Metallurgical Test Work And Ongoing RC Step-Out Drilling At Tonopah Gold Project

VANCOUVER - Viva Gold Corp. has retained Kappes, Cassiday & Associates of Reno, Nevada to commence a program of metallurgical testwork. This program is designed to optimize heap leach gold recovery at Viva's Tonopah gold project in western Nevada. A series of tests designed to demonstrate gold and silver recovery by heap leaching, including crushing, bottle roll and column leach tests, will be conducted over the next three to four months. This program will provide valuable information required to support pre-feasibility/feasibility study of the project.

"We are excited to commence work on this program. On the basis of cyanide soluble and total gold assays, average theoretical gold and silver recovery from the samples to be tested is 78% for gold and 42% for silver. A gold recovery of 71% was utilized in Viva's 2020 Preliminary Economic Assessment for Tonopah, indicating the potential to substantially improve project economics if this test program supports theoretical gold recoveries. Silver may also prove to be a valuable by-product. Crushing tests are planned as improved gold liberation enhances gold recovery. These crushing tests will be performed using laboratory scale high-pressure grinding rolls. This technology has proven successful in helping to improve heap leach metal recovery at other precious metal mines in the western US", said, James Hesketh, President & CEO.

In early 2021, Viva completed drilling a total of five (PQ-85 mm size) core holes at Tonopah, from which approximately 1.8 tonnes of samples have been separated for testing. These five core holes, the assay results of which were announced on March 16, 2021, were drilled along the primary northwest to southeast trend of the Tonopah gold resource and were designed to produce samples representative of all grades and rock types found in the deposit. A total of 10 sample composites have been collected with three sample composites representing palmetto argillite and five being tertiary volcanics, plus one master composite of all rock types. Gold assays for individual samples range from 0.22 to 3.35 grammes per tonne ("g/t") with an average grade of 1.68 g/t. Silver assays ranged from 0.72 to 14.8 g/t with an average grade of 6.23 g/t.

The Company has now completed three holes of approximately 200 meters each in its 2021 RC drilling program, first announced on July 12, 2021. An additional three to six holes are planned depending on continued availability of the drill and its crew. Hole TG2101 was drilled at an angle of -60 degrees and an azimuth of 110 degrees directly along strike on the principal trend of the mineral system at Tonopah. The collar location and orientation represent a step-out of up to 150 meters to the east, away from the easternmost extent of known gold resource. The geologic evaluation of TG2101 reveals that alteration, oxidation and potential mineralization, are strongly suggestive of gold content. Hole TG2102 and TG2103 were drilled to support and confirm TG2101 with similar results. While results of the program have so far been very geologically positive, actual gold content can only be determined through assay. Viva has been advised by its assay labs that the backlog for assay results.

Work has commenced on upgrading the project resource model to include sixteen drillholes completed in 2020 and 2021 and includes updated geologic information not currently included in project resource estimates. A seasonal wildlife review of the project area is currently being performed along with bi-monthly water sampling. Samples of both mineralized and unmineralized waste have been collected from rock cores drilled in the potential open pit area for geochemical characterization. Test work on these samples will be ongoing for the remainder of 2021. Data captured from these studies will be utilized as a basis for future project permitting and engineering design.