Auro Intersects 905m Grading 0.60 g/t Gold and 0.12% Copper and Commences 20,000 Metre – Phase II Drill Program at the Santa Barbara Gold-Copper Project, Ecuador
Auro Metals Inc.
1750 - 1066 West Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC, Canada V6E 3X1
Telephone: (604) 336-5919
www.aurometals.ca
Auro Intersects 905m Grading 0.60 g/t Gold and 0.12% Copper and Commences
20,000 Metre – Phase II Drill Program at the Santa Barbara Gold-Copper Project,
Ecuador
Vancouver, British Columbia – September 15, 2026 – Auro Metals Inc. (“Auro” or the
“Company”) (TSXV: AURO; OTCPK: AURFF ), is pleased to announce the fifth batch of assay
results, of three drillholes, from the 2026 Phase I Drill Program at its 100%-owned Santa Barbara
Gold-Copper Project (the “Project”) located in the Zamora-Chinchipe Province in southeastern
Ecuador. Since the commencement of the program, 22 drillholes have been completed and assay
results of 17 holes (including the fourteen holes released on June 22, July 13, July 28 and August
18, 2026) have been received. Additionally, the Company is pleased to announce that it has
completed the Phase I Drill Program consisting of 11,047.35 metres (“m”) and has continued
without interruption into its Phase II – 20,000m Drill Program at the Project.
SUMMARY OF DRILL RESULTS
These three holes were drilled at the southern part of the known mineralized porphyry system
(“Santa Barbara South”), which is currently believed to be the core area of the known porphyry
mineralization system. Like the previously reported holes from the 2026 Phase I Drill Program,
these holes were designed to test the continuity of mineralization between historical drill intercepts
and the extension of mineralization up-dip, down-dip, and at depth. Highlights are as follows:
• Drillhole DSB-68 intersected 905.22m grading 0.60 grams per tonne (“ g/t”) gold (“Au”)
and 0.1 2% copper (“ Cu”) from 56.5m to 961.72m. Further down the d rillhole, weaker
mineralization continues until the end of hole at a depth of 1,282m
• Drillhole DSB-70 intersected 262.5m grading 0. 71 g/t Au and 0. 10% Cu from 10m to
272.5m, including 100.45m grading 1.01 g/t Au and 0.11% Cu from 169.35m to 269.8m.
• Drillhole DSB-69 intersected 103.05m grading 0.53 g/t Au and 0.09% Cu from 70.45m to
173.5m, and 200 .55m grading 0. 59 g/t Au and 0. 08% Cu from 247.45m to 448.0m,
including 57.83m grading 1.06 g/t Au and 0.10% Cu from 266.67m to 324.5m.
"This latest batch of drillholes continues to demonstrate the scale and consistency at Santa
Barbara. These results, along with the previously reported intercepts , continue to demonstrate
that mineralization is open up-dip, down-dip, and at depth," said Victor Feng, CEO of Auro. "DSB-
68 is the longest and deepest hole drilled at Santa Barbara. On a gram by metre basis, it returned
the best reportable intercept at the Project to date, including all historical drilling. The hole
remained mineralized to the end at a depth of 1,282m, showing mineralization is open at depth.
DSB-69 showed mineralization is open down -dip and DSB -70 intersected higher-grade gold at
depth.”
“The Phase I Drill Program was successful in confirming historical drill results, increasing drill
density in inferred resource areas, and in several cases, showed mineralization remains open in
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all directions and at depth. Completion of Phase I also gives us fresh core to begin our own initial
metallurgical test work. With 17 holes published to date, assay results for the remaining 5 Phase
I drillholes will be published as they become available.”
“Our Phase II - 20,000m Drill Program is already underway. We will increase the overall drilling
speed with the addition of three rigs, each capable of drilling to a depth of more than 1,000m. This
allows us to test extensions of the mineralized zones at depth, as multiple long holes from Phase
I ended in mineralization. Phase II will focus on testing gaps between known parts of the deposit,
stepping out to test new targets, and drilling deeper than has ever been drilled at the Project.”
These drill results are summarized in Table 1 below . Drillhole specifications for all completed
Phase I drillholes are provided in Table 2, and a drill plan view is shown in Figure 1.
Table 1 Summary of Drill Intercepts
Hole_ID Depth_from Depth_to Interval_m Au_g/t Cu_% AuEq_g/t
DSB-68 56.50 961.72 905.22 0.60 0.12 0.63
DSB-69 70.45 173.50 103.05 0.53 0.09 0.56
247.45 448.00 200.55 0.59 0.08 0.61
incl. 266.67 324.50 57.83 1.06 0.10 1.08
DSB-70 10.00 272.50 262.50 0.71 0.10 0.73
incl. 169.35 269.80 100.45 1.01 0.11 1.04
Notes:
1. Drill location, altitude, azimuth, and dip of drillholes are provided in Table 2.
2. Drill intercept is core length, and grade is length weighted. True width of mineralization is unknown.
3. A cut-off of 0.2 g/t Au is applied for calculation of drill intercept.
4. Calculation of gold equivalent (“AuEq”) is defined as AuEq (g/t) = Au (g/t) + Cu (%) x 0.259, based on a gold price of US$3,200/oz,
and copper price of US$12,000/t meta l, assuming average processing recoveries of 85.5% Au and 19.6% Cu . It is the
Company’s view that all elements in the metal equivalent calculations have a reasonable potential to be recovered and sold.
