GT Resources Reports Improved Nickel Grades for the LK Copper - Nickel - Palladium - Platinum ("PGE") Project, Finland

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 11, 2026) - GT Resources Inc. (TSXV: GT) (OTCQB: CGTRF) (FSE: 7N1) (the "Company" or "GT") is pleased to report results from it's nickel re-assay and infill sampling program on the Läntinen Koillismaa ("LK") Copper - Nickel - Palladium - Platinum Project, located in northcentral Finland.

Highlights

The Company has completed an extensive nickel re-assay (4,588 samples) and infill sampling (516 samples) program of historic drill core form the Kaukau Zone of the LK deposit. This program was undertaken to standardize the analytical techniques used in the Kaukua Deposit and to expand and better define mineralization.

A ~38% increased nickel grade was realized using the four acid digestion method compared to the historic aqua regia method for a 0.10% Nickel grade sample. The increased grade is slightly better than expected results based on prior testing.

The improved grades will have a positive effect on future mineral resource estimates at the Kaukua Deposit. With the re-assay testing complete, we now have both the Kaukua and Kaukua South Deposits fully analysed with the same analytical technique thereby providing consistency for future studies.

Previous operators sporadically sampled portions of the deposit thus an incomplete dataset was utilized in preparing the current NI 43-101 Mineral Resource Estimate, the unsampled intervals were assigned zero grade. To generate a complete dataset the Company conducted an infill assay program.

Infill results revealed several samples grading from 0.05 to 0.30 g/t Palladium. Infill results frequently extended the width of the originally reported mineralized intersection by more than 10 meters (e.g. Holes KAU-09-041 and KAU08-031). While lower grade, new broader mineralized sections provide the opportunity to reduce waste material that would otherwise be mined and increase processed tonnage.

Expanded Intersection Infill and Ni re-assays, hole KAU09-041

• 0.44 g/t TPM (Total Precious Metal) (0.11 g/t Platinum, 0.30 g/t Palladium, and 0.02 g/t Gold), 0.05% Cu, 0.13% Ni over 47.15 meters from 35.50 to 82.65 meters down hole

Original intersection, hole KAU09-041

• 0.79 g/t TPM (0.20 g/t Platinum, 0.55 g/t Palladium, and 0.04 g/t Gold), 0.09% Cu, 0.09% Ni over 21.50 meters from 35.50 to 57.00 meters down hole.

Expanded Intersection with Infill and Ni re-assays, hole KAU08-031

• 0.22 g/t TPM (0.05 g/t Platinum, 0.15 g/t Palladium, and 0.02 g/t Gold), 0.3% Cu, 0.14% Ni over 31.70 meters from 163.70 to 195.00 metes down hole

Original intersection, hole KAU08-031

• 0.37 g/t TPM (0.08 g/t Platinum, 0.27 g/t Palladium, and 0.02 g/t Gold), 0.05% Cu, 0.08% Ni over 11.70 meters from 163.30 to 175.00 meters downhole.

Neil Pettigrew, Vice President Exploration, commented "The LK Project, represents the Company's most advanced project having a Palladium -Platinum - Copper dominated NI 43-101 open pit Resource Estimate (Table 1a & 1b, see April 25, 2022 news release) and is well positioned to supply the European Union with critical minerals, notably copper, palladium and platinum, of which Finland is heavily dependant on imports with only one producing mine (Boliden's Kevitsa Mine). Boliden also operates both copper and nickel smelters in Finland, thereby providing LK a potential competitive logistical advantage."

• Indicated Resources:
  • 1.1 Million ounces Total Precious Metals (Palladium + Platinum + Gold) ("TMP"),
  • 111 Million pounds of Copper,
  • 92 Million pounds of Nickel,
  • contained in 38.2 million tonnes.
• Inferred Resources:
  • 1.1 Million ounces TMP,
  • 173 Million Pounds Copper,
  • 152 Million Pounds Nickel,
  • contained in 49.7 million tonnes.

The LK project remains open for expansion laterally and at depth, notably along the 17-km long Haukiaho Trend which represents the nearest term expansion potential (Figure 1). The Haukiaho Deposit currently occupies only 2 kilometers of this trend. Historic drilling along this trend, primarily by Outokumpu in the 1960's was only sampled for copper and nickel, partial resampling of historic drill core by the Company in 2022 (see July 20, 2022 news release) returned significant platinum and palladium grades.

