Hercules Metals Provides Further Positive Update on its 2025 Drilling Campaign Drilling Continues to Validate New Geological Model; Significant Extensions Being Tested Along Strike Toronto, Ontario / Ju ly 16, 2025 – Hercules Metals Corp. (TSXV: BIG) (OTCQB:

Hercules Metals Provides Further Positive Update on

its 2025 Drilling Campaign

Drilling Continues to Validate New Geological Model; Significant

Extensions Being Tested Along Strike

Toronto, Ontario / Ju ly 16, 2025 – Hercules Metals Corp. (TSXV: BIG) (OTCQB:

BADEF) (FSE: C0X) (“Hercules” or the “Company) is pleased to provide an additional

update on its ongoing 2025 drilling campaign at its Hercules Property in western Idaho

(the “Property”) including its flagship Leviathan porphyry copper discovery . Seven (7)

holes are now complete, with another five (5) in progres s, equating to more than 5,500

metres drilled so far this season (Figure 1) . Drilling continues to validate the new 3D

geological model announced in April of this year, which was the primary objective of the

campaign. As a result, the Company ramped up from three to five drill rigs, all of which

are focused on the following targeted approach:

1. Define grade and width along an initial 1.3 -kilometre strike length , with

systematically spaced drill fences testing both main stage porphyry mineralization,

and an overlapping zone of higher-grade enrichment.

2. Extend the system in both directions (northeast and south) , where surface

mapping, sampling, chargeability, magnetics, and preliminary MT geophysic s all

suggest Leviathan’s potential strike length could extend upwards of 3.5 kilometres.

3. Test for thicker zones of hypogene enrichment along strike . Post -mineral

tilting may lead to greater preservation of the higher-grade enrichment zone down-

tilt to the northeast, within the Grade Creek Zone.

Highlights

• Seven completed drill holes have validated all key elements of the Company’s

predictive geological model, consistent with the classical porphyry copper model

(Figures 2, 3, and 4).

• The f irst completed drill hole of the season, HER -25-02, has demonstrated

potential for both main stage porphyry mineralization and hypogene enrichment to

extend northeast into the Grade Creek Zone.

• The Leviathan chargeability anomaly extends 1.1 kilomet res northeast from hole

HER-25-02 to the limit of the 2023 DC-IP survey, highlighting significant expansion

potential (Figure 1).

• Soil and rock chip sampling above the northeastern extension of the chargeability

anomaly reveals strongly elevated copper and molybdenum values where Grade

Creek cuts deeply into the Jurassic cover sequence.

• A hematized red conglomerate (interpreted as a paleo -river channel) occurs 1.5

kilometres northeast of HER -25-02, at the base of the Jurassic cover, containing

significant porphyry-altered and veined boulders of leach cap, consistent with an

underlying porphyry system, adding further support for a potentially large northeast

extension (Photos 1 and 2).

• Two drill holes are currently stepped-out from HER-25-02, testing the northeast

(Grade Creek Zone) extension (Photo 3).

• Drill hole 25-06, an 800-metre step-out to the south of drill hole 24 -19, is now the

first hole to successfully drill below Jurassic cover and intersect the porphyry

system beneath the Southern Flats Zone. The hole is currently in progress within

what is interpreted to be the hanging wall pyrite halo (see Figure 3 for reference to

alteration zonation) . The hole is targeting the cent re of a new MT conductivity

anomaly which shows a strong correlation with the Leviathan Porphyry

mineralization (Figures 5 and 6).

• The new MT conductivity anomaly extends through the entire Southern Flats Zone,

over 4 kilometres to the southeast of the known mineralization, indicating potential

for a major southern extension, on land which the Company holds surface mining

rights.

Chris Paul, CEO and Director of Hercules Metals, commented, “2025 has been the

most exciting start to a drilling season we’ve had at the Hercules Property. We’ve been

able to start the campaign positively by hitting porphyry mineralization from the first

completed hole. The new model not only increases the success rate, it allows us to ramp

up our exploration program with systematic grid-based fence drilling. We’re also seeing

potential to significantly expand the system in both directions, while simultaneously better

defining 1.3 kilometres of known strike at a significantly more optimal orientation, across

the centre of the porphyry.”

