Founders Metals Expands Lower Antino & Provides Mid-Year Exploration Update
Founders Metals Expands Lower Antino &
Provides Mid-Year Exploration Update
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 23, 2025) -
Founders Metals Inc.
(TSXV: FDR)
(OTCQX: FDMIF) (FSE: 9DL0) ("Founders" or the "Company") announces mid-year drilling results and
provides a comprehensive overview of 2025 activities at the Antino Gold Project ("Antino" or "Project")
in southeastern Suriname (Figure 1). The Company is on-track and fully financed to complete 60,000+
metres (m) of drilling in 2025 alongside an aggressive surface exploration program within the 200 km
2
Antino land package.
Highlights
Expansion of Lower Antino confirms over 700 m of strike with recent drilling including
50.0 m of
1.02 grams per tonne (g/t) gold (Au)
(LA024) as well as
21.00 m of 1.00 g/t Au
(LA028), a 475
m step-out from previously released
81.9 m of 1.01 g/t Au
(LA003)
Lawa reveals structural corridor of 8.0 km with extensive artisanal workings, a channel sample
returning
27.0 m of 1.99 g/t Au
and drilling that confirms gold mineralization in multiple holes
Upper Antino drilling program offers substantial expansion potential by drilling to connect the
Froyo-Donut zones, doubling depth to 550 m, and extending north-south along strike
Other emerging targets continue to prove significant exploration opportunities
Drilling results at Da Vinci remain consistent including
25.0 m of 1.01 g/t Au
(DV007) and
29.0 m of 0.94 g/t Au
(DV008)
Maria Geralda has a 500 m by 400 m gold anomaly with 54% of soil samples above 0.1 g/t
Au, which Founders has started drilling and expects results shortly
Surface exploration programs planned for Van Gogh, Da Vinci, Lawa, and Parbo to plan for
follow-up drill programs
Colin Padget, President & CEO of Founders, commented "The Company's 2025 drilling campaign is
delivering exceptional results that continue to expand gold mineralization across the property. At Upper
Antino we see three major opportunities for growth: connecting the dots between Froyo and Donut,
doubling the depth with deeper drilling, and extending north and south along strike. With Lower Antino,
we are thrilled to report gold over substantial intervals in every hole. Lower Antino drilling demonstrates
this is a large gold system and provides an opportunity to add ounces if combined with the nearby high-
grade at Upper Antino."
"Our excitement around the potential of Da Vinci, Van Gogh, and Lawa remains high given their strong
initial results. Additionally, we recently began drilling at Maria Geralda, where our excitement led to
rushing the first batch of holes with results expected shortly."
Antino Operations Update
Due to uncommonly high precipitation during the 2025 rainy season, the Company is temporarily
focusing more of its drilling closer to its main camp at Upper Antino. The decision was made to maintain
efficient, cost-effective drilling, and has enabled near-continuous four-rig operation while avoiding the
supply chain and logistical challenges associated with working on more remote targets during wet
conditions. Drier conditions typically return mid-August, after which point the Company intends to resume
drilling at further away targets including, Da Vinci, Van Gogh, and Lawa.
Figure 1: Antino Property Map
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Exploration Update
Upper Antino
(Advanced Target)
Upper Antino represents the Company's most advanced target, with drilling having defined a substantial
mineralised footprint spanning 1,700 m of strike, up to 450 m wide, and extending to 280 m depth.
Founders has released assay results for ~6,500 m to date of its planned 20,000-metre Upper Antino
2025 drill program. Ongoing drilling focuses on the following three major opportunities for growth:
Connecting the dots:
Grid drilling program testing for additional parallel gold mineralization between
Froyo and Donut; potential to increase the mineralized footprint across-strike to over 1,000 m.
Drilling deeper:
New deep drilling program to test depths of up to 550 m from surface; potential to
nearly double depth extent of current maximum depths of ~280 m.
North and south extensions:
Systematic grid drilling along strike of Upper Antino gold mineralization
testing up to 800 m of further growth to the south and north/northwest.
Lower Antino
(Intermediate Target)
Drilling at Lower Antino has defined parallel, northeast-trending gold zones extending up to 700 m along
strike with potential for considerable additional growth. Drill hole LA024 significantly extends the
mineralized footprint, stepping out 475 m across strike from previously released drill hole LA003, which
returned
81.9 m of 1.01 g/t Au
. LA024 intersected
50.0 m of 1.02 g/t Au
from 72.0 m down hole,
demonstrating strong continuity of mineralization across a substantial distance. Other significant gold
intervals from the current program include
20.9 m of 1.11 g/t Au
in LA019 and
21.0 m of 1.00 g/t Au
in
LA028 (Figure 2 & 3).
Lower Antino gold mineralization is consistently hosted in intensely sericite-altered, moderately sheared,
tonalitic intrusive rocks with generally consistent grade distribution throughout the mineralized intervals.
All zones remain open along strike and to depth, indicating significant potential for further discoveries
across strike. The Company has completed ~7,500 m of drilling to date at Lower Antino and plans to drill
up to an additional 2,500 m by year's end.
