First Mining Expands and Advances High-Grade Gold Discovery at its Birch-Uchi Greenstone Belt Exploration Project
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NEWS RELEASE
First Mining Expands and Advances High-Grade Gold
Discovery at its Birch-Uchi Greenstone Belt Exploration Project
September 9, 2024 – Vancouver, Canada – First Mining Gold Corp. (“First Mining” or the “Company”)
(TSX: FF) (OTCQX: FFMGF) (FRANKFURT: FMG) is pleased to announce new assay results for the
Challenger high-grade gold discovery at the Company’s Birch -Uchi Greenstone Belt Exploration Project
(“BUGB Exploration Project” or the “Project”) located in northwestern Ontario, Canada. The Challenger
target area is located 12 km southwest of the First Mining’s flagship Springpole Gold Project and has
become one of several high priority exploration targets for the Company.
The 2024 follow-up field mapping program has yielded four new gold occurrences, including visible gold
in grab and channel samples, that are proximal to the original 2023 discovery area . The new results also
include detailed channel sampling across the discovery area with assay highlights of 6.53 g/t Au over 3 m
(including 57.8 g/t Au over 0.3 m) and grab sample assays at the new outcrop sites of up to 26.6 g/t Au ,
20.3 g/t Au, and 7.73 g/t Au. First Mining has now established a series of significant high-grade samples
within additional outcrops that expand the mineralization footprint of the original discovery area (see
news release dated December 5, 2023).
"We are extremely excited to be returning additional high-grade results and visible gold from our major
discovery at the Challenger target hosted in the Red Lake Mining District and in very close proximity to
our flagship Springpole Gold Project,” stated Dan Wilton, CEO of First Mining Gold. “We fully believe that
the endowment within our extensive Birch -Uchi Greenstone Exploration Project is at a stage where
immense value in discovery can be realized through our value driven exploration efforts. While our
Springpole Gold Project is well advanced in the environmental assessment process, these exploration
efforts will continue to demonstrate district-scale potential around Springpole.”
Challenger Target Highlights:
• Four newly discovered gold mineralization occurrences, including visible gold, in proximity to the
Challenger discovery, with samples grading up to 26.60 g/t Au, 20.3 g/t Au and 7.73 g/t Au
• New channel sample results grading up to 6.53 g/t Au over 3 m (including 57.4 g/t Au over 0.3 m)
• Proximity to an expanding gold mineralization system identified in First Mining’s 2023 winter drill
program (Challenger is located 375 m northwest of the Saddle target), where Saddle drilling
returned 0.92 g/t Au over 114 m (see news release dated July 6, 2023)
• Located within 12 km southwest of the Company’s Springpole Gold Project
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Figure 1: Challenger Discovery and Saddle Target Location, 12 km SW of the Springpole Gold Project
Table 1: Selected Rock Grab Sample Assays from the Challenger Target
Sample ID UTM (E) UTM (N) Au (g/t) Target
C262503 538228 5688539 2.85 Challenger
C262506 538218 5688565 26.6 Challenger
C262511 538045 5688390 20.3 Challenger
C262513 538031 5688385 3.76 Challenger
C262636 538302 5688461 1.67 Challenger
C262637 538304 5688465 7.73 Challenger
C262701 538485 5688727 3.74 Challenger
C262708 538530 5688644 1.35 Challenger
Note: Rock grab samples are selective in nature and may not be indicative of the true grade and style of
mineralization on the property. Coordinates are in UTM, WGS84 Zone15N.
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Table 2: Selected Channel Sample Assays from the Challenger Target
Channel ID From (m) To (m) Length (m) Grade (Au g/t) Target Area
SAT24C-001 0.70 2.40 1.70 2.17 Challenger SAT24C-001 inc. 0.70 1.10 0.40 4.65
SAT24C-002 00.30.3 2.00 1.70 2.57 Challenger SAT24C-002 inc. 0.30 1.30 1.00 3.81
SAT24C-003 0.40 3.40 3.00 6.53 Challenger SAT24C-003 inc. 2.10 2.40 0.30 57.80
SAT24C-004 0.55 1.80 1.25 2.01 Challenger
SAT24C-005 0.75 1.70 0.95 3.53 Challenger
SAT24C-008 0.75 1.35 0.60 6.08 Challenger
Note: Channel samples are selective in nature and may not be indicative of the true gra de, width and style of
mineralization on the property
Challenger Target
The Challenger target is located approximately 12 km southwest of First Mining’s Springpole Gold Project
(see Figure 1), which hosts a NI 43-101 mineral resource of 151 million tonnes at 0.94 g/t Au, totalling 4.6
million ounces of gold in the Indicated category, and 16 million tonnes at 0.54 g/t Au, totalling 0.3 million
ounces of gold in the Inferred category*. The Challenger target is hosted within the Company’s BUGB
Exploration Project, where locally a significantly deformed and mineralized granodiorite intrusive occurs
in contact with clastic sedimentary turbidites and conglomerates . Mineralization identified to date is
associated with a series of interpreted parallel zones of increased silica and carbonate -altered shear
structures and is now seen to occur over an expanded area of approximately 200 x 600 metres, with high
concentrations of multiphase quartz veining within a thick bedded turbidite sequence . The dominant
sulphide mineralization is composed of pyrite and occurs as very fine-grained disseminations averaging
an abundance of 1-5%. At least two generations of quartz veining are documented subparallel and
orthogonal to the controlling structure and vary from 1 cm to 50 cm in scale. Mineralization is coincident
with geophysical resistivity low signatures interpreted to be associated with large-scale fold ing and
associated deformation within the clastic sedimentary lithology. The 202 4 field results indicate that
several high-grade mineralized structure s exist, with an open opportunity for further expansion and
characterization with additional exploration work including diamond drilling.
