Galleon Gold starts soil sampling program at West Cache

Mr. David Russell reports GALLEON GOLD INITIATES SOIL SAMPLING PROGRAM AT WEST CACHE GOLD PROJECT Galleon Gold Corp. has initiated a soil sampling program at its 100-per-cent-owned West Cache gold project in Timmins, Ont. The purpose of the program is to follow up on previous soil programs to further define potential drill targets on untested parts of the property. The company anticipates collecting approximately 1,000 samples for MMI (mobile metal ion) analysis. MMI is a method of soil geochemistry known to be capable of detecting buried mineralization. The company sees significant exploration upside at West Cache, with the potential to extend mineralization along strike 1.5 kilometres to the southwest toward Pan American Silver's property and to the north into metavolcanic stratigraphy known to host gold deposits elsewhere in the Timmins camp. Exploration along both regional geological trends (southwest-northeast) and potential "feeder" trends (northwest-southeast) around the current mineral resource area is planned as part of a grassroots program to complement the continuing work toward the company's bulk sampling program. West Cache -- gold under cover Extensive overburden cover at West Cache, in part, is why the project remained relatively undeveloped until nearly a century after the Timmins camp was discovered. Early exploration techniques such as prospecting and trenching are generally not feasible due to glacial cover, and while some historic mines in the camp were discovered by visible gold at surface, there is no known outcrop within the Porcupine basin at West Cache. The gold mineralization in the existing mineral resource area was initially identified with geophysics and shallow drilling by Dome Canada in the mid-1980s. From 2021 to 2024 the company collected and analyzed approximately 2,200 soil samples to evaluate geochemical responses over known gold zones and develop a reconnaissance grid over approximately nine square kilometres of the Porcupine metasedimentary basin in areas that have seen little to no boots-on-the-ground exploration. Using results from the previous soil programs, the 2025 program aims to infill and refine existing multielement anomalies in four main areas. CEO comment David Russell, president and chief executive officer of Galleon Gold, commented: "We have spent considerable effort on permitting and engineering for our planned 86,500-tonne bulk sample at West Cache, but with less than 10 per cent of the project drill tested, the untapped opportunities and the possibility of uncovering valuable resources need to be prioritized as well. Geochemical sampling is an inexpensive grassroots exploration technique that can assist with focusing drill targets as we systematically explore around and outside the bounds of our existing mineral resource area. While future drilling within and at the margins of the mineralized areas will likely expand our resource base, exploration drilling in other areas may lead to other important discoveries that can help us unlock the full potential of the project." Previous soil sampling programs The company completed an MMI orientation soil sampling program over three known gold zones in 2021 to determine elemental responses over different styles and depths of known mineralization at West Cache. Over subsequent programs outside of the mineral resource area, geochemical sampling grids covering the regional geological trend were sampled to better understand soil types encountered on the property, B-horizon depth and possible locations for till sampling. All samples were analyzed by aqua regia (AR) digestion with a subset of samples undergoing MMI analysis. Even if not enriched in mineralized zones in bedrock, pathfinder elements such as Ag (silver), Cu (copper) and Mo (molybdenum) are more mobile than Au (gold) in the surface environment and can assist with target generation. The predominant sulphides associated with gold zones at West Cache are pyrite and sphalerite, thus zinc and cadmium (as a proxy for sphalerite) anomalies were heavily weighted as focused soil anomalies exist for those elements above known shallow gold zones. Summary of new target areas Anomaly A1 was identified approximately 1.5 kilometres to the southeast of Zone No. 9 (a high-grade gold zone that is the focus of the current bulk sample program). In 2024, reconnaissance aqua regia samples returned anomalous copper and silver values in sandy B-horizon soil that generally responded with nil to low values in sand elsewhere on the property. MMI follow-up returned response ratios up to 50 times background for gold (2.5 parts per billion) and up to 42 times for zinc, which are comparable with responses seen over Zone No. 9. Twelve out of 47 samples yielded MMI