Western Exploration Intersects 23.63 Meters of 3.27 G/T Au and 54.56 Meters of 2.08 G/T Au from the Doby George Deposit at the AURA Project (Elko County, Nv)
WESTERN EXPLORATION INTERSECTS 23.63 METERS OF 3.27 G/T AU AND 54.56
METERS OF 2.08 G/T AU FROM THE DOBY GEORGE DEPOSIT AT THE AURA PROJECT
(ELKO COUNTY, NV)
Vancouver, British Columbia – October 26, 2022 – Western Exploration Inc. (TSXV: WEX) (OTCQX: WEXPF)
(the "Company" or "Western Exploration") is pleased to provide an update regarding the initial assay
results following the completion of the Company's Phase 1 drill program at Doby George, one of three
main mineral deposits located at the Company's wh olly-owned Aura project, located in Elko County,
Nevada (the "Aura Project").
DRILL HIGHLIGHTS
x DGC789 intersected 20.88 meters of 1.41 g/t and 23.63 meters of 3.27 g/t Au, including 7.32
meters of 5.27 g/t Au.
x DGC790 intersected 54.56 meters of 2.08 g/t Au, including 6.4 meters of 4.70 g/t Au.
Darcy Marud, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Western Exploration, commented: "The first two drill
holes completed at Doby George demonstrate the remarkable continuity and tenor of near surface oxide
gold mineralization and support our assumption that Doby George can be a high-quality, high-grade oxide
gold deposit. Importantly, wide zones of higher-grade mineralization offer potential to expand the current
resources, not only within the oxide zone but also at depth within the unoxidized part of Doby George."
The complete results for DGC789 an d DGC790 are reported below in Table 1 . Assay results for the
remaining seven drill holes are pending.
Table 1. 2022 Doby George Drill Hole Results
Hole
From
(m)
To
(m)
Drill Width
(m)
Est True Width
(m)
AuFA
( g/t)
AuCN
(g/t)
AuCN/AuFA
Ratio (2)
DGC 789 63.09 83.97 20.88 19.6 1.41 1.36 97%
and 89.15 112.78 23.63 22.2 3.27 2.94 90%
Including 89.15 96.47 7.32 6.9 5.27 4.67 89%
and 124.05 132.44 8.38 7.9 1.09 1.02 94%
DGC790 33.83 88.39 54.56 42.0 2.08 1.88 90%
Including 65.08 71.48 6.40 4.9 4.70 4.26 91%
Note:
(1) Reported at a minimum of 3.0 m @ 0.3 g/t cutoff.
(2) DGC789 AuCN/AuFA ratios range from 80 to 113%, based on 26 samples; DGC790 AuCN/AuFA ratios range from 55 to 115%, based on 32
samples, with only three samples below 80%; all AuCN values were capped at 100% of the AuFA assays.
All sample intervals were assayed by both fire a ssay (AuFA) and cyanide so luble shake tests (AuCN)
followed up by atomic absorption finish. The AuCN results are a measure of the solubility of Au in dilute
CN solutions and the state of oxidation of the samples. An AuCN/AuFA ratio of greater than 80% generally
indicates strong oxidation and good cyanide extraction potential.
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DRILL PROGRAM DETAILS
The Phase 1 drill program was comprised of nine larg e diameter (PQ) core holes which were completed
between July 26, 2022 and September 12, 2022. The dr ill holes were located at eight different drill sites
for a total of 1,138 metres at the Doby George deposit (see Figure 1 and Table 2 below).
The purpose of the Phase 1 drill program was to evaluate areas within, and adjacent to, the current
resource boundary to:
x validate and delineate current mineral resources;
x locally test for the expansion potential and structural controls on mineralization;
x provide samples for metallurgical test work to ou tline leach kinematics, as well as mineralized
material and waste rock characteristics; and
x expand upon geotechnical studies through additional test work.
