Rotation 3 RC Drilling Returns Anomalous Bedrock Gold at Target AM, Approximately 9 km North of Target AE
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 8, 2026) - North Arrow Minerals Inc. (TSXV: NAR) (OTCQB: NHAWF) (FSE: 9TB) ("North Arrow" or the "Company") today reports results from 44 regional reconnaissance reverse circulation ("RC") holes completed during Rotation 3 at the Kraaipan Gold Project ("Kraaipan") in southern Botswana, including a new gold-in-bedrock occurrence at Target AM, where hole KR26-081 returned 0.21 g/t Au over 5 m beneath 32 m of Kalahari cover. The Company has also commenced Rotation 4 RC drilling at Target AE, a planned 15-hole program designed to test the strike and down-dip continuity of the target across its interpreted 1,000 m strike length, as part of its US$2.86 million 2026 exploration program. The Kraaipan Project is a significantly underexplored, gold-endowed system masked by shallow Kalahari sand cover that represents the direct northern extension of the Archean greenstone terrane, the Kraaipan Greenstone Belt ("KGB"), hosting Harmony Gold's multi-million-ounce Kalgold Mine, 40 km to the south.
Key Highlights
New gold-in-bedrock occurrence identified at Target AM - Five of the 44 Rotation 3 holes returned gold values greater than a threshold of 0.02 ppm Au. RC hole KR26-081, located on the western end of transect 8a within Target AM, intersected 32 m of Kalahari cover before entering mineralized banded iron formation ("BIF") and altered BIF, with evidence of quartz veining, returning 0.21 g/t Au over 5m.
Anomalous gold extended beneath cover at Target AH - Two holes on the Target AH fences returned anomalous bedrock gold in iron-stained, quartz-veined BIF, extending known gold occurrences beneath Kalahari sand cover into areas approximately 9 km north of Target AE and 16 km north of Target A.
Rotation 4 RC drilling underway at Targets AE and AF - 15 holes are planned at Target AE to test strike continuity (13 holes) north and south of the Rotation 2 drilling fence, and down-dip continuity (2 holes) in the vicinity of KR26-040, which returned 27 m @ 1.11 g/t Au. Further drilling will test the 1,000 m potential strike length of Target AE. Follow-up RC drilling is planned at Target AF Grid 1 to test the southern strike extent of the BIF intersected in RC hole KR-26-021 (9 m @ 4.04 g/t Au from 11-20 m).
CEO Commentary
Eira Thomas, Chief Executive Officer of North Arrow, stated: "Rotation 3 drilling has extended known bedrock gold mineralization at Kraaipan a further 9 km north of Target AE, and 16 km north of Target A, and has identified new target areas worthy of follow-up. Our priority remains Target AE, where drilling to date has delivered traceable zones of mineralization with widths and grades comparable to the BIF-hosted zones being mined at Harmony's Kalgold Mine, 40 km to the south in the same belt. Rotation 4, now underway, is testing the interpreted 1,000 m strike length and the down-dip extension of the 27 m at 1.11 g/t Au intersected earlier this year. We have increased the 2026 budget to US$2.86 million to accommodate this work and expect results in the fourth quarter."
RC Drilling
Figure 1 provides a map of the Rotation 3 regional drill hole locations with the new anomalous gold-in-bedroock occurences. Figure 2 shows the proposed holes planned for Rotation 4 drilling at Target AE.
Figure 1: Kraaipan Gold Project - Location map of Rotation 3 RC drill locations (green) with Au-anomalous holes labeled; located in in the central area of the Kraaipan Gold Project.
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Rotation 3 Regional Reconnaissance RC Drilling Results
Rotation 3 drilling was completed in two tranches, from June 10 to 19 and from July 16 to August 3, and comprised 44 vertical RC holes totaling 1,639 m in 10 fences across five target areas (Figure 1). Collar locations and summary hole data were previously disclosed in the Company's press release dated August 24, 2026. Depth to bedrock averaged 31 m, to a maximum of 45 m. Samples were collected at the base of the Kalahari ("BOK") for overburden geochemistry, together with bedrock samples ("BR"). Bedrock intersections are comprised of unaltered BIF and variable altered mafic assemblages. The program was designed to test prospective geology and geophysical trends in areas lacking outcrop, building on results and interpretations from the 2025 and 2026 programs.
