South Pacific Metals Corp. Reports Rock Chip Assays with High-Grade Copper up to 21.2% at Ontenu NE
South Pacific Metals Corp. Reports Rock Chip
Assays with High-Grade Copper up to 21.2% at
Ontenu NE
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 11, 2025) -
South Pacific Metals Corp.
(TSXV: SPMC) (OTCQB: SPMEF) (FSE: 6J00) ("
SPMC
" or the "
Company
") is pleased to announce
receipt of multi-element rock chip assay results from samples of mineralized structures, at the Ontenu NE
prospect within its Osena Project. The Project lies within a major NE-SW corridor known as the Kainantu
Transfer Zone, which also hosts the large Kainantu Gold-Copper mine being mined by K92 Mining Ltd.
Highlights from Ontenu NE latest rock chips
Multi-element results received that complement previously received gold results* (in brackets
below) from a
3m wide fault zone
&
splay structures
within a
zone of structures about 19m
wide
at the
Onki Fault area
(shown as the Onki Fault area in
Figure 1
and detailed in
Figure 2).
21.2% Cu, 214 g/t Ag, (0.41 g/t Au)
(0.25m massive sulphide in splay structure)
18.1% Cu, 310 g/t Ag, (0.32 g/t Au)
(0.7m splay structure)
12.4% Cu, 131 g/t Ag, (1.21 g/t Au)
(0.2-0.5m splay structure)
0.2% Cu, 32 g/t Ag, (8.6 g/t Au)
(1m wide channel sample in fault breccia)
In a separate zone* at Ontenu NE, some 700m west of the Onki Fault, as shown on Figure 1.
1.2% Cu, 258 g/t Ag, & 8.65 %
Zn, (9.34 g/t Au) in narrow quartz vein (0.25m)
Mapping and sampling continue.
*Gold results previously released (refer release dated October 6, 2025), with multi-element results now received for Cu-Ag-Zn.
"Ontenu NE has produced some great copper assays to complement the previously released high-grade
gold results,"
said Timo Jauristo, CEO of the Company.
"The gold-base-metal association in veins
and faults is characteristic of intermediate sulfidation epithermal deposits, similar to those being mined
by K92 Mining to the north. As previously announced, we have recently commenced drilling in the
southern part of Ontenu NE. These new copper results highlight the high potential of the entire Ontenu NE
area, and we look forward to drill testing all the structures that have been discovered."
Figure 1. Ontenu NE area target areas, rock chip results and mapped structures. Refer to
Appendix 1 for details on latest results. Refer Figure 2 (Onki Fault area) & Figure 5
(Southern
area)
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Figure 2. Onki Creek Fault area with detailed inset at the fault breccia exposure with multiple
structures dominant in Au-Cu
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Figure 3. Bifurcating splay structure near the Onki Creek Fault. Massive sulphide with grade of
21.2% Cu, 214g/t Ag and 0.41g/t Au.
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Ontenu NE latest results
The Ontenu NE prospect is part of the wider 5 x 3km epithermal footprint of the Ontenu Prospect. Ontenu
NE is a 2 sq km zone with multiple structures outlined by surface mapping and soil geochemical
anomalies,
up to 1200m strike length (Figure 1). The soil anomalies are currently open to the northwest.
Refer Appendix 1 for full table of rock results.
Onki Creek Zone at Ontenu NE
At the
Onki Creek Fault zone
area (Figure 2) structures are Au-Cu-Ag dominant and hosted primarily
in diorite intrusives. The main fault zone has a true width of approximately
3m,
strikes NNE-SSW and
dips 70
o
to the WNW. The fault zone is characterized by silica-clay altered breccia with variable and at
times abundant sulphide including pyrite and chalcopyrite. Samples from the zone have returned
8.6 g/t
gold, 32 g/t silver &
0.2 % copper from a 1m wide channel sample
and
0.41 g/t gold,
214 g/t
silver & 21.2 % copper
from a 0.25m zone of massive sulphide on a splay structure adjoining the fault
(Figure 3).
Several other near-vertical splay faults from the main Onki Creek Fault, strike N-S to NNW-SSE and are
mapped at between 20 and 70cm wide and have returned rock chip sampling grades of
1.21 g/t gold
,
131 g/t silver & 12.4 % copper
and
0.32 g/t gold
,
310 g/t silver & 18.1 % copper
(Figure 2 & Figure
4). The splay faults are inferred to link to a second series of NNE-SSW striking structures, which have
returned grades up to
1.48 g/t gold and 0.14% copper.
