Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 26, 2025) - Nova Pacific Metals Corp. (CSE: NVPC) (OTCQB: NVPCF) (FSE: YQ10) (WKN: A40GFH) ("Nova Pacific" or the "Company") is pleased to report assay results from six drillholes totaling 1,813 meters, as part of 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-kilometer belt of the McLaughlin Ridge Formation, which is correlative with the volcanic package that hosts the past-producing Myra Falls VMS Mine, approximately 140 km to the northwest.
Highlights from Table 1 include:
NP25-014 intersected 11 m grading 5.1 g/t AuEq or 13% ZnEq (2.5 g/t Au, 3% Zn, 82 g/t Ag, 0.23% Cu, 0.16% Pb) from 233 m downhole, including 1 m grading 20.5 g/t AuEq or 50.2% ZnEq (12.1 g/t Au, 7.02% Zn, 498 g/t Ag, 1.20% Cu, 0.61% Pb).
NP25-009 intersected 5.35 m grading 1.8 g/t AuEq or 4.5% ZnEq (1.0 g/t Au, 0.99% Zn, 18 g/t Ag, 0.23% Cu, 0.16% Pb) from 212 m downhole.
NP25-041 intersected 12.9 m grading 0.7 g/t AuEq or 1.8% ZnEq (0.3 g/t Au, 0.58% Zn, 6 g/t Ag, 0.16% Cu, 0.02% Pb) from 288.1 m downhole.
(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 4 for calculation parameters.)
Assays from 10 drillholes are pending, including 3 step-out holes.
Mineral resource estimate is targeted for Q4/2025.
"NP25-014 is our strongest intercept to date, and the strength of these results continues to reinforce the potential of the Lara VMS Project," said Sam Eskandari, CEO of Nova Pacific Metals. "We're seeing better-than-expected grades in portions of the Coronation deposit. These results are a compelling validation of our exploration model and a strong indication of the system's potential for expansion. With additional holes still pending, including step-outs, we anticipate steady news flow as we advance toward our first resource estimate, targeted for the fourth quarter of this year."
Assay Results from 10 Drillholes Are Pending
Nova Pacific has concluded its Phase 1 drill program at the Coronation area, with 36 holes completed. To date, results from 23 holes (5,435 m) have been reported and assay results from 10 holes (3,225 m) are pending. The Company is advancing toward its planned mineral resource estimate, targeted for the fourth quarter of this year.
Summary of Drill Results
While assay results have only been reported for roughly two-thirds of the program, they broadly continue to validate the Company's exploration model and are generally consistent with, or better than, historical drilling in these portions of the Coronation deposit. This provides encouraging support for the verification of the historical dataset. In addition, the program continues to yield valuable geological information 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 line C2 identified in Figures 1, 2, and 3 near the end of this news release. The following provides context on the objectives and results for each hole within this target area.
Section C2
NP25-014: The best intercept of the program to date, returning significantly stronger-than-expected results over a longer-than-expected interval: 11 m grading 5.1 g/t AuEq (13% ZnEq) from 233 m downhole within quartz-sericite altered rhyolite, including 1 m grading 20.5 g/t AuEq (50.2% ZnEq).
NP25-009: A step-out hole intended to test for a down-plunge extension and to fill a gap in the model. The hole intersected banded sulphide veins within altered rhyolite, returning 5.35 m grading 1.8 g/t AuEq (4.5% ZnEq) from 212 m downhole.
NP25-041: A step-out hole intended to close a gap in the model intersected a longer-than-expected interval of mineralization with grades consistent with nearby mineralization: 12.9 m grading 0.7 g/t AuEq (1.8% ZnEq) from 288.1 m downhole. The mineralized zone was encountered immediately after a fault zone, within highly sheared and deformed quartz-sericite altered rhyolite containing sulphide veins.
NP25-011: An exploration hole drilled to test for mineralization outside the margins of the current model. While no significant intersections were reported in Table 1, the hole did return 1.1 m grading 5.9 g/t AuEq (36.8% ZnEq) within a massive sulphide lens that terminated in a brittle fault, which may positively impact the model.
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NP25-014: Moderately deformed, quartz-sericite altered rhyolite hosting semi-massive to massive sulphides and sulphide veins returned 11 m grading 5.1 g/t AuEq (13% ZnEq) from 233 m downhole, including 1 m grading 20.5 g/t AuEq (50.2% ZnEq) at 238 m downhole.
NP25-015 and NP25-021 were step-out holes drilled from section line C2. NP25-015 targeted a potential down-plunge extension of known mineralization and intersected favourable alteration within rhyolite but did not return any significant intervals. NP25-021 was designed to test for a down-plunge extension of the eastern margins of the Coronation Zone and to collect structural data in an interpreted splay between the Coronation and Extensions zones. This hole did not return any significant intervals.
Current Mineral Resource 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 the 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, which is targeted for Q4 2025, subject to 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.
For additional information please visit: www.novapacificmetals.com
On behalf of the Board of Directors
Sam Eskandari, CEO
For investor inquiries, or for further information, please contact:
Nova Pacific Metals Corp.
info@novapacificmetals.com
+1-416-918-6785
The Canadian Securities Exchange has not in any way passed upon the merits of the matters referenced herein and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release.
