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EXHIBIT 31.1

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO RULE 13A-14 OR 15D-14 OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO SECTION 302 OFTHE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

I, W. Pierce Carson, certify that:

1. I have reviewed this Annual Report on Form 10-KSB of Santa
Fe Gold Corporation (the small business issuer);

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any
untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary
to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such
statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this
report;

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other
financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material
respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the
small business issuer as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4. I am responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure
controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and
15d-15(e)) for the small business issuer and have:

(a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused
such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under my supervision, to
ensure that material information relating to the small business issuer,
including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within
those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being
prepared;

(b) [Paragraph omitted in accordance with SEC transition
instructions contained in SEC Release 34-47986];

(c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the small business issuers
disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report my conclusion
about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end
of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

(d) Disclosed in this report any change in the small business
issuers internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the
small business issuers most recent fiscal quarter that has materially affected,
or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the small business issuers
internal control over financial reporting; and

5. I have disclosed, based on my most recent evaluation of
internal control over financial reporting, to the small business issuers
auditors and the audit committee of the small business issuers board of
directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

(a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the
design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are
reasonably likely to adversely affect the small business issuers ability to
record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

(b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves
management or other employees who have a significant role in the small business
issuers internal control over financial reporting.

|Date: October 10, 2008 |     |                                     
|---------------------- | --- | ------------------------------------
|                       | By: | /s/ W.
      Pierce Carson          
|                       |     | W. Pierce Carson                    
|                       |     | President, Chief Executive Officer, 
|                       |     | Director and Chief Financial Officer

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