfinder elements travel alongside gold and help geologists vector toward the source. At Silver Peaks, the presence of all three elements across multiple independent historical programs adds weight to each target area.
Across Critical Resources’ broader New Zealand portfolio, confirmed gold-antimony bedrock at Croesus demonstrates that the geochemical associations identified at surface in Otago can translate into coherent bedrock mineralisation, providing a direct analogue for the pathfinder signatures now defined at Silver Peaks.
No drilling has been identified at any of the three target areas in the historical record reviewed. This is an early-stage project, and a desktop review of this kind is a low-cost, de-risking step taken before committing to more expensive field programs. Its value lies in focusing exploration effort on the areas most likely to yield results.
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Planned field program and next steps
The company intends to run a staged field program designed to verify and rank the three priority targets before any decision on more advanced exploration. The planned program includes:
- Site verification and geological mapping: relocate GERM occurrences and historical sample sites; map structure, quartz veining, alteration, and regolith across all three target areas
- Modern surface geochemistry: collect rock, soil, and stream-sediment samples using documented QA/QC and an Au-Sb-As-W analytical suite
- Target-scale infill sampling: test the extent and orientation of the Northern Soil Anomaly, Three O’Clock catchment anomaly, and Stone Burn pathfinder trends
- Integrated ranking: combine field observations, geochemistry, and topography before selecting any area for further work
Drilling is not a permitted activity under the current prospecting permit and would require the grant of a minerals exploration permit, which is not assured. Progression to geophysics or drilling would depend on field verification results and the relevant approvals being in place.
Gold pathfinder anomalies at Lammerlaw Stony Creek, another permit within the same New Zealand footprint, were also defined through systematic surface geochemistry before any drilling commitment, reflecting the same staged, cost-disciplined approach now being applied at Silver Peaks.
Tim Wither, Managing Director
“The historical review has resolved a large permit-scale dataset into three clear areas that can now be tested efficiently in the field. At the Northern Soil Anomaly, gold and arsenic occur together across several composite samples, while Stone Burn South combines earlier gold-in-stream results with later arsenic and antimony pathfinder geochemistry. At Lamb Hill–Three O’Clock, the historical geochemistry and antimony occurrences lie within a broader northwest-trending structural setting that provides a clear focus for field mapping and systematic sampling.”
Ready to Learn More About the Silver Peaks Gold-Antimony Targets?
Critical Resources has converted over 1,250 historical geochemical records into three focused, actionable targets across its 497.69 km² Silver Peaks Prospecting Permit in Otago, New Zealand — all sitting within a broader 1,694 km² New Zealand footprint with confirmed gold-antimony bedrock elsewhere in the portfolio.
Explore the full details of Critical Resources’ staged field program and the geochemical case building at Silver Peaks by visiting the Critical Resources investor profile on Discovery Alert.