Mineral Resource Estimate dated April 25, 2022:

Table 1a. 2022 LK MRE

Table 1b: 2022 LK MRE In-situ contained metal

Notes:

1. CIM (2014) definitions were followed for Mineral Resources.
2. The Mineral Resources have been reported above a preliminary open pit constraining surface using a Net Smelter Return (NSR) pit discard cut-off of US$12.5/t (which for comparison purposes equates to an approximately 0.65 g/t Palladium Equivalent in-situ cut-off, based on metal prices only).
3. The NSR used for reporting is based on the following:
   1. Long term metal prices of US$ 1,700/oz Pd, US$ 1,100/oz Pt, US$ 1,800/oz Au, US$ 4.25/lb Cu, US$ 8.50/lb Ni and US$ 25/lb Co.
   2. Variable metallurgical recoveries for each metal were used at Kaukua and Murtolampi and fixed recoveries of 79.8% Pd, 80.1% Pt, 65% Au, 89% Cu, 64% Ni and 0% Co at Haukiaho.
   3. Commercial terms for a Cu and Ni concentrate based on indicative quotations from smelters.
4. Total Precious Metals (TPM) equals palladium plus platinum plus gold
5. Bulk densities range between 1.8 and 3.23 t/m³.
6. Numbers may not add up due to rounding.
7. Mineral Resources, which are not Mineral Reserves, do not have demonstrated economic viability. The estimate of mineral resources may be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, sociopolitical, marketing, or other relevant issues.
8. The quantity and grade of reported inferred resources in this estimation are conceptual in nature and there has been insufficient exploration to define these inferred resources as an indicated or measured mineral resource and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in upgrading them to an indicated or measured mineral resource category.

The Mineral Resource Estimate was prepared by the Company under the supervision of Mr. Sean Horan, P.Geo., Technical Manager of Geology at SLR Consulting Ltd., based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Mr. Horan is an Independent Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. The Mineral Resource Estimate in the April 25, 2022 news release has been classified in accordance with CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves (May 14, 2014).

2026 Assay Infill and Re-assay Program

The 2026 infill and re-assay program targeted historic drilling of the Kaukua Deposit which was undertaken prior to 2009. The historic drill programs did not sample 100% of the drill core, which provided potential to identify additional in pit resources. A total of 516 infill samples and 4,588 drill core pulps for nickel re-assay were collected and submitted for analysis (Figure 2).

The primary focus of the program was to produce a homogenous assay database at Kaukua with all samples analysed using the same analytical techniques. Historic drill programs used the "Aqua Regia" digestion method. Aqua Regia is a partial digestion method which underestimates the total nickel grade as it only digests sulphide hosted nickel. The majority of the drill hole samples at Kaukua were completed by the Company and were analysed with the "Four Acid" digestion method which provides a more complete digestion of the sample and representation of total nickel grade. All the Metallurgical testing by the Company and the Net Smelter Return ("NSR") calculation used in the 2022 Mineral Resource Estimate assumed all samples were analysed using the Four Acid digestion method. This resulted in a two-fold effect: it under reported total nickel grades and secondly it applied an unnecessarily harsh nickel recovery to historic drill holes. Re-assaying historic samples analysed by Aqua Regia was one of the recommendations from the 2022 technical report.

Nickel re-assay using the Four Acid method significantly increased the nickel grade of lower grade (<0.2% Ni) of historic samples analysed by Aqua Regia. For example, a historic sample with a grade of 0.10% Ni by Aqua Regia returned on average 0.138% Ni, a 38% increase in grade (Figure 3). This increase in is line with, but also slightly better than the approximate ~30% expected from limited past analysis by both Four acid and Aqua Regia methods. For historic samples with less than 0.1% Ni analysed with Aqua Regia the grade increase percentage rises substantially as the proportion of silicate to sulphide hosted nickel increases (Figure 4). For historic samples >0.2% Ni analysed with Aqua Regia the grade increase percentage diminishes as the proportion of silicate to sulphide hosted nickel decreases.

These testing results will have positive demonstrable effect on any future resource estimate on the Kaukua Zone, as it is now on "equal footing" with Kaukua South Zone which was analysed by the Four Acid method and for which the NSR calculation was designed for.

The infill program focused on areas that were only partially sampled historically. While these samples were in known lower grade areas, they were assigned a zero grade in the 2022 resource estimate, which artificially penalized these areas in the resource model. The results of the infill program largely reproduced the partially sampled results, but now these areas are fully represented by real grades instead of artificially zero grades which increases confidence in any future resource estimate and will have a positive effect on future waste-to-ore ratios.

