Outstanding Drill Results From Doby Gorge At The Aura Project

VANCOUVER - Western Exploration Inc. reported additional assay results for the final four holes from the 2022 Phase 1 drill program at Doby George, one of three main mineral deposits located at the wholly-owned Aura Project, located in Elko County, Nevada. Highlights: Drill hole DGC794 intersected 26.06 meters of 6.93 g/t Au and 12.34 meters of 4.57 g/t Au; Drill hole DGC795 intersected 30.94 meters of 2.07 g/t AuFA; and Drill hole DGC796 intersected 16.76 meters of 2.12 g/t Au.

CEO, Darcy Marud said, "We have now received assay results for all nine drill holes completed at Doby George in 2022. The assay results demonstrate remarkable continuity of high-grade, near-surface, oxide gold mineralization at Doby George. Western Exploration has long believed in the higher-grade potential at Doby George and the Phase 1 drill program completed in 2022 has confirmed this belief.

“The results of the Phase 1 drill program will be used to complete further metallurgical test work with the view of advancing the Doby George deposit to a Pre-Feasibility Study. In addition, we anticipate following up these high-grade intersections with additional step-out drilling in both oxide and unoxidized areas of Doby George in 2023.”

The Phase 1 drill program was comprised of nine large diameter (PQ) core holes which were completed between July 2022, and September 2022. The drill holes were located at eight different drill sites for a total of 1,138 meters in drilling at the Doby George deposit.

The purpose of the Phase 1 drill program was to evaluate areas within, and adjacent to, the current resource boundary to: 1) Validate and delineate current mineral resources. 2) Locally assess for the expansion potential and structural controls on mineralization. 3) Provide samples for metallurgical test work to outline leach kinematics, as well as mineralized material and waste rock characteristics; and expand upon geotechnical studies through additional test work.

Drill holes DGC794 and DGC795 were drilled in the Twilight zone of Doby George, which accounts for limited overall tonnage, but locally exceptional gold grades. Both holes showed positive AuFA grade distribution when compared to the resource block model. The Twilight holes show variable AuCN leach recoveries, but these are typically at, or well above 80% in the significant intercepts.

Hole DGC796 was drilled in the West Ridge Deposit to test the deepest portion of the deposit in an area modeled as mixed to unoxidized mineralization. There is good correlation with distribution of fire assay gold grades relative to the block model. Distribution of mixed and unoxidized mineralization also generally confirms the modeled sulfide boundary in the Technical Report.

Hole DGC797 was drilled to verify an isolated high-grade intercept located in the NE part of the West Ridge Deposit. The hole intersected only one narrow zone of +1.0 g/t Au mineralization and is the only hole from the 2022 drill program that did not confirm block model grades. This area will be re-evaluated with future drilling, as it lies on a major structural trend.

All sample intervals were assayed by both fire assay (AuFA) and cyanide soluble shake tests (AuCN) followed up by atomic absorption finish. The AuCN results are a measure of the solubility of Au in diluted CN solutions and the state of oxidation of the samples. An AuCN/AuFA ratio of greater than 80% generally indicates strong oxidation and good cyanide extraction potential.

During 2023, the Company plans on completing metallurgical test work at Doby George in the first half of 2023 and then moving towards the commencement of a Pre-Feasibility Study. Additional step-out diamond drilling is proposed for Q3 and Q4 2023 to follow up on high-grade intersections in both oxidized and unoxidized portions of Doby George.

During 2022, Western Exploration completed an updated 3D geologic model of Gravel Creek and Wood Gulch. The Company now believes that both deposits formed contemporaneously and are related to a Miocene felsic eruptive event. The eruptive event is bound by NW trending extensional fault zones that are fluid conduits for low sulphidation epithermal style mineralization at both Wood Gulch and Gravel Creek.

The new geologic model has significantly expanded the footprint of prospective geology and mineralization to an area of approximately 1 kilometer by 3.5 kilometers, which is more than three-times the size of the current resource areas. Historical wide-spaced drilling in this newly defined area have returned numerous above-cutoff (2 g/t Aueq) intercepts of gold and silver. The Company anticipates completing an additional 5,000 to 10,000 meters of drilling to test these areas which could result in a significant expansion of the resource areas of Wood Gulch and Gravel Creek.