RUA GOLD Reports Auld Creek Drilling
RUA GOLD Reports Auld Creek Drilling
Results Including 2.1m @ 64g/t AuEq
Intersected 120m Below the Current Resource,
Demonstrating Significant and Open-Ended
Depth Potential
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 16, 2025) - Rua Gold Inc. (TSXV: RUA) (OTCQB:
NZAUF) (WKN: A40QYC) ("
RUA GOLD
" or the "
Company
") is pleased to provide an update on its
gold-antimony exploration at the Auld Creek project in the Reefton Goldfield on the South Island of New
Zealand, reporting further high-grade gold-antimony intersections 120 meters below the current resource
estimate.
Highlights:
Auld Creek has an inferred resource hosted by two ore shoots, Bonanza and Fraternal. This
resource outcrops at surface.
The latest drilling increases the vertical extent of the resource
from 160m to 280m and remains open at depth.
Following up on the encouraging high-grade gold-antimony results from drillholes ACDDH026-028;
holes ACDDH030-33 intersected excellent high-grade mineralization with continuity of the strong
gold-stibnite (antimony sulfide) mineralization previously reported.
Assay results show:
ACDDH031: 2.1m @ 64.0g/t AuEq
1
(5.5g/t Au & 13.1% Sb) from 310m depth
ACDDH032: 2m @ 1.4g/t Au
from 296m depth
Current drilling is testing the Fraternal north prospect and Bonanza northeast prospect, where
surface soil geochemistry has confirmed the system is traceable over a 2.5km length.
Drilling in the second quarter will then probe further at depth and test its extent southward with the
goal of growing the current resource.
Antimony is in rising demand due to its vital role in renewable energy, batteries, defense, and
technology. Its supply is scarce and largely controlled by China, Russia, and Tajikistan, making it a
strategic material, especially during geopolitical tensions, which has caused prices to surge from
US$11,350 to over US$60,000 per tonne.
Robert Eckford, CEO of RUA GOLD commented: "
This is an exciting development to see high-grade
gold-antimony mineralization at Auld Creek that is 120m deeper than the current resource. Proving
out continuity at depth and growing this resource will be a key focus of drilling in the next quarter, while
simultaneously drilling the Cumberland-Galant deposit 3km to the south.
We continue to be focused on expanding the Auld Creek resource both north, south and at depth, with
intensified surface exploration showing early promise in identifying additional mineralization over its
2.5km length.
With Antimony being at the top of every nations' critical minerals lists, the importance of this resource
growth to both RUA GOLD and New Zealand is significant."
1.
Using recent spot prices of gold and antimony, and applying a ~30% discount, the gold equivalent formula is based on AuEq = Au g/t + 4.3 x Sb%
using a Au price of US$2065/oz, Sb price of US$34,300 per tonne and 85% recovery.
Figure 1: Overview of the Reefton Goldfield.
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Figure 2: Location of Auld Creek Drilling
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GLOBAL SUPPLY AND VALUE OF ANTIMONY
Antimony is a critical metalloid primarily sourced from the mineral, stibnite.
It is highly valuable and
increasing in demand due to its versatility and has essential applications across renewable energy,
liquid battery metals, defence and technological sectors.
Due to its limited supply, predominantly controlled by China, Russia & Tajikistan, antimony is considered
a strategic material essential for supply chain security, particularly during periods of geopolitical
instability. This was heightened in September 2024, when China announced export controls on
processed antimony products. In response to these controls, nations have accelerated their efforts to
secure alternative sources of antimony to mitigate the risk of significant supply chain vulnerabilities.
The US, EU, UK, Japan, Canada and Australia all designate antimony as a critical mineral. On January
31, 2025, New Zealand also announced their Critical Mineral List which included antimony.
Reflecting heightened demand, the price of antimony has reached new highs, currently trading over
US$60,000 per tonne, a significant increase from US$11,350 per tonne at the start of 2024. This market
shift has intensified interest in the strategic antimony potential held by RUA GOLD.
EXPLORATION POTENTIAL
RUA GOLD commenced drilling at Auld Creek in December 2024. It has a targeted program to drill four
mineralised shoots identified from historical surface exploration work interpreted by the RUA GOLD
team over the past 3 months.