Rotation 3a was comprised of 14 RC holes on three fences at Target AI (two fences) and Target AK (one fence), with two holes abandoned before intersecting bedrock. A total of 14 BOK and 57 BR samples were collected. No anomalous gold samples were returned from Rotation 3a drilling.
Rotation 3b comprised 30 RC holes that assessed Targets AG, AH, and AM. Three holes were abandoned before intersecting bedrock. A total of 38 BOK and 86 BR samples were collected. Reported intercepts do not represent true widths. Two holes from Target AH returned gold values above a 0.02 ppm threshold in BIF with iron staining and evidence of quartz veining: KR26-060 returned four continuous bedrock samples (7 m) with Au ranging from 0.033 to 0.036 ppm from 18-25 m depth; KR26-061 returned a 1 m BR intersection of 0.05 ppm Au at 24-25 m depth, in thinly banded BIF with iron staining.
Three holes drilled at Target AM returned gold values above a 0.02 ppm threshold. KR26-086 returned an upper BR sample of 0.19 ppm Au over 1 m (31-32 m) with two underlying samples of 0.08 and 0.03 ppm Au in thinly banded BIF with minor quartz veining. KR26-084, drilled 15 m east of KR26-081, returned a BOK result of 0.041 ppm (30-31 m) from BIF dominated cover material overlying basalt. KR26-081, on the western end of transect 8a within Target AM, intersected 32 m of Kalahari cover and drilled into a 5 m intersection of altered BIF with evidence of quartz veining that returned 0.21 ppm Au from 32-37 m depth, hole ended at 37 m.
Figure 2: Kraaipan Gold Project - Location map of the proposed Rotation 4 RC drill locations in area of Target AE (green diamonds).
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Rotation 4 RC Drilling Target AE and AF
The Rotation 4 program at Target AE is expected to consist of a minimum 15 holes drilled at a 60-degree angle, 275-280o azimuth, with 60 m step outs north and south, along with two planned deeper holes testing the down-dip extension of mineralization in the vicinity of KR26-040 which returned 27 m @ 1.11 g/t Au. Please refer to the Company's news release dated July 15, 2026. Planned hole lengths of 60-70 m for the along strike and 130-150 m for the down-dip, vertical depths for intersection of the mineralized package are estimated at 20-50 m for holes drilled along strike and 75-100 m for the down dip RC holes. Drilling is planned to test along the potential 1,000 m strike extent outlined in the North Arrow news release dated August 24, 2026.
A further four shallow RC holes are also planned at Target AF (time permitting) to test the southern strike extent and better resolve the nature of mineralization intersected at AF-Grid 1 in RC drill hole KR26-021 (4.04 g/t Au over 9 m) as reported in North Arrow's news release dated July 15, 2026).
Summary
The Company continues to progress the Kraaipan Project with an integrated approach combining interpretation of existing and new high resolution geophysical data, new surface sampling and RC drilling data. This approach supports the thesis that the underexplored region has high potential to host a bulk tonnage, low grade BIF-associated gold deposit analogous to the producing Kalgold Mine of Harmony Gold Mining Company Ltd.
Regional reconnaissance RC drilling of favorable geology and geophysical features intersected anomalous bedrock gold at Targets AH and AM, extending known gold occurrences under Kalahari sand cover in areas approximately 9 km north of Target AE, and 16 km north of Target A. Regional RC reconnaissance drilling of geophysical and prospective geology has proven to be an excellent methodology for rapid sampling under Kalahari cover.
Building on RC drilling and surface sampling results, the 15-hole Rotation 4 program will test the strike and down-dip extent of Target AE over a 1,000 m strike length. Follow-up drilling at Target AF Grid 1 will test for the southern extent of high-grade altered BIF and ferruginous chert intersected earlier in 2026.
The previously approved 2026 exploration budget of US$2.3 M has been increased to a total of US$2.86 M to accommodate Rotation 4 drilling and increased rock sampling and the addition of soil sampling grids.
Next Steps
Rotation 4 drilling has commenced and intended to test and confirm the down dip and along strike extension of Target AE, and strike extension at Target AF. Results are expected in Q4/26.
