Western Exploration completes nine RC holes at Tomasina

Executive Summary

• Western Exploration Inc. provided an update on its Phase 1 reverse circulation (RC) drill program targeting the Tomasina Fault Zone at its wholly owned Aura gold-silver project in Nevada.
• The company completed nine RC drill holes totaling 3,239 meters, confirming widespread alteration and veining consistent with a robust hydrothermal system, though assay results are currently pending.
• The drilling highlights significant resource expansion potential downdip and along strike from existing NI 43-101 resources, particularly the Gravel Creek and Saddle zones.

Key Details

• Program Scope: Phase 1 RC drilling targeting the Tomasina vein zone, located approximately 1.0 km west of the Gravel Creek resource and downdip from the Saddle and Wood Gulch resource areas.
• Total Drilling: 9 RC drill holes completed, totaling 3,239 meters.
• Geological Context: The Tomasina target is a 2.5 km long structural zone projected to intersect the Eocene Frost Creek tuff (main host rock at Gravel Creek) at the faulted unconformity with the basement Permian-Mississippian Schoonover formation.
• General Findings: Results confirm pervasive clay alteration and local quartz-sulphide veining. Assay results are pending.
• Saddle Area Results: Holes successfully intersected the key Frost Creek tuff, showing irregular stockwork veining and hydrothermal breccia zones similar to the Gravel Creek deposit.
• Southeast Extension Results: Drilling confirmed alteration but did not encounter the favorable Frost Creek tuff; potential remains for targets to the west and at depth.
• Wood Gulch Area (Holes WG463-465): Focused on a 200 m stretch southeast of Wood Gulch. Observed strong alteration in Miocene Jarbidge rhyolite and basement Schoonover sediments, but very little Eocene volcanic package was intersected. Additional drilling is needed farther east to target the Frost Creek formation at depth.
• Saddle Downdip Extension (Holes WG466-WG471): Targeted a 500 m strike length downdip and southeast of the Saddle resource zone.
  • Three of five holes intersected the Frost Creek tuff.
  • Alteration extended into Schoonover basement rocks in all five holes.
  • Frost Creek tuff is pervasively clay altered with variable silicification and disseminated pyrite.
  • Frost Creek tuff and underlying Schoonover formation metasediments are locally cut by irregular stockwork veining and hydrothermal breccia zones ranging from 1.5 to 10.0 m in drill width.
  • Veins contain quartz plus or minus pyrite-marcasite.
• Future Plans: Drilling was paused for assay analysis and to extend permitting for the next phase. Additional drilling will utilize core drilling or RC drilling with core tails.
• Strategic Significance: CEO Darcy Marud stated results support confidence that the Tomasina target holds resource expansion potential complementing the Gravel Creek resource and the Jarbidge discovery (1.0 km to the east).

Notable Quotes

• "Western Exploration is encouraged by initial visual results of the 2025 RC program, which tested only about 20 per cent of the total strike length of the Tomasina target. Key areas below Saddle, Wood Gulch and Gravel Creek remaining to be drill tested." — Darcy Marud, CEO
• "The 2025 drill results support Western's confidence that the Tomasina target holds resource expansion potential that will complement the growing resource base at Gravel Creek and the Jarbidge discovery 1.0 km to the east." — Darcy Marud, CEO