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Highlights
- Sunstone Metals uncovers high-grade gold zones in Ecuador
- Exploration footprint expands with up to 14.4 g/t gold from sampling
- Multi-million-ounce potential highlighted at Bramaderos and El Palmar
Sunstone Metals (ASX:STM) has announced a major stride forward in its exploration efforts at the flagship Bramaderos Project in southern Ecuador, revealing new high-grade epithermal gold-silver mineralisation. This recent discovery, made through surface rock chip sampling, returned assays peaking at an impressive 14.4 grams per tonne (g/t) of gold, reinforcing the project's standing as a prospective future gold-copper mining hub.
The newly identified gold-rich zones lie to the north and west of the Brama-Alba deposit and form part of broader structural corridors that host both epithermal and porphyry mineralisation. The findings indicate a significant expansion in the mineralised footprint and open up several new drill targets.
Sunstone’s exploration strategy is to sequentially develop near-surface high-grade gold-silver systems while advancing deeper porphyry targets. This dual approach is designed to create scalable project stages across both Bramaderos and the company’s second asset, the El Palmar Project in northern Ecuador.
At Bramaderos, the current Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) stands at 156 million tonnes grading 0.53 g/t gold equivalent (AuEq), translating to 2.7 million ounces of contained AuEq. Exploration upside remains strong, with two conceptual targets: a porphyry zone (3.3–8.6 million ounces AuEq) and the Limon epithermal zone (0.9–1.7 million ounces AuEq).
Meanwhile, the El Palmar Project, located 60 kilometres northwest of Quito, contributes an additional 1.2 million ounces of AuEq from an MRE of 64 million tonnes at 0.60 g/t. Both projects lie within well-endowed mineral belts and benefit from existing infrastructure and supportive regulatory frameworks.
The company's expansion initiatives arrive at a time when investor interest is growing around ASX dividend stocks, especially those backed by tangible resource growth and long-term development potential. With its growing asset base and strategic focus, Sunstone is positioning itself as a noteworthy presence among emerging ASX200 resource names.
Looking ahead, Sunstone aims to prioritise the advancement of near-surface prospects like Limon to build early-stage scale while continuing exploration across porphyry zones. This phased approach not only helps de-risk development but also provides optionality for future project configurations.
The momentum at Bramaderos, combined with defined resources and multiple targets, underpins the potential for Sunstone to play a more prominent role in Ecuador’s emerging gold-copper mining sector.