Hyperspectral scanning of representative 2025 and 2026 RC drill chips and cuttings will commence in mid-September, and the program is anticipated to be completed in mid-October with results in later Q4/26.
Surface prospecting, soil sampling, and ground geophysics will continue across the property. A soil grid is planned for the area south of Target A, and additional prospecting will be conducted south and west of the main Target AE area, Target AN and the north of Target AF.
About the Kraaipan Gold Project
The Kraaipan Project comprises approximately 724 km² of mineral concessions covering the entire ~60 km northern extension of the Kraaipan Greenstone Belt, a highly prospective Archean greenstone terrain straddling the Botswana-South Africa border. Over 80% of the northern portion of the belt is covered by Kalahari overburden, which has seen limited past exploration. The South African portion of the belt hosts numerous mineral occurrences including Harmony Gold's Kalgold Mine, a multi-million-ounce, BIF-hosted gold operation located 40 km to the south that has been in continuous production for over 30 years.
North Arrow can earn up to 80% interest in the Kraaipan Project from Rockman Resources through a First Option to earn 60% by investing US$5 M over three years (US$1 M firm commitment achieved), and a Second Option, at Rockman's election, to earn an additional 20% upon completion of a Preliminary Economic Assessment. North Arrow's partner Rockman Resources - through its operator Mineral Services - leverages over 25 years of operational experience in Botswana, together with proprietary technologies including high-resolution UAV magnetics, a mobile RC drilling platform optimized for Kalahari conditions, and in-house sample preparation.
Sampling, Laboratory Analyses and QA/QC
RC and surface rock samples collected in the field were driven to Mineral Services' facility in Gaborone to be sorted and prioritized for assay. Samples were allocated unique random sample numbers, sealed and shipped to ALS's laboratory in Johannesburg, South Africa using industry-standard chain-of-custody protocols. Following an initial coarse crush (CRU-21), the entire sample is then pulverized (PUL-21) to better than 85% passing a 75-micron screen prior to geochemical analysis. All samples are analyzed for gold by fire assay with an ICP-AES finish, method code Au-ICP22 (50-gram sample). Samples returning gold values over 10 ppm are subjected to ore-grade check assays using fire assay and a gravimetric finish using method code Au-GRA22 (50-gram sample). Samples are also subjected to lithium borate fusion and acid digestion for whole-rock analysis of major and trace elements by ICP-AES (major elements) and ICP-MS (trace elements); method codes ME-ICP06 and ME-MS81, respectively. In addition, a suite of base metals and other trace elements not included in the ME-MS81 method are analysed by ICP-AES on four-acid digestions (method code ME-4ACD81).
QA/QC protocols include ALS laboratory's own internal quality assurance controls as well as Rockman's field controls, including the insertion of duplicates and certified reference materials (CRM), each at a rate of roughly one per 20 samples. QA/QC data are evaluated on receipt for failures, and appropriate action is taken if results for duplicates, CRMs and blanks fall outside allowed tolerances.
About North Arrow Minerals
North Arrow Minerals is a Vancouver-based exploration company focused on evaluating the Kraaipan Gold Project. Management and advisors bring significant global exploration and mining experience. North Arrow's exploration programs are conducted under the direction of Dr. John Armstrong, Ph.D., P.Geo. (NWT/NU), President and Chief Operating Officer of North Arrow and a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Dr. Armstrong has reviewed and approves the contents of this press release.
North Arrow Minerals Inc.
/s/ "Eira Thomas"
Eira Thomas, Chief Executive Officer
For further information, please contact:
Nick Thomas, Manager of Investor and Community Relations
Tel: 778-229-7194 | Email: nthomas@northarrowminerals.com
Website: www.northarrowminerals.com
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains "forward-looking statements" including but not limited to statements with respect to North Arrow's plans, the estimation of a mineral resource and the success of exploration activities. Forward-looking statements, while based on management's best estimates and assumptions, are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not restricted to, the amount of geological data available, the uncertain reliability of drilling results and geophysical and geological data and the interpretation thereof, and the need for adequate financing for future exploration and development efforts. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements except as required by law.
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/313317
