WESTERN EXPLORATION REPORTS EXTENSION OF HIGH-GRADE MINERALIZATION AT GRAVEL CREEK Final 2024 drill results expand high-grade vein corridor in Jarbidge Rhyolite to a minimum of 350 meters on strike and a minimum of 250 meters on dip with
WESTERN EXPLORATION REPORTS EXTENSION OF
HIGH-GRADE MINERALIZATION AT GRAVEL CREEK
Final 2024 drill results expand high-grade vein corridor in Jarbidge Rhyolite to a minimum
of 350 meters on strike and a minimum of 250 meters on dip with
1.53 meters of 19.98 g/t Aueq in WG462 and 1.13 meters of 12.0 g/t Aueq in WG461
Vancouver, British Columbia – January 8, 2025 – Western Exploration Inc. (TSXV: WEX; OTCQX:
WEXPF) (the "Company" or "Western Exploration") is pleased to announce additional assay results
from its 2024 core drilling program in the high-grade Jarbidge rhyolite discovery immediately
adjacent the Gravel Creek resource at the Company's wholly -owned Aura gold -silver project (the
"Aura Project").
Gravel Creek is a new high-grade, Miocene aged, epithermal discovery in the northern Great Basin
of Nevada, with assays in 2024 drilling of up to 75.3 g/t Au (WGC459) and 4,630.0 g/t Ag (WGC461).
The new high-grade area, located less than 200 meters east of the current Gravel Creek mineral
resource, has been tested by only 19 drill holes to date and is open in all directions. It is one of
multiple high-grade targets in the Wood Gulch/Gravel Creek area that offer s excellent near-term
resource expansion potential on the Aura Project.
Significant Resource Expansion Potential
Western Exploration CEO, Darcy Marud, commented: "The 2024 drill program intersected multiple
high-grade gold-silver intercepts in all five core holes completed. We are very excited with the results
as they met and even exceeded our expectations both in terms of grade and extension of
mineralization. Every drill hole to date has returned high-grade results and the two step out holes to
the south and north, drill holes WGC458 and WGC462, intersected the Discovery Trend as anticipated
and showed the continuation of high-grade precious metals mineralization."
Mr. Marud added "The 2024 drill results support Western Exploration's confidence that the Jarbidge
rhyolite and greater Gravel Creek-Wood Gulch area hold significant resource expansion potential in
high-grade gold -silver bearing epithermal veins and breccia zones analogous to other Miocene
epithermal systems in the northern Great Basin of Nevada."
Highlights from 2024 Exploration Program
• The 2024 drill program consisted of five oriented core holes designed to offset high-grade
intercepts encountered in 2023 drilling.
• All 2024 drill holes intersected multiple vein/breccia zones with +10.0 g/t AuEq values defining
a minimum of 350 meters of strike and 250 meters of dip length.
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• New results are reported here for holes WGC461 and WGC462
• WGC461 was drilled 80 meters up dip to the east on Section BL+500N and reported
individual assays of up to 46.1 g/t Au and 4,630.0 Ag, including:
• 1.53 meters @ 19.98 g/t AuEq (10.39 g/t Au and 815.1 g/t Ag)
• 0.85 meters @ 21.26 g/t AuEq (4.08 g/t Au and 1,460 g/t Ag)
• WGC462 was drilled 180 meters north of the Discovery Section on Section BL+680N and
reported individual assays of up to 24.5 g/t Au and 1,070 g/t Ag, including:
• 1.13 meters @ 12.0 g/t AuEq (8.24 g/t Au and 318.9 g/t Ag)
Multiple rhyolite-hosted high-grade Au-Ag drill intercepts peripheral to the Gravel Creek Resource
Previous drilling in the Miocene Jarbidge rhyolite to the east of the Gravel Creek deposit intersected
multiple high -grade Au -Ag bearing vein intercepts, with individual assays up to 237.0 g/t Au
(WG379) and 2,800 g/t Ag (WG456). None of these Jarbidge -hosted intercepts have been included
in previous resource estimates. To follow up on these intercepts, five oriented core holes totaling
3,556 meters were drilled as 80-meter step outs in the 2024 Gravel Creek drill program. (Figure 1).