Forward-Looking Information
Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute forward-looking information including, without limitation, statements regarding the Company's exploration plans. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "intend", "should", and similar expressions. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. The Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking information should not be unduly relied upon. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in this forward-looking information.
Forward-looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, the Company's objectives, goals or future plans; statements regarding exploration results, potential mineralization, the potential to expand mineralization, including through step-out drilling targeting down-plunge extensions, or verification of historical drilling results; the success of the new structural intrepretation in guiding exploration and identifying new mineralization; the Company's plans to execute and complete its Phase 1 exploration program including the completion of a current mineral resource estimate; exploration and mine development plans; statements regarding regional exploration potential and the ability to develop exploration targets, drill targets, and define resources; the establishment of mutually beneficial partnerships with Indigenous communities; and the timing of the commencement of operations and estimates of market conditions. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, failure to intersect potentially economic intervals of mineralization; uncertainties related to the geological continuity, potential mineralization, and extent of down-plunge mineralization, which may not yield economically viable results; uncertainties in the accuracy of the new structural model, which may not accurately predict mineralization locations or continuity; additional mineralized zones may not contain economically viable mineralization due to geological complexity or insufficient drilling data; risks that historical drilling data may be incomplete, inaccurate, or insufficient to support a current mineral resource estimate; delays in assay processing or data validation issues; failure to identify mineral resources; the preliminary nature of metallurgical test results; delays in obtaining or failures to obtain required governmental, environmental or other project approvals; political risks; inability to fulfill the duty to accommodate First Nations and other Indigenous peoples; uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future; changes in equity markets; inflation; changes in exchange rates; fluctuations in commodity prices; delays in the development of projects; capital and operating costs varying significantly from estimates; and the other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities legislation.
Table 1: Lara VMS Project - Coronation area assay results in this release
| Drillhole | From | To | Interval | TW (m) | AuEq | ZnEq | Au | Zn | Ag | Cu | Pb | Section |
| ID | (m) | (m) | (m) | (g/t) | (%) | (g/t) | (%) | (g/t) | (%) | (%) | Line | |
| NP25-009 | 212 | 217 | 5.35 | 4.7 | 1.8 | 4.5 | 1.0 | 0.99 | 18 | 0.23 | 0.16 | C2 |
| NP25-011 | No significant intervals | C2 | ||||||||||
| NP25-014 | 233 | 244 | 11 | 9.91 | 5.1 | 13.0 | 2.5 | 3.00 | 82 | 0.75 | 0.28 | C2 |
| including | 238 | 239 | 1 | 20.5 | 50.2 | 12.1 | 7.02 | 498 | 1.20 | 0.61 | ||
| NP25-015 | No significant intervals | C2 | ||||||||||
| NP25-021 | No significant intervals | C2 | ||||||||||
| NP25-041 | 288.1 | 301 | 12.9 | 9.51 | 0.7 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 0.58 | 6 | 0.16 | 0.02 | C2 |
- Intervals are reported over a minimum downhole length of 2 m at a minimum length-weighted grade of 0.5 g/t AuEq, allowing for up to 2 m of consecutive internal dilution below cut-off.
- High-grade intercepts reported as any continuous interval with grades greater than 10 g/t AuEq. No assays were capped.
- Interval refers to down-hole lengths. True width ("TW") is estimated to be 74% to 90% of the interval based on historical drilling data.
- AuEq (gold equivalent) and ZnEq (zinc equivalent) values are provided for illustrative purposes only. AuEq and ZnEq combine gold, zinc, silver, copper, and lead, with contributions from secondary metals calculated net of assumed metallurgical recoveries using deposit-average recovery value assumptions provided by Mineit Consulting Inc. of 86% for gold, 73% for zinc, 84% for silver, 95% for copper, and 96% for lead. Metal prices reflect three-year trailing averages of $2,200/oz gold, $1.25/lb Zn, $25.50/oz silver, $3.95/lb copper, and $0.95/lb lead. The resultant AuEq formula is AuEq [g/t] = Au [g/t] + 1.168 × Cu [%] + 0.285 × Pb [%] + 0.285 × Zn [%] + 0.0097 × Ag [g/t]. The resulting ZnEq formula is ZnEq [%] = Zn [%] + 1.223 × Cu [%] + 0.391 × Pb [%] + 0.034 × Au [g/t] + 0.0077 × Ag [g/t].
Table 2: Lara VMS Project - Drillhole collars reported in this release (EPSG:3157)
| Drillhole | Easting | Northing | Length | Azimuth | Dip | Line |
| ID | (m) | (m) | (m) | (°) | (°) | |
| NP25-009 | 434077 | 5414710 | 247 | 225 | -60 | C2 |
| NP25-011 | 433948 | 5414809 | 289 | 210 | -60 | C2 |
| NP25-014 | 433835 | 5414893 | 260 | 210 | -60 | C2 |
| NP25-015 | 434074 | 5414806 | 399 | 220 | -67 | C2 |
| NP25-021 | 434235 | 5414656 | 288 | 210 | -60 | C2 |
| NP25-041 | 433838 | 5414895 | 330 | 195 | -73 | C2 |
Figure 1: Lara VMS Project - Coronation area Phase 1 drillhole locations
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Figure 2: Lara VMS Project - Section C2 drillholes reported in this news release
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Figure 3: Lara VMS Project - Geological section C2 looking N030°
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To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/263908
SOURCE: Nova Pacific Metals Corp.