* Details of the Springpole Gold Project mineral resource can be found in the technical report entitled “NI 43 -101
Technical Report and Pre-Feasibility Study on the Springpole Gold Project, Ontario, Canada” which was prepared by
AGP Mining Consultants Inc. in accordance with National Instrument 43 -101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral
Projects (“NI 43-101”) and has an effective date of January 20, 2021.
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2024 Challenger Summer Field Campaign
The 202 4 summer field campaign for the Challenger area focused on mineralization expansion and
characterization of the discovery area with a specific emphasis on mapping and prospecting, channel
sampling and soil geochemistry programs. First Mining’s exploration teams this year completed 8 km of
mapping transects, 40 channel samples, 59 grab samples, and 289 soil samples across the area to enhance
the local and regional data resolution and geological understanding of this underexplored area.
Results of the 2024 Challenger target follow-up exploration program were successful in further expanding
the mineralization along strike, with newly discovered mineralized outcrops to the west and southwest,
supporting efforts in building up the geological understanding of the setting and controls on
mineralization. The most westerly outcrop discovered returned visible gold in sample C261094 (Figure 2)
and validated a further 40 m westerly strike extension from the second Challenger extension outcrop
which returned 7.1 g/t Au in the 2023 program and which was already a 60 m extension from the initial
2023 Challenger discovery outcrop which returned 25.6 g/t Au (Figure 3). This latest western extension
was channel sampled (SAT24C-001) and returned assays of 2.17 g/t Au over 1.7 m, including 0.4 m at 4.65
g/t Au, expanding the current established surface strike extent to 100 m (Figures 3, 4).
Figure 21: Photos Showing Visible Gold in Grab Samples at the Challenger Target
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Figure 3: Grab Sample Highlights from the 2023-2024 Programs in the Saddle-Challenger Target Areas
Additional highlights from the Challenger target channel sampling program are SAT24C-002 returning 2.57
g/t Au over 1.7 m, including 3.81 g/t Au over 1 m, and SAT24C-003 returning 6.53 g/t Au over 3 m, including
57.80 g/t Au over 0.3 m from the silica-ankerite altered sheared structure with its two distinct quartz vein
generations (Figure 4).
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Figure 4: Example of the Detailed Outcrop Mapping at the Challenger Target, including Channel Sample Locations
Additional mineralized outcrops were identified 75 m to the southwest of the Challenger discovery target,
returning up to 26.6 g/t Au in grab sample C262506, including visible gold (Figure 3).
A new area of gold mineralization was identified between Challenger and Saddle and initial data supports
this to be a third interpreted trend (“Charger”) for further exploration advancement. Initial results from
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the Charger target trend returned up to 20.3 g/t Au in grab sample C262511 and 3.76 g/t Au in grab sample
C262513, approximately 300 m towards the southwest of the Challenger discovery outcro p. Additional
supporting grab samples include 7.73 g/t Au (C262637) and a 1.67 g/t Au grab sample (C262636), located
approximately 165 m to the south of Challenger. There is an estimated 270 m distance between the two
sample locations that remains open for exploration continuity. The Charger target is interpreted to be a
parallel trend to the original Challenger discovery (Figure 5).
Figure 5: Location Map of Main Targets Saddle and Challenger, including Charger Trend and Greencamp
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The geoscience data around the Challenger target and Charger target trend highlights the importance of
the relationships between the surface mineralization, shear structures and an alteration expression that
is coincident with a series of resistivity low signatures. Mapping campaigns have further enhanced the
structural interpretation supporting the delineation of key fold structures, which are shallowly plunging
towards the west along the trends of mineralization (Figure 3). Early indications support that the target
area’s mineralization trends coincide with axial planar mapped fold structures, which are within clastic
sedimentary units. By recognizing these relationships, exploration efforts are being more directed and
focused on areas for favourable gold endowment.
Throughout the remainder of the 2024 program, exploration campaigns will be focused on completing
final transects , reviewing assay data which is still pending from a n infill soil geochemical survey , and
updating interpretations for target model development and forward drill planning for this area.
“Unlocking new discoveries is a fundamental objective for our exploration teams in their efforts to
advance a pipeline of prospective targets within the Company’s 70,000-hectare Birch-Uchi Greenstone
Exploration Belt Project and Springpole Gold Project,” stated James Maxwell, VP Exploration and Project
Operations for First Mining Gold. “We look forward to providing additional updates on our regional
exploration efforts where a number of high priority targets are gaining momentum.”
All assay results from the Challenger target grab and channel sample program are reported below in Table
3 and Table 4 which includes sample location data.
Table 3: Complete Grab Sample Assay Results at the Challenger and Saddle Target Areas
Sample ID UTM (E) UTM (N) Grade ( Au g/t) Target
C262501 538292 5688445 0.09 Charger
C262502 538212 5688539 0.19 Challenger
C262503 538228 5688539 2.85 Challenger
C262504 538235 5688546 0.40 Challenger
C262506 538218 5688565 26.60 Challenger
C262508 538087 5688511 0.03 Challenger
C262509 538024 5688414 0.06 Charger
C262511 538045 5688390 20.30 Charger
C262512 538045 5688388 0.08 Charger
C262513 538031 5688385 3.76 Charger
C262514 538054 5688223 0.001 Charger
C262515 538082 5688570 0.002 Challenger
C262516 538048 5688551 0.01 Challenger
C262517 538023 5688469 0.01 Challenger
C262518 537868 5688635 0.001 Challenger
C262519 537916 5688635 0.001 Challenger
C262521 537930 5688625 0.001 Challenger
C262522 537949 5688615 0.001 Challenger