Table 2. Drill Hole Coordinates
Drill Hole Easting Northing Elevation Azimuth Dip Depth (m)
DGC789 577,267 4,612,525 2,093 45 53 167.64
DGC790 577,626 4,612,300 2,055 140 55 104.24
DGC791 577,622 4,612,374 2,058 148 45 109.27
DGC792 578,370 4,612,480 2,027 0 55 82.9
DGC793 578,379 4,612,423 2,023 0 55 82.29
DGC794 578,222 4,612,097 1,966 285 54 118.87
DGC795 578,221 4,612,098 1,966 285 82 88.39
DGC796 577,404 4,612,379 2,103 55 69 283.47
DGC797 577,672 4,612,716 2,039 47 53 100.6
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Figure 1. Location of 2022 PQ Metallurgical test holes and resource zones in the Doby George deposit
Holes DGC789 and DGC790 were completed in the West Ridge resource area of Doby George, which
accounts for approximately 82% of the current mineral resource estimate at Doby George. The drill holes
are approximately 440 meters apart and showed very positive grade distribution when compared to the
resource block model prepared for the Company by Mine Development Associates and contained in the
technical report titled "2021 Updated Resource Estimates and Technical Report For the Aura Gold-Silver
Project, Elko County, Nevada" dated October 20, 2021 (with an effective date of October 14, 2021) (see
Figure 2 and Figure 3 below) (the " Technical Report"). A copy of the Technical Report is available on
SEDAR (www.sedar.com) under Western Exploration's issuer profile.
Once assays results have been received for all nine drill holes completed in connection with the Phase 1
drill program, McClelland labs will commence certain heap leach and column leach test work with the
previously crushed and assayed samples. The Company expects to receive the results of all metallurgical
test work at the start of Q2 2023.
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Figure 2. Positive comparison of fire assay gold values in hole DGC789, relative to block model grades
contained in the Technical Report.
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Figure 3. Positive comparison of fire assay gold values in hole DGC790, relative to the block model grades
contained in the Technical Report.
About Doby George
Doby George is one of the highest-grade, undeveloped open pit heap leach resources in Nevada and one
of three mineral deposits on Western Exploration's 100% owned Aura Project. The Aura Project is located
32 kilometers north of the Jerritt Canyon mine, which has been in continual operation since 1981. The
deposit is an outcropping, high-grade sediment-hosted mineral deposit, with multiple zones of
mineralization identified by drilling in a 1.7 x 0.8 km area (see Figure 4 below). The zone of oxidation
extends approximately 150 to 200 meters below su rface, while limited deep drilling has encountered
unoxidized gold mineralization at depths of over 600 meters below surface.
Homestake Mining Company initially discovered the deposit in the mid-1980s. Since that time, 827 drill
holes have been completed, totaling 115,197 meters of drilling. This includes 74 drill holes, totaling 22,622
meters that were drilled by Western Exploration LLC between 1998 and 2017. Metallurgical test work
completed on oxidized material by Homestake Mining Company, Independence Mining Company, and
Atlas Precious Metals Inc., has indicated favorable metallurgy for standard cyanide heap leach processing.
Results from the previous metallurgical testing completed on 52 bottle rolls and 23 column leach samples
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indicate that heap leach gold recoveries approaching seventy percent can be expected via a crush of 1 to
1.5 inches.
Figure 4. Doby George deposit with +1.0 g/t Au resource blocks and US$1,800 Au pits.
I n a d d i t i o n t o a n e s t a b l i s h e d m i n e r a l r e s o u r c e e s t i m a t e ( a s d e t e r m i n e d i n a c c o r d a n c e w i t h N a t i o n a l
Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101")), the Aura Project has well
established infrastructure including year-round accessibility by highway and county-maintained road and
nearby access to water and electricity (see Figure 5 below). Western Exploration has exploration,
development, and mining rights on 930 hectares of privately owned fee lands through a mineral lease
agreement with a local landowner and may purchase those fee lands at any time for the development
of Doby George.
Figure 5. Aura Project – Land holdings and Infrastructure.
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The 6,000-hectare Aura Project is unique in the ju nior mining space insofar as resources have been
identified in three different deposits (Doby George, Gravel Creek and Wood Gulch), as supported by the
Technical Report (see Table 3 below).
Table 3. Updated resource estimates for the Aura Project as contained in the Technical Report
MINERAL RESOURCE(1)
Indicated Inferred
Tonnes
Au
(g/t)
Au
(ozs)
Ag
(g/t)
Ag
(ozs)
AuEq
(g/t)
AuEq
(oz.) Tonnes
Au
(g/t)
Au
(ozs)
Ag
(g/t)
Ag
(ozs)
AuEq
(g/t)
AuEq
(oz.)