Figure 2: Lower Antino Plan Map
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Figure 3: Lower Antino Cross-Section
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Buese
(Intermediate Target)
Buese gold mineralization occurs over broad intervals of moderate grade within and at the margins of
tonalitic intrusive rocks. High-grade gold mineralization is also present at Buese, occurring mostly within
high strain and/or breccia zones. Further details are discussed in the
April 23, 2025
news release.
Founders' drilling demonstrates gold is present along 2,000+ m of strike and to depths of up ~250 m.
The Company has released assay results for ~3,100 m of Buese drilling in 2025 and plans to complete
up to 7,000 m this year.
Moving forward, follow-up drilling will concentrate on extending the drill-confirmed gold mineralization
both northwest and southeast, while systematically testing for high-grade mineralized shoots within the
broader intrusive complex. Additionally, auger work will resume in drier conditions to continue evaluating
the substantial tailings opportunity and expand upon initial positive results.
Da Vinci
(Emerging Target)
Gold mineralization at Da Vinci is hosted in a mixed sequence of sedimentary rocks. The estimated true
widths of gold-bearing intervals range from ~7.5 m to 40 m along 150 m of strike and to true depths of
~250 m. Newly drilled intervals include
25.0 m of 1.01 g/t Au
(DV007) and
29.9 m of 0.94 g/t Au
(DV008), further expanding Da Vinci mineralization. Like gold mineralization at Upper Antino, drill core
and mapping data suggest higher-grade zones occur where the main NW structure has been refolded
(NE striking axial plane) providing new opportunities for targeting along strike mineralization and offering
potential for new discoveries across-strike where similar late folding may have affected structures to the
main shear (Figure 4 & 5).
Founders discontinued drilling at Da Vinci due to wet weather conditions and anticipates returning for
follow-up work by early September. Drilling will further test mineralization along-strike and to the NE and
SW for additional repeating structures and gold zones. Prospecting and auger program at the Da Vinci
area is also underway to support further exploration drill targeting in the area.
Figure 4: Da Vinci Plan Map
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Figure 5: Da Vinci Cross-Section
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Van Gogh
(Emerging Target)
Initial Van Gogh drilling intersected substantial intervals of high-grade gold mineralization including
previously released
28.5 m of 7.12 g/t Au
(VG001) and
72.0 m of 2.29 g/t Au
(VG004)
.
March 17,
2025
news release (Figure 6). Subsequent drill holes VG005 and VG006 were drilled to test apparent
along-strike continuity, however, neither hole returned significant assay results. There remain several
possible orientations and hypotheses to test regarding the early impressive gold mineralized intervals.
Founders intends to complete additional surface work first before continuing to drill.
Drill core and orientation data collected to date has been critical to improving our understanding of the
Van Gogh gold system and is currently being complimented by a systematic surface exploration
program. Concurrent with similar work in the Da Vinci area, the program includes augering, trenching,
and structural mapping and is intended improve the targeting of future holes. Given the scale and very
high-grade nature of the initial Van Gogh results, the Company intends to return to Van Gogh to complete
up to 3,500 m of drilling.
Figure 6: Van Gogh Plan Map
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Lawa
(Emerging Target)
The Lawa target represents a major structural corridor with significant discovery potential, comprising
over 8.0 km of mapped shearing and extensive artisanal workings. Gold mineralization occurs within
sheeted tension vein arrays, presenting as both disseminated pyrite and visible free gold in sheared
quartz veins that run sub-parallel to regional structures (Figure 7).
Recent exploration has yielded promising results, including channel sampling at Lawa North returning
27.0 m of 1.99 g/t Au
(Figure 7). Initial drilling at Lawa South has consistently intercepted broad
intervals of gold mineralization in all holes, including visible gold in LW002. Although initial assay results
are generally lower grade, the abundant gold-bearing veins and structures suggest a substantial gold
system capable of hosting high-grade zones within the expansive 40+ km
2
exploration area.
The Company plans comprehensive follow-up work including additional surficial exploration and an
expanded drilling program targeting up to 5,000 m at Lawa in 2025. This systematic approach will help
define the system's full potential while identifying the most prospective areas for higher-grade
mineralization.
Figure 7: Lawa Plan Map
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Figure 8: Visible Gold in LW002 at 158.0 m
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Maria Geralda
(Emerging Target)
Maria Geralda remains readily accessible despite current rainy conditions, with an initial ~1,500 m drill
program now underway. Recent auger sampling has identified a 500 m by 400 m gold anomaly, where
54% of samples returned assays above 0.1 g/t Au (Figure 9). The area is favourably positioned along a
major northwest-trending lineament identified through lidar and regional aeromagnetic data, situated at a
critical geological boundary between intrusive rocks and mixed metavolcanic-metasedimentary
formations.
While no previous drilling was conducted at Maria Geralda, historical channel sampling yielded
encouraging results, including
12.3 m of 4.52 g/t Au
and
5.0 m of 2.98 g/t Au
. These historical results,
combined with the recent geochemical anomaly and favorable structural setting, support the decision to
advance with systematic drilling to test the target's potential.