Mr. Paul concluded, “Core from several of the completed holes have now been shipped

to the lab for assaying and we hope to receive assay results in the next 6 -8 weeks. We

look forward to updating the market as soon as results become available.”

Figure 1: Plan view showing 2025 drill holes completed and in progress (labelled with hole ID and dip), relative

to a 450 -metre depth slice of chargeability. Potential drill fences illustrated by the white dashed lines, show

the potential for testing up to 3.5 kilometres of strike length to the system over the 2025 -2026 operating

seasons. Section line A-A’ for Figures 2-4 is shown in orange.

Figure 2: Cross-section A-A’, looking northeast, illustrating the causative intrusive phases comprising the

Leviathan Porphyry centre, relative to 2023 -2024 drill holes. 2025 drill holes (not shown) are now testing the

system along 200 m spaced fences, at moderate dips to the northwest, perpendicular to the porphyry system.

Figure 3: Cross-section A-A’ illustrating the approximate percentages of main stage (primary) chalcopyrite

mineralization, deposited prior to the secondary hypogene enrichment event which is dominated by bornite

mineralization as illustrated in Figure 4 below. The system remains open at depth and along strike.

Figure 4: Cross -section A -A’ illustrating the conceptual model of secondary hypogene enrichment (pink)

telescoped along southeast dipping structures over earlier main stage chalcopyrite mineralization in blue. The

hypogene enrichment zone may plunge into the page, ~45 degrees northeast , according to the interpreted

post-mineral tilt of the system. Plunging of the high-grade enrichment may lead toward increased preservation

thicknesses to the northeast, if the unconformity has eroded less deeply into the shallower enrichment.

Figure 5: Cross -section looking northeast at a preliminary coarse MT inversion model . A southeast dipping

conductivity anomaly (<100 ohm-m resistivity) shows a strong correlation with the southeast dipping copper

mineralization at Leviathan. The initial MT survey was done at large 1-kilometre station spacing and plans are

underway to have M-Geo USA infill the Leviathan Target at a tighter station spacing to increase the spatial

accuracy of the anomaly and better define its boundaries for drill targeting.

Figure 6: Cross-section slice, approximately 1 kilometre south of Figure 5, showing the southern extension of

the Leviathan conductivity anomaly, underneath the Southern Flats Zone. The conductive anomaly increases

in magnitude to <50 ohm-m resistivity (purple) and extends for over 4 kilometres south of drilled mineralization.

Drill hole HER-25-06, shown in white at its current depth, is targeting the cent re of the anomaly. The hole has

drilled through Jurassic cover and is interpreted to have reached the hanging wall side of the Leviathan

Porphyry in pyrite halo style mineralization and strong D veining, potentially proximal to a copper grade shell

(see Figures 3 and 4 for reference to the alteration zonation model at Leviathan).

Photo 1: Strongly silicified clasts with hematite after sulfide contained within a basal conglomerate , 1.5

kilometres northeast of HER -25-02. The presence of large , sub-angular boulders within an interpreted paleo -

river channel deposit indicates that they were likely sourced from the immediate vicinity beneath the

conglomerate, providing further support for a northeast extension of the Leviathan Porphyry in the Grade

Creek Zone.

Photo 2: Drill hole 24-12 illustrating the typical transition from basal conglomerate, through leach cap, into the

hypogene enrichment zone . The upper photo shows the hematized basal conglomerate (923 feet) overlying

strongly silicified leach cap with characteristic burgundy -red hematite after sulfides. The lower photo then

captures the transition deeper in the hole, where oxidation shifts from leaching (red hematite) to the onset of

bornite (blue-purple mineral at 1,069 feet) characteristic of the underlying hypogene enrichment zone.