response ratios above 10 times background for silver and zinc. Anomalies A2 and A3, along the regional geological trend to the west of two known gold zones, are planned to be followed up with MMI analysis as part of the 2025 program. Approximately 1.5 kilometres of strike exists from known gold zones to the western property boundary that has not been drill-tested where soil anomalies appear to be consistent with potential VTEM conductors. Aqua regia sampling on the western trend returned a broad anomaly of elevated Cu (copper), Ag (silver), Zn (zinc), Cd (cadmium), Pb (lead) and multiple other pathfinder elements. When data were normalized by soil type and expected underlying bedrock geology, the anomalies concentrated around geophysical anomalies and coincided with some areas of elevated AR gold in soil. Anomaly A4, to the north of Highway 101 and within Tisdale metavolcanic stratigraphy near the Rusk contact, returned the highest density of anomalous MMI gold- and tellurium-in-soil outside of the mineral resource area. Seven out of 30 samples returned over five times background response for Au (up to 32 times) and nine samples ran 10 to 30 parts per billion Te (tellurium). A second anomaly 600 metres to the east of A4 may be evaluated if time permits in the 2025 field season where an area of 16 MMI samples yielded five values over 20 ppb Mo and up to 44 ppb (23 times background) and eight values over 3,000 ppb Cu and up to 6,230 ppb (35 times background). MMI and AR interpretations generally aligned at Anomaly A4, and lines are planned to extend into background and infill samples to a denser spacing. Technical content and qualified person The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by West Cache Gold project manager Leah Page, PGeo (ON, NS), a qualified person as defined in National Instrument 43-101 -- Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Technique and data integrity Samples weighing approximately 250 grams were collected 10 to 20 centimetres below the organic-inorganic interface (B-horizon). Whenever possible, small pits were dug and sample material extracted with a plastic trowel and bagged at the sample site into plastic Ziploc-type bags. In areas of thicker organics, an auger was utilized to collect the sample and was cleaned between sites. Duplicate samples were collected at a rate of approximately one in every 50 samples. Sealed samples were sent to SGS Canada in Burnaby, B.C., for analysis by GE-MMIM (53 elements). MMI is a proprietary analytical method that measures metal ions that move up-dip from buried bedrock sources and become loosely bound to soil grains. Aqua regia samples were collected in the same manner and were analyzed at AGAT Laboratories in Thunder Bay, Ont., by method 201-073 (36 elements) or 201-074 (51 elements). Due to elemental response variability within different soil and overburden types, data sets were normalized by soil type, and an average background value was calculated to determine a sample's response ratio. Generally, clay-rich samples or those under deep organics tend to have greater adsorption of heavy metals that can also be indicators of gold mineralization (that is, copper and lead). Target identification was based on both normalized response ratios and raw values and considered quaternary geology and glacial features and their potential influence on metals and metal ions in the surface environment. About the West Cache gold project The West Cache gold project is an advanced-stage gold exploration project covering approximately 11,580 hectares located 13 kilometres west of Timmins, Ont., on Provincial Highway 101. It is situated in the Western Porcupine gold camp along the Destor-Porcupine fault corridor within the Abitibi greenstone belt, approximately seven km northeast of Pan American Silver's Timmins West mine. The mining lease area hosts the current mineral resource near its center, with additional exploration targets to the north and south. The mineral resource estimate is contained within the Porcupine metasedimentary basin, a favourable litho-structural corridor with over five km of strike length within the project. Mineralization is open in all directions and at depth. About Galleon Gold Corp. Galleon Gold is an advanced exploration and development company focused on the West Cache gold project in Timmins, Ont. The project is located seven km northeast of Pan American Silver's Timmins West mine and 14 km southwest of Discovery's Hollinger mine. The company is gearing up for its first test mining at West Cache. The 86,500-tonne underground bulk sample is designed to provide valuable data for prefeasibility studies. Galleon Gold's strategy is to systematically derisk the project while continuing to grow the asset through grassroots exploration. We seek Safe Harbor.