Auld Creek is situated between two past producing mines, Globe Progress mine, and the Crushington
Group of mines which collectively produced 933,000oz at 14.0g/t Au (Barry 1993). Auld Creek has three
historic adits but no commercial production from the reefs.
RUA GOLD has an inferred resource indicating 700,000 tonnes at 3.1g/t Au and 1.1% Sb for 67,000oz
of gold and 8,000 tonnes of antimony
1
(AuEq 110,000oz
2
). The resource is restricted to two of the four
known shoots. Soil geochemistry indicates the potential for discovery of additional mineralised shoots
over a strike length of 2.5km.
Four of the eight holes completed to date intersected 4-5m of strong visible stibnite (antimony sulfide)
mineralization in the Fraternal-Bonanza structure.
Results from ACDDH024, ACDDH025 confirm the approximate average gold grades, but report higher
antimony grades than the current resource estimate. Results from ACDDH027, ACDDH028 highlight
above average gold grades with narrow but high-grade antimony in ACDDH028.
Drilling of ACDDH030,31,32 and 33 (results pending, but structure intercepted) provide strong evidence
of the continuity of the Fraternal gold-antimony structure at depth, and the narrow high-grade intersection
of ACDDH031 has confirmed resource grade mineralization and continuity with the previously reported
drilling of holes ACDDH027 and ACDDH028.
Intensified surface exploration is showing very encouraging strong trends both north and north-west
confirming additional targets on the Fraternal North and Bonanza north-west extensions.
1. Please see the Company’s technical report entitled, “Technical Report on Reefton Project, New Zealand”, dated October 30, 2024.
2. Based on gold equivalent formula of AuEq = Au g/t + 1.9 x Sb% using a Au price of US$2025/oz, Sb price of US$15,000 per tonne and 85%
recovery.
Figure 3: Fraternal ore shoots at Auld Creek.
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Figure 4: Arsenic soil geochemistry over Auld Creek area.
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ABOUT RUA GOLD
RUA GOLD is an exploration company, strategically focused on New Zealand. With decades of
expertise, our team has successfully taken major discoveries into producing world-class mines across
multiple continents. The team is now focused on maximizing the asset potential of RUA GOLD's two
highly prospective high-grade gold projects.
The Company controls the Reefton Gold District as the dominant landholder in the Reefton Goldfield on
New Zealand's South Island with over 120,000 hectares of tenements, in a district that historically
produced over 2Moz of gold grading between 9 and 50g/t.
The Company's Glamorgan Project solidifies RUA GOLD's position as a leading high-grade gold
explorer on New Zealand's North Island. This highly prospective project is located within the North
Islands' Hauraki district, a region that has produced an impressive 15Moz of gold and 60Moz of silver.
Glamorgan is adjacent to OceanaGold Corporation's biggest gold mining project, Wharekirauponga.
For further information, please refer to the Company's disclosure record on SEDAR+ at
www.sedarplus.ca
.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Simon Henderson CP, AUSIMM, a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101
Standards of
Disclosure for Mineral Projects
and Chief Operating Officer and a director of RUA GOLD, has reviewed
and approved the technical disclosure contained herein. Mr. Henderson has participated in the
geochemical sampling, and mapping programs to verify that they have been conducted in accordance
with standard operating procedures. Mr. Henderson has verified the data disclosed by running checks
on the location, analytical, and test data underlying the information in the technical disclosure herein.
QA/QC Drill Core
Core samples were sent to SGS Laboratories, Westport for sample preparation. Samples were crushed
and pulverized to 85% passing 75 µm. The pulverized rock-chips were split into two samples: a ~50 g
sent for laboratory analysis, and the reject returned to RGL for pXRF analysis and storage. Pulverized
rock-chip samples were analyzed for gold (Au) by 50-g fire assay with AAS finish at SGS Waihi (SGS
Code FAA505); and for antimony (Sb) by Sodium Peroxide Fusion Analysis by ICP-MS at SGS Waihi.
RUA GOLD Contact
Robert Eckford
Chief Executive Officer
Email:
Website:
www.RUAGOLD.com
This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All
statements in this new release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or
developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking
statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the
words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and
similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur and
specifically include statements regarding: the Company's strategies, expectations, planned operations
or future actions, including but not limited to exploration programs at its Reefton and Glamorgan projects
and the results thereof. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-
looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future
performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements.
Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future
performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the
forward-looking statements. A variety of inherent risks, uncertainties and factors, many of which are
beyond the Company's control, affect the operations, performance and results of the Company and its
business, and could cause actual events or results to differ materially from estimated or anticipated
events or results expressed or implied by forward looking statements. Some of these risks, uncertainties
and factors include: general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; risks
related to the effects of the Russia-Ukraine war; risks related to climate change; operational risks in
exploration, delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration projects or capital expenditures; the
actual results of current exploration activities; conclusions of economic evaluations; changes in project
parameters as plans continue to be refined; changes in labour costs and other costs and expenses or
equipment or processes to operate as anticipated, accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the
mining industry, including but not limited to environmental hazards, flooding or unfavorable operating
conditions and losses, insurrection or war, delays in obtaining governmental approvals or financing, and
commodity prices. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-
looking statements and reference should also be made to the Company's short form base shelf
prospectus dated July 11, 2024, and the documents incorporated by reference therein, filed under its
SEDAR+ profile at
www.sedarplus.ca
for a description of additional risk factors.
Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's
management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws,
the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that
management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.
Table 1: Location of Auld Creek drill holes from RUA 2024-2025 program
Hole ID
Easting
Northing
rL
Total
Depth
Site _ID
Dip
Azimuth
(true)
Year
ACDDH022
1507213
5333198
511.11
108.5
Pad 10
-54
193
2024
ACDDH023
1507213
5333200
510.87
51.5
Pad 10
-60
85
2024
ACDDH024
1507290
5333150
538.41
156.3
Old Pad 13
-37
220
2025
ACDDH025
1507290
5333151
538.03
180.9
Old Pad 13
-54
248
2025
ACDDH026
1507291
5333151
537.77
200
Old Pad 13
-59
231
2025
ACDDH027
1507291
5333150
538.15
193.4
Old Pad 13
-45
212
2025
ACDDH028
1507078
5332957
605.4
243.5
Pad 18
-50
104
2025
ACDDH029
1507079
5332956
605.43
256
Pad 18
-50
120
2025
ACDDH030
1507074
5332955
606.38
268.5
Pad 18
-53
85
2025
ACDDH031
1507074
5332955
606.24
336
Pad 18
-65
74
2025
ACDDH032
1507075
5332956
606.15
351.6
Pad 18
-70
108
2025
ACDDH033*
1507076
5332956
606.13
291.1
Pad 18
-64
92
2025
ACDDH034*
1507213
5333197
511.61
200
Pad 10
-72
267
2025
*Results pending from the assay lab for holes ACDDH033 and ACDDH034
Table 2: Significant drilling intercepts at Auld Creek, full mineralized zone composites (1.5g/t Au cut-
off)
Sample No
From
To
Interval
Au (g/t)
Sb (%)
ACDDH026
175
175.9
0.9
0.96
ACDDH026
175.9
177.1
1.2
1.55
ACDDH027
152
153
1
2.52
ACDDH027
153
154
1
1.88
ACDDH027
154
155
1
3.44
ACDDH027
155
156
1
2.25
ACDDH027
156
157
1
1.84
ACDDH027
157
158
1
0.37
ACDDH027
158
159
1
0.15
ACDDH027
159
160
1
2.38
0.013%
ACDDH027
160
161
1
2.39
0.802%
ACDDH027
161
162
1
4.75
0.008%
ACDDH027
162
163
1
2.84
0.016%
ACDDH027
163
164
1
8.42
0.010%
ACDDH027
164
165
1
4.7
0.010%
ACDDH027
165
166
1
3.77
0.009%
ACDDH027
166
167
1
15
0.178%
ACDDH027
167
168
1
3.11
0.428%
ACDDH028
209.5
210.15
0.65
0.92
ACDDH028
210.15
210.6
0.45
18.4
11.600%
ACDDH028
210.6
211.4
0.8
8.28
4.680%
ACDDH028
211.4
212
0.6
1.68
ACDDH031
310.4
312.5
2.1
5.4
13.06%
ACDDH032
296
305
9.0
0.6
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