A Rare Gold-Lithium Discovery—Hidden in Plain Sight for 100 Years?

A Rare Gold-Lithium Discovery—Hidden in Plain Sight for 100 Years?

Lion Rock Resources (TSX-V: ROAR | OTCQB: LRRIF) may have just secured one of the most overlooked, underexplored, and potentially high-impact gold-lithium properties in the United States.

Nestled in the legendary Black Hills of South Dakota—a region known for historic gold production and now increasingly targeted for critical mineral exploration—Lion Rock’s Volney Project is emerging as one of the most unique multi-commodity stories in the market today. Not only does it host high-grade gold, it also contains a massive, high-grade lithium-bearing pegmatite… all sitting on 100% privately held land with a fast-track path to drilling.

And drills are coming soon.

After years of behind-the-scenes groundwork, Lion Rock is gearing up to launch its first-ever modern drill campaign in mid-August. That means the window for early exposure is still open—but it may not be for long.

A First-Mover Advantage in the Black Hills

Volney isn’t your typical grassroots exploration project. For over a century, the land remained privately held by a single family. And while it’s long been known to host tin, lithium, and traces of gold, it’s never seen any modern exploration—no serious geophysics, no systematic sampling, no modern drilling.

Until now.

Lion Rock secured exclusive access to the property through a local connection, and has since assembled an experienced team led by CEO Dale Ginn, a veteran geologist credited with more than 10 million ounces in gold discoveries. That includes chief geologist Dr. Jeff Hrncir, a South Dakota native and one of the foremost geological experts in the region.

And what they’ve uncovered is remarkable: multiple zones of high-grade gold at surface, historical samples showing up to 5.4% lithium oxide, and a system that appears to be much larger than initially thought.

Gold First: Big Grades in a Famous Mining Belt

The Black Hills are no stranger to large-scale gold production. Just a short distance from Volney is the legendary Homestake Mine, which produced 43.9 million ounces of gold over its lifetime. Further south sits Coeur Mining’s Wharf Mine, which produced over 93,000 ounces in 2023 alone.

So when Lion Rock released surface assay results from Volney showing float samples up to 189.5 g/t gold and bedrock chip samples up to 14.0 g/t gold, investors took notice.

More impressively, those grades came from a 260-meter-long mineralized shear zone, open in both directions and untested at depth.

According to the company, the upcoming drill campaign will target known gold-bearing zones first—zones that have returned grades of 18.2 g/t over 18.3 meters in historical channel sampling.

For a stock trading under US$0.25 with a market cap around $15 million, those numbers are eye-opening.

A Giant Pegmatite—and Lithium Grades That Raise Eyebrows

But Volney isn’t just about gold.

The real kicker here might be lithium.

Running through the property is the Giant Volney Pegmatite, a 635-meter-long spodumene-rich structure that was once tapped for lithium during World War II.

Historical grab samples returned average grades of 4.4% Li₂O, with highs of 5.4%. That’s not just good—that’s world-class.

In a market where 1.0% Li₂O is considered economic, those kinds of grades are rare—especially in North America. Most lithium juniors would kill for that kind of head start.

Lion Rock’s team has mapped over 35 major pegmatites across the property, many with similar lithium potential. That adds serious depth to the story—and gives the company strategic exposure to the next leg of the battery metal supercycle.

Private Land, Fast Permitting, and a Drilling Countdown

Because Volney sits entirely on private land, Lion Rock isn’t facing the same multi-year permitting gauntlet as many of its peers. The company submitted its Notice of Intent to drill and expects permits in hand by late July.

From there, it’s game on.

78 drill pads have been planned, allowing up to eight holes per pad—making this one of the most aggressive early-stage exploration programs in the Black Hills in decades.

The initial focus will be on near-surface gold and lithium zones. But given the historical presence of tin, tantalum, and even niobium across the property, the discovery potential spans well beyond just two metals.

A Small Cap With Big Discovery Leverage

With only ~78.5 million shares outstanding and a market cap under $15 million, Lion Rock remains well off the radar for most investors.

But with drilling imminent and the early data pointing to a robust, multi-commodity system hiding in plain sight, that obscurity likely won’t last much longer.

In the junior mining world, early-stage drill success can be a game-changer—especially when it happens in a Tier-1 jurisdiction with clear paths to permitting, infrastructure access, and a world-class geologic backdrop.

Lion Rock checks all those boxes.

Gold near all-time highs. Lithium at the bottom of a cycle. A true hybrid discovery play in a famous district, backed by real science and a clear roadmap.

For investors seeking an asymmetric bet on high-grade discovery upside—with the added benefit of private land and streamlined permitting—Lion Rock might just be the roar worth listening to.