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Figure 1: Plan view of drillholes
SUMMARY OF PHASE I DRILL PROGRAM
Phase I consisted of 11,047.35m across 22 drillholes. Results for 17 holes have been published
to date, with the remaining 5 pending to be released once assays become available.
Phase I was designed to: (i) confirm historical drill results; (ii) complete infill drilling to upgrade the
existing mineral resource ahead of a future resource update; and (iii) obtain fresh drill core to
advance the Company's understanding of mineralization controls and metallurgy at Santa
Barbara. The program successfully increased drill density across large parts of the inferred
resource, intersecting numerous long intercepts of gold-copper mineralization. Results improved
overall resource confidence, extended mineralization at depth in several areas, and demonstrated
up-dip and down-dip openness in certain areas of the known deposit. In several long infill holes
published to date, gold grades were significantly higher than the gold grades of the current inferred
resource.
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PHASE II – 20,000M DRILL PROGRAM
The ongoing Phase II - 20,000m drill program is designed to: (i) test gaps between known parts
of the deposit; (ii) step out to test new targets identified through historical surface rock chip
sampling and chargeability anomalies found in a historical IP survey; (iii) test the depth extension
of the known mineralized zones; and (iv) complete further infill drilling ahead of a future resource
update.
The three additional drill rigs which will be mobilized to site are KD1700 rigs capable of drilling to
a depth of more than 1,000m and will be used to test resource extension at depth.
A subsequent Phase III drill program, expected to dovetail with the conclusion of Phase II, will
continue to focus on step-out drilling and resource expansion, including testing targets at depth.
INITIAL METALLURGICAL TEST WORK PROGRAM
The Company is preparing samples for a comprehensive metallurgical test program, including
gravity concentration, comminution, flotation, and cyanide leaching. For each test, three sample
types will be evaluated: oxide material, sulfide material from the u pper portion of the deposit
(<400m), and sulfide material from the lower portion of the deposit (>400m). The objective of the
test program is to optimize the processing flowsheet and maximize gold and copper recoveries.
DESCRIPTION OF HOLES
Hole DSB-68 is drilled sub vertically in the southern portion of Santa Barbara South to test the
depth extent of the porphyry mineralization system. The hole was completed at a depth of 1282m,
the longest and deepest hole drilled at Santa Barbara so far and intersected 905.22m (from 56.5m
to 961.72m) grading 0.60 g/t Au and 0.12% Cu (Figure 2) . Further down the hole, weaker
mineralization continues until the end of hole. The hole was terminated due to the difficulty of
drilling resulting from limitation s of the drill rig. The results of this hole indicate that the
mineralization system at Santa Barbara reached a depth of more than one thousand metres from
surface, suggesting the significant size potential of the Project.
Lithology in hole DSB-68 is mainly dark aphanitic basaltic andesite cut by some porphyritic diorite
dykes. Mineralization is characterized by dissemination and narrow veinlets of pyrite-chalcopyrite,
closely associated with potassic alteration (secondary biotite) and quartz veining (Figure 3 and
Figure 4). Secondary biotite occurs as dark brownish to reddish patches in basaltic andesite and
as halos along some vein structures (Figure 5).
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Figure 2: Section A-A’
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Figure 3: Core photo of DSB -68, Box 89, from 253.37m to 256.36m, mineralized basaltic andesite cut by
quartz veining.
Figure 4: Core photo of DSB-68, Box 183, from 519.18m to 522.07m, mineralized basaltic andesite cut by
quartz veining and quartz-carbonate veining.
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Figure 5: Core photo of DSB -68, depth 521.79m, mineralized basaltic andesite cut by quartz and quartz-
calcite veining, with patchy dark brownish secondary biotite (potassic alteration) and dissemination of pyrite
and chalcopyrite.
Hole DSB-69 was drilled around 120m to the east of hole DSB-66 in the direction of 260 degrees
from north and at a dip angle of -63 degrees to a depth of 490.05m to test the down-dip extension
of the mineralization intercepted in hole DSB-66 of which drill results were released on August 18,
2026. This hole intersected 103.05m (from 70.45m to 173.5m) grading 0.53 g/t Au and 0.09% Cu,
and 200.55m (from 247.45m to 448m) grading 0.59 g/t Au and 0.08% Cu, including 57.83m (from
266.67m to 324.5m) grading 1.06 g/t Au and 0.10% Cu. The results indicate that mineralization
is open in the down-dip direction to the east (Figure 6).
Lithology in the hole is dominated by diorite porphyry in the upper portion to a depth of 243m,
whereas the lower portion is mainly basaltic andesite locally intruded by diorite porphyry .
Mineralization in forms of both dissemination and narrow veinlets of pyrite and chalcopyrite are
closely associated with the intensity of secondary biotite alteration and quartz veining in both rock
types of basaltic andesite and diorite porphyry (Figure 7 and Figure 8).
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Figure 6: Section B-B’