Figure 1. Location Map of the LK Project, NI 43-101 Mineral Resources, and near-term expansion potential

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6502/296703_29286332e49e9bfb_001full.jpg

Figure 2. Location map of the Kaukua area showing location of Kaukua and Kaukua South pit-constrained mineral resource with the holes highlighted for Nickel re-assay, infill sampling and highlighting the location of Hole KAU09-041 and KAU08-031.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6502/296703_29286332e49e9bfb_002full.jpg

Figure 3. Nickel re-assays with Four Acid re-assay vs historic nickel assays with Aqua Regia.

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https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6502/296703_29286332e49e9bfb_003full.jpg

Figure 4. Percent difference of Four Acid re-assay vs historic Aqua Regia Ni assays 

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https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6502/296703_29286332e49e9bfb_004full.jpg

Sample Analysis and QA/QC

All samples were collected by Company staff from pallets in the secure storage facilities of Nortec Minerals Oy in Taivalkoski, Finland. The pulp samples were stored in plastic tubes with lids and protected in Styrofoam boxes. The coarse reject was stored in sealed plastic bags. A small portion of the re-assay samples was also cut from a drill core as a ¼ sample. The infill samples were ½ drill core. The samples were checked, packed onto pallets, and shipped by Company Staff to Eurofins Labtium in Sodankylä, Finland.

Eurofins Labtium is an accredited laboratory T025 by FINAS accreditation service, accreditation requirements SFS-EN ISO/IEC 17025 and Eurofins Ahma is an accredited laboratory T131 by FINAS accreditation service, accreditation requirements SFS-EN ISO/IEC 17025.

All nickel re-assay samples were shipped to Eurofins Labtium Oy in Sodankylä, Finland for preparation and for PbO FireAssay+ ICP-OES (inductively couple plasma optical emission spectroscopy finish). 4-acid leach (a mixture of nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, hydrofluoric acid, and perchloric acid) + ICP-OES (inductively couple plasma optical emission spectroscopy finish) and ICP-MS (Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) was performed in Eurofins Ahma Oy in Oulu.

Ni re-assay pulp homogenization (Eurofins method 37) was performed in Eurofins Labtium and sent to Eurofins Ahma for (Eurofins method 304P) 4-acid leach (a mixture of nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, hydrofluoric acid, and perchloric acid) + ICP-OES (inductively couple plasma optical emission spectroscopy finish) and ICP-MS (Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) providing results for 31 elements including nickel, copper, silver, arsenic, cobalt, molybdenum, lead, antimony and zinc.

Ni re-assay coarse reject drying was carried out at 70°C (Eurofins method 10), pulverizing (>90%<100μm) (Eurofins method 51), was performed in Eurofins Labtium and then sent to Eurofins Ahma for (Eurofins method 304P) 4-acid leach + ICP-OES assay for 31 elements.

Drill core infill sample drying was carried out at 70°C (Eurofins method 10), Crushing (>60%<2mm) (Eurofins method 31), Subsampling (1.5kg) with riffle splitter (Eurofins method 35), Pulverising (>90%<100μm) (Eurofins method 51) was performed in Eurofins Labtium and then sent to Eurofins Ahma for (Eurofins method 304P) 4-acid leach + ICP-OES assay for 31 elements. PbO Fire Assay, subsample 50g + ICP-OES (Eurofins method 705P), providing results for gold, palladium and platinum. A detection limit for Au, Pd and Pt was 20 ppb. 705P assays were performed in Eurofins Labtium in Sodankylä.

QA/QC Certified reference materials (Standards) were source from CDN Resource Laboratories Ltd., of Langley, B.C. Canada. Low, medium, and high Standard were inserted every 20^th sample into the sample stream by Company staff. All standards passed within 3 standard deviations.

Qualified Person

The technical information in this release has been reviewed and verified by Neil Pettigrew, M.Sc., P.Geo., Vice President of Exploration and a director of the Company and the Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

About GT Resources

GT Resources Inc. (TSXV: GT) is a mineral exploration company with a strategy to develop copper, nickel, platinum and palladium mining projects in Europe and North America. Our projects are located in Finland and Canada and are comprised of district scale opportunities that have attracted strategic investment from a major mining company.

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Source: GT Resources Inc.