Results for holes WGC461 and WGC462 are reported here, while results for holes WGC458 to
WGC460 were previously reported in news releases of the Company dated October 7, 2024 (entitled
"Western Exploration Reports Positive Assay Results From 2024 Drilling Program at Gravel Creek" )
and November 11, 2024 (entitled "Western Exploration Reports Additional High Grade Assay Results
From 2024 Drilling At Gravel Creek").
Figure 1. Plan view of 2024 drill holes and reported intercepts in the Jarbidge rhyolite east of Gravel
Creek. All intercepts lie within a 100 meter -wide corridor trending N10W, 60SW, sub-parallel to the
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Discovery Trend. identified with oriented core in 2023. The vein/breccia corridor on the 1 700-meter
elevation is projected to the surface (yellow shading) and shown on the subsequent cross sections in
Figures 2, 3 and 4.
Hole WGC461 was drilled on Discovery Section 500N, 80 meters up dip from hole WGC456 ( Figure
1 and Figure 2). Hole WGC462 was drilled on Section 680N, approximately 100 meters north of holes
WGC459 and WGC460 ( Figure 1 and Figure 3). Both holes intersected multiple quartz -pyrite
marcasite-bearing veins and breccias along the projected Discovery Section trend, with multiple
intercepts over 10.0 g/t AuEq. Significant assay intercepts are summarized in Table 1 with drill hole
coordinates in Table 2.
Figure 2. Cross Section BL+500N, showing intercepts in core hole WGC461 (drilled 80 meters up dip
to the east of previous drilling). Mineralization is open to the north, south and east.
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Figure 3. Jarbidge Rhyolite Discovery Cross Section BL+680N, showing assay intercepts in oriented
core hole WGC462. Most intercepts lie within the Discovery Section corridor, which is shown
projected in pale yellow. Mineralization is open to the north, east and west.
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Table 1. Summary of Significant Drill Intercepts in 2024 core holes, including new results for holes
WGC461 and WGC462
FROM TO INTERVAL* AuEq ** Au Ag
DRILL HOLE (m) (m) (m) (g/t) (g/t) (g/t)
WGC458 227.38 227.84 0.46 4.36 1.16 272.0
WGC458 645.27 647.25 1.98 7.41 4.98 206.6
includes 646.91 647.25 0.34 33.69 22.20 977.0
WGC458 650.69 651.09 0.40 15.36 13.20 184.0
WGC458 725.10 725.70 0.61 13.74 12.35 118.0
WGC458 764.13 765.66 1.53 5.74 5.38 31.0
WGC459 273.40 274.26 0.86 10.08 9.80 23.4
WGC459 302.30 303.40 1.10 5.97 2.58 288.0
WGC459 360.27 360.64 0.37 5.91 3.30 222.0
WGC459 420.01 420.32 0.31 7.54 7.21 27.7
WGC459 540.87 541.63 0.76 5.85 3.36 212.0
WGC459 543.89 547.58 3.69 22.06 16.66 458.6
includes 543.89 544.90 1.01 68.32 51.50 1430.0
includes 547.09 547.58 0.49 20.14 15.45 399.0
WGC459 564.49 565.81 1.31 8.46 7.09 115.7
includes 565.44 565.81 0.37 26.50 22.50 340.0
WGC459 651.36 657.46 6.10 12.44 8.52 333.5
includes 654.78 655.27 0.49 111.54 75.30 3080.0
WGC460 313.03 314.07 1.04 16.72 12.34 372.2
includes 313.34 314.07 0.73 21.19 15.50 484.0
WGC460 506.88 507.19 0.30 3.92 3.61 26.1
WGC460 560.68 561.23 0.55 75.12 50.30 2110.0
WGC460 618.13 619.35 1.22 5.06 2.76 196.0
WGC460 676.72 677.63 0.91 5.32 4.67 55.6
WGC460 683.09 683.48 0.40 14.28 13.55 62.1
WGC460 688.63 689.37 0.73 4.36 3.31 72.9
WGC460 690.68 690.98 0.30 3.11 2.97 11.8
WGC460 699.06 700.13 1.07 10.38 8.51 119.6
includes 699.67 700.13 0.46 16.88 13.60 279.0
WGC461 189.28 189.74 0.46 3.63 1.17 209.0
WGC461 322.57 328.27 5.70 2.28 1.75 44.6
includes 325.43 326.75 1.31 4.28 3.58 59.8
WGC461 372.62 373.04 0.43 8.04 4.09 336.0
WGC461 474.57 475.18 0.61 17.30 9.46 666.0
WGC461 482.19 483.72 1.53 19.98 10.39 815.1
includes 482.19 482.93 0.73 38.34 19.55 1597.5