Doby
George(2) 12,922,000 0.98 407,000 - - 0.98 407,000 4,999,000 0.73 118,000 - - 0.73 118,000
Wood
Gulch(3) - - - - - - - 4,359,000 0.66 93,000 5.80 808,000 0.74 104,543
Gravel
Creek(4) 1,315,000 4.73 200,000 75.0 3,169,000 5.81 245,271 2,744,000 4.16 367,000 60.20 5,307,000 5.02 442,814
TOTAL 14,237,000 1.33 607,000 75.0 3,169, 000 1.43 652,271 12,102,000 1.48 578, 000 15.74 6,115,000 1.71 665,357
Notes:
(1) Au equivalent oz assumes US$1,800 per oz Au and 70:1 ratio of Ag:Au.
(2) Pit constrained 0.2 g/t AuEq cutoff for oxide, 0.4 g/t Au cutoff for mixed and 1.4 g/t Au cutoff for unoxidized.
(3) Pit constrained 0.2 g/t AuEq cutoff.
(4) 3.0 g/t Au cutoff.
In 2017, Agnico Eagle Mines Limited became a partner of the Company and has invested over US$14
million in support of the Company's exploration initiatives. In addition, Agnico Eagle Mines Limited
provides technical expertise to the Company through a joint technical committee with Western
Exploration's management team.
About Western Exploration
Born from a 25-year history of advancing exploratio n projects in Nevada as a private company, today
Western Exploration is composed of an experienced team of precious metals experts that aims to lead
Western Exploration to becoming a premiere gold and silver development company in North America.
The Company's principal asset is the 100% owned Aura gold-silver project, located approximately 120
kilometers/75 miles north of the city of Elko, Nevada, and includes three unique gold and silver deposits:
Doby George, Gravel Creek, and Wood Gulch. Additional information regarding Western Exploration and
the Aura Project can be found on the Company's website and on SEDAR ( www.sedar.com) under the
Company's issuer profile.
For more information please contact:
Nichole Cowles
Investor Relations
Phone: 775-240-4172
Email: [email protected]
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Qualified Person Approval
The scientific and technical content in this news release has been reviewed, prepared and approved by
Mark Hawksworth, General Manager of the Western Exploration's Aura Project, who is a "qualified
person" within the meaning of NI 43-101.
Quality Assurance – Quality Control
Drill program design, Quality Assurance/Quality Control (" QA/QC") and the interpretation of results is
performed by qualified persons employing a QA/QC program consistent with NI 43-101 and industry best
practices.
Drill core samples were delivered by Major Drilling to Western Exploration's secure warehouse/logging
facility in Mountain City and washed, photographed and logged by company geologists. Quality control
(QC) samples are inserted at regular intervals in the sample stream, including blanks and reference
materials with all sample shipments to monitor laboratory performance.
Drill core samples are transported by Neilsen Exploration to McClelland Laboratory Inc. located in Sparks,
Nevada, for sample preparation and analysis. Each in terval is removed from the core box, weighed and
crushed using a jaw-crusher to an approximately 2" top size. The crushed interval is blended by repeated
coning and is quartered to obtain a one-quarter split for finer crush. Each one-quarter split is crushed to
10 mesh (2 mm) and split to obtain 0.25 – 0.50 kg for pulverization. For fire assays, the 0.25 kg split is
pulverized to >95%-150 mesh (106μm). Analysis for gold and silver is completed using a 30-gram fire assay
with AA finish. For the CN soluble tests, A 10-gram aliquot of sample (>95%-106 μm) is leached by shaking
in a 50 mL test tube for 1 hour, at ambient temperature and 33.3% solids, using a solution of NaCN (5.0
gpL) and pH > 11.0 using NaOH. The solution is separated by centrifuging. Clear solution is analyzed by
AA for gold.
Please see below under the heading "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information" for
further details regarding risks facing Western Exploration.
For additional information on the Aura Project, please see the Technical Report, which has been prepared
in accordance with NI 43-101, a copy of which is available on SEDAR ( www.sedar.com) under Western
Exploration's issuer profile and on Western Exploration's corporate website
(www.westernexploration.com).
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information
This news release may contain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within
the meaning of the applicable Canadian and United St ates securities legislation (collectively, "forward-
looking statements"). These forward-looking statements, by their nature, require the Company to make
certain assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. Any
statement that involves predictions, expectations, interpretations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives,
assumptions, future events or performance (often, but not always, using phrases such as "expects", or
"does not expect", "is expected", "interpreted", "management's view", "anticipates" or "does not
anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "potential", "feasibility", "believes"
or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may"