
Nova Pacific Metals Corp. (CSE: NVPC) (OTCQB: NVPCF) (FSE: YQ10) (WKN: A40GFH) is pleased to report assays from fifteen drillholes (2,359 metres) from its recently completed 8,660-metre Phase 1 exploration drilling campaign at the Coronation area of its Lara VMS Project on Vancouver Island. The Lara Project spans a 17-km belt of the McLaughlin Ridge Formation, which is correlative with the volcanic package that hosts the past-producing Myra Falls VMS Mine, 140 km to the northwest.
(All intervals are down-hole lengths. True width estimated between 54% and 93% based upon historical data. AuEq and ZnEq are provided for illustrative purposes only. See Table 1, footnote 3 for calculation parameters.)
“These results not only continue to support verification of the historical drilling at the Coronation Zone, but several intercepts have exceeded expectations in terms of grade and continuity compared to our exploration model,” said Sam Eskandari, CEO of Nova Pacific Metals. “Drilling is helping us identify opportunities to define mineralization beyond what was encountered by prior operators. With assays pending from 16 holes, including several testing extensions beyond known mineralization, we anticipate strong news flow as we advance toward our planned mineral resource estimate later this year.”
Assay Results from 16 Drillholes Are Pending
Nova Pacific has completed its Phase 1 drill program at the Coronation area, with 41 holes drilled totalling 8,660 metres (“m”). Of these, 36 holes were completed, while 5 were abandoned due to challenging ground conditions. To date, results from 23 holes (3,622 m) have been reported and assay results from 16 holes (5,038 m) are pending, providing significant news flow as the Company advances toward its planned mineral resource estimate that is targeted for the fourth quarter of this year.
Results Continue to Support Exploration Model
While only midway through reporting assay results from this program, results appear to broadly continue to validate the Company’s exploration model and are generally consistent with historical drilling in these portions of the Coronation deposit. This provides encouraging support for the verification of the historical dataset. Valuable geological information has also been obtained that will refine the Company’s interpretation, expand orebody knowledge, and identify opportunities for potential mineralized extensions.
The drillholes reported in this release, summarized in Tables 1 and 2, are located along the section lines identified in Figures 1 and 2 near the end of this news release. The following provides context on the objectives and results for each hole within this target area.
Section C1
With respect to drillholes from section C1 (Figures 3 and 4), and moving from east to west, results generally built in grade and significance:
NP25-029: Fine-grained rhyolite, variably altered by quartz-sericite, rhyolite with zones of semi-massive to massive sulphide along with discrete sulphide veins. 12 m grading 1.7 g/t AuEq (6.1% ZnEq) from 100 m downhole.
NP25-022: Fine-grained rhyolite, variably altered by quartz-sericite, with abundant sulphide banding following foliation. 12 m grading 1.7 g/t AuEq (4.3% ZnEq) from 166 m downhole.
NP25-025 was drilled from section line C1 and intersected favourable alteration in rhyolite but did not encounter any significant intervals of mineralization. NP25-030-A was abandoned due to difficult ground conditions and was not redrilled.
Section E1
With respect to drillholes from section E1 on the eastern side of the Coronation property:
NP25-033 and NP25-035 were designed to test whether the Coronation Zone extended beneath the Extension Zone identified by prior explorers. NP25-035 deviated from its intended trajectory and appears to have overshot its target, and neither hole encountered significant mineralization. These results support the interpretation that the Coronation trend does not extend eastward beneath the Extension Zone. While the Company continues to gather and interpret data, with additional results pending, evidence is building to support the interpretation that the Extension Zone, as defined by past explorers, may in fact represent a splay or faulted continuation of the main Coronation Zone.
Section W3
With respect to drillholes from section W3 (Figures 7 and 8):
NP25-010 was designed to test for a down-plunge extension of the Coronation Zone but did not intersect any significant intervals, despite encountering favourable alteration that is typically associated with sulphide bearing zones at the Coronation deposit.