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FROM TO INTERVAL* AuEq ** Au Ag
DRILL HOLE (m) (m) (m) (g/t) (g/t) (g/t)
or 482.19 482.38 0.19 97.62 46.10 4380.0
WGC461 542.30 543.15 0.85 21.26 4.08 1460.0
WGC461 549.95 550.77 0.82 5.93 4.62 111.0
WGC462 287.12 288.04 0.91 3.94 1.52 206.0
WGC462 336.56 336.68 0.12 8.75 6.60 183.0
WGC462 521.30 522.43 1.13 12.00 8.24 318.9
includes 521.30 521.57 0.27 37.09 24.50 1070.0
WGC462 598.02 599.54 1.52 7.53 4.67 243.1
includes 598.02 598.44 0.43 15.34 10.60 403.0
WGC462 602.59 603.96 1.37 7.88 5.38 212.5
includes 602.59 602.96 0.37 19.11 12.90 528.0
WGC462 621.64 622.10 0.46 3.16 2.17 84.4
Notes:
Table 2. Coordinates for 2024 Gravel Creek Core Holes (UTM NAD 83, Zone 11)
Drill Hole Easting (m) Northing (m) Elevation (m) Depth (m) Azimuth Dip
WGC458 586,975.45 4,616,052.79 2,191.51 764.18 99 64
WGC459 587,070.85 4,616,192.49 2,222.35 712.3 97 69
WGC460 587,069.59 4,616,192.66 2,222.10 737.01 96 76
WGC461 587,178.88 4,616,092.07 2,187.66 670.26 96 71
WGC462 587,034.18 4,616,324.03 2,216.90 672.7 104 60
Significance for Future Gravel Creek Exploration
Results from 2024 core drilling confirms there are multiple vein-breccia zones with +10.0 g/t AuEq
values within the projected structural corridor in the Jarbidge rhyolite east of the Gravel Creek
resource (Figure 4). Drilling has been successful, with all oriented core holes drilled in 2023 -2024
* Estimated true width is 80-100% of Interval Width; Intervals are calculated with a
3 g/t AuEq cutoff, with limited +1.0 g/t AuEq internal dilution.
** AuEq is calculated at 85:1 Ag: Au
*** Intercepts in WGC458 -WGC460 were reported in the new releases of the
Company dated dated October 7, 2024 (entitled "Western Exploration Reports
Positive Assay Results From 2024 Drilling Program at Gravel Creek" ) and
November 11, 2024 (entitled "Western Exploration Reports Positive Gravel Creek
Metallurgical Results, Including Gold Recovery of 94.8% to Combined Gravity and
Flotation Concentrate").
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intersecting multiple zones with +10.0 g/t AuEq mineralization. Multiple high priority targets are
present along dip and strike both to infill and extend mineralization. The 2024 drilling gives further
confidence to expand oriented core drilling into and beyond the 550-meter by 350-meter area east
of Gravel Creek that hosts multiple high grade AuEq intercepts in widely spaced legacy holes, as the
system appears open for expansion.
Of broader significance, Figure 5 shows that the Gravel Creek area is a small portion of a zone of
favorable structures and hydrothermal alteration at least 2.5 x 4.0 kilometers in size, with multiple
targets with resource expansion potential that have received limited to no exploration drilling.
Figure 4. Cross sections BL+420N to BL+680N highlight how most 2024 high grade Au -Ag
vein/breccia intercepts lie within the 100m wide Discovery Trend identified in 2023. Mineralization
is open up-dip to the east on all section and holes WGC458 and WGC462 show mineralization is open
on strike to the north and south.
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Figure 5. Map of the Gravel Creek/Wood Gulch area, showing scale of 2024 Jarbidge drilling area
relative to the 2.5 x 4.0 kilometer zone of favorable geology, alteration, structure, geochemical and
geophysical anomalies already hosting mineral resources on three different deposits (Doby George,
Gravel Creek and Wood Gulch) , as more particularly described in the Technical Report (as defined
herein). Most of the zone has received limited or no drilling beyond the area of the mineral resource
defined in the Technical Report, and remains prospective for future discoveries.