Proximal to the Onki Creek Fault, the splays
occur within a zone of multiple mineralized structures over at least
19m
and overall, the distance from the
Onki Creek Fault to the other NNE striking faults is approximately
90m
currently interpreted to be a large
dilational jog structure and loci for mineralization.
Figure 4. Onki Creek splay structures striking N-S to NNW-SSE and sub-vertically dipping
showing variable width and high-grade copper mineralization grading 12.4% & 18.14% copper
respectively
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Figure 5. Ontenu NE, southern area. Drilling is testing multiple structures including the Au-Ag
zones and intersecting the SW dipping Au-Cu-Ag zone. Note: some previously reported Cu-Ag
results have been upgraded with re-assay. Refer release dated September 17, 2025.
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About the Osena Project
Covering 738 km² of strategic ground, the
Osena Project
is located southwest of and adjacent to K92's
tenements that host the Kainantu Gold Mine. Priority prospects include Ontenu, a large-scale cluster of
intrusive gold -copper epithermal and porphyry and targets extending over 5 km x 3 km. The Ontenu
Prospect is one of many occurring within a mineralized corridor that extends more than 40 km northeast
across the Kainantu District.
Figure 6. Kainantu District with SPMC's Osena Project (SW) and Anga Project (NE) relative to
K92 Mining Ltd.'s deposits.
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About South Pacific Metals Corp.
South Pacific Metals Corp is an emerging gold-copper exploration company operating in the heart of
Papua New Guinea's proven gold and copper production corridors. With an expansive 3,100 km² land
package and four transformative gold-copper projects contiguous with major producers K92 Mining,
PanAust and neighbouring Barrick/Zijin, new leadership and experienced in-country teams are
prioritizing thoughtful and rigorous technical programs focused on boots-on-the-ground exploration to
prioritize discovery across its portfolio projects: Anga, Osena, Kili Teke, and May River.
Immediately flanking K92 Mining's active drilling and gold producing operations to the northeast and
southwest, SPMC's Anga and Osena Projects are located within the high-grade Kainantu Gold District -
each having the potential to host similar-style lode-gold and porphyry copper-gold mineralization as that
present within K92's tenements. Kili Teke is an advanced exploration project situated only 40 km from
the world-class Porgera Gold Mine and hosts an existing Inferred Mineral Resource with multiple
opportunities for expansion and further discovery. The May River Project is located adjacent to the world-
renowned Frieda River copper-gold project, with historical drilling indicating potential for a significant,
untapped-gold mineralized system. SPMC common shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange
(TSXV: SPMC), the OTCQB Marketplace (OTCQB: SPMEF) and Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FSE:
6J00).
Quality Assurance and Quality Control
Rock Sampling
Unless noted as a channel sample with width, rock samples are selective grab samples and collected
Company geologists in the field. Samples were sent to the ITS (PNG) Ltd (Intertek) Laboratory in Lae.
Gold assays were conducted using 50g charge Fire Assay with Atomic Absorption Spectra finish
(Intertek Code FA50/AA), with a detection limit of 0.01ppm. Copper and silver assays were initially
assayed with 3-acid digest (Intertek Code PGGA03). Samples were then sent to Intertek Australia for full
multi-element assays to be determined using 4-acid digestion with Mass Spectrometry (ICPMS) (Intertek
code 4A/MS48).
Certified reference material, duplicates and blanks were inserted into the rock sample stream to monitor
laboratory performance, with no significant variations from expected results.
Qualified Person
The scientific and technical information disclosed in this release has been compiled by Company
geologists and consultants and reviewed and approved by Darren Holden, BSc(Hons) (Geology), PhD,
FAusIMM, a "Qualified Person" as defined under the Canadian Institute of Mining National Instrument 43-
101
Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects
. Dr. Holden is a Technical Advisor to the Company.
For further information, please contact:
Michael Murphy, Executive Chair
or
Investor Relations
South Pacific Metals Corp.
Tel: +1-604-653-9464
Email:
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the
policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this
release.
Disclaimer and Forward-Looking Information
Statements contained in this release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements that
involve various risks and uncertainty affecting the business of SPMC. In making the forward-looking
statements, SPMC has applied certain assumptions that are based on information available to the
Company, including SPMC's strategic plan for the near and mid-term. There is no assurance that such