Current Mineral Resources Estimate Targeted for Q4/2025
The Phase 1 exploration program is intended to verify up to 39,092 m of historical drilling across 245 holes in the Coronation area of the Lara Project, which previously supported a historical mineral resource estimate. The Company cautions that the historical estimate for Coronation area is not a current mineral resource or reserve under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (“NI 43-101”), as a ‘qualified person’ (“QP”) has not done sufficient work to classify it as such, and it should not be relied upon. The Company intends to verify historical drilling data through its Phase 1 exploration program to support a current mineral resource estimate targeted for Q4 2025, subject to successful exploration drilling and the timely receipt of final assay results. In anticipation of this, Mineit Consulting Inc. has been engaged to prepare an updated technical report for the Lara Project, under the supervision of Greg Mosher, M.Sc., P.Geo.
Advancing Lara’s Regional Exploration Potential Through Evaluation of Additional Targets
Coronation is just one of several high-priority targets within Nova Pacific’s 17-kilometre VMS belt on Vancouver Island. The belt lies within the prospective McLaughlin Ridge Formation, a correlative volcanic sequence that hosts the past-producing Myra Falls VMS Mine and remains underexplored despite favourable geology and nearby infrastructure. The Lara Project spans 19 mineral claims covering 47 square kilometres, with an unverified historical dataset that includes 323 drillholes totalling 58,262 m of drilling.
Although the Coronation area has attracted most of the historical work, Nova Pacific has begun evaluating six additional mineralized zones across the property, many of which contain historical drill holes. These zones are largely untested and form a key part of the Company’s strategy to define resources at the Lara Project beyond the Coronation area. Field programs, including mapping, systematic sampling, and historical data compilation, will be used to refine targets and support future drilling. The potential for lens stacking and stratigraphic clustering, characteristic of VMS camps, further strengthens the broader exploration thesis.
Sampling, Quality Assurance and Quality Control
All drill core is logged by a geologist, photographed, and cut in half at Nova Pacific’s core facility near Nanaimo, British Columbia. One half of the core is bagged and sent to ALS Canada Ltd. (ALS) in North Vancouver for analysis, while the other half is retained on site as a witness sample. ALS North Vancouver is ISO/IEC 17025 accredited, and all samples are analyzed using industry-standard fire assay, multi-element ICP methods following four-acid digestion, and, where applicable, overlimit assays for high-grade. In addition to the laboratory’s QA/QC practices, certified reference materials, blanks, and duplicates are inserted into the sample stream at regular intervals to monitor analytical accuracy. Only results that meet Nova Pacific’s QA/QC protocols are reported.
Qualified Person
The pertinent scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by David Nelles, P.Geo., Jeremy Link, M.Eng., P.Eng., and Greg Mosher, M.Sc., P.Geo. of Mineit Consulting Inc., each of whom is a consultant of the Company and a “qualified person” as defined by NI 43-101. Exploration and technical programs at the Lara Project are managed by Mr. Link and Darcy Vis, P.Geo., of Tripoint Geological Services Ltd.
Rights of Indigenous Communities Statement
Nova Pacific Metals recognizes the inherent Rights of all Indigenous Peoples of Canada and is committed to early, meaningful, and respectful engagement with First Nations communities. The Company acknowledges that its Lara Project is located on the Traditional, Ancestral, and Unceded Territories of the Hul’qumi’num Treaty Group, a politically unified group representing six Hul’qumi’num-speaking First Nations: Cowichan, Stz’uminus, Penelakut, Lyackson, Halalt, and Lake Cowichan.
Nova Pacific pursues early consultation and meaningful engagement with First Nations communities to ensure that the Company’s mineral exploration and development activities are aligned with local priorities, values, and cultural protocols, while optimizing opportunities for collaboration. In particular, the Company seeks to establish mutually beneficial partnerships with Indigenous groups within whose traditional territories the Company’s projects are located. All work programs are carefully planned to achieve high levels of environmental and social performance, while advancing reconciliation and economic opportunities within Indigenous communities.
About Nova Pacific
Nova Pacific Metals Corp. is a Canadian exploration and development company advancing the Lara Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide (VMS) Project on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The Company has an option to acquire a 100% interest in the Lara Project, which hosts a significant historical mineral resource enriched with critical and precious metals and is strategically located near key infrastructure. Nova Pacific’s strategy includes verification and exploration drilling to support a current mineral resource, with additional technical and exploration studies under consideration. The Company is committed to creating value for its shareholders while supporting environmental responsibility and strong community relationships.
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