Sunstone Metals Limited has returned broad gold and copper intersections from drilling at the Melonal porphyry system, located within the Bramaderos gold-copper project in southern Ecuador.

Drill hole MEDD004 intersected 296.7 metres grading 0.43 g/t gold-equivalent from surface, which included a higher-grade sub-interval of 64.3 metres at 0.69 g/t gold-equivalent from surface and 82.3 metres grading 0.50 g/t gold-equivalent from 83.7 metres. A second hole, MEDD006, returned 102 metres grading 0.52 g/t gold-equivalent from surface, including 48.5 metres at 0.62 g/t gold-equivalent.

Both holes were drilled off the southern and southwest edges of Melonal and intersected substantial mineralization below and south of the currently planned southern pit wall. In addition to the drilling, surface trenching at the Porotillo prospect returned 109.7 metres grading 0.61 g/t gold-equivalent in Trench PO-8.

“These latest drill holes show Melonal is fast emerging as a large-scale mineralised system. Modelling is ongoing and points to significant depth extensions of the system towards the south and southeast.”

— Patrick Duffy, Managing Director

The Bramaderos project hosts an existing Mineral Resource of 3.6 million ounces of gold-equivalent. The central porphyry cluster comprises five distinct deposits and prospects, specifically Brama, Alba, Melonal, Copete, and Porotillo. Melonal and Porotillo sit outside the current resource inventory.

Sunstone holds an 87.5% interest in the Loja province project. Assays remain pending for two additional holes at Melonal, designated MEDD005 and MEDD007, alongside channel and trench sampling results across the deposit areas. The company expects to incorporate the current program into a Mineral Resource update scheduled for release in the coming quarter.

Read the full announcement: Drilling expands Melonal porphyry system