ArcWest Announces $4 Million Drilling Program at its Todd Creek Copper-Gold Project in 2025, Funded by Freeport-McMoRan Mineral Properties Canada Inc.

Rhea-AI Summary

ArcWest Exploration (TSXV: AWX, OTC: SJRNF) has announced a CAD$4 million drilling program at its Todd Creek Copper-Gold Project in British Columbia's Golden Triangle, fully funded by Freeport-McMoRan. The program, scheduled to begin by June 2025, is part of Freeport's earn-in agreement to acquire 51% interest by spending CAD$20M over five years.

The program will test four major copper-gold targets: Orange Mountain, Fall Creek - Ice Creek, Yellow Bowl, and South Zone. Historical drilling has shown promising results, including 3.6 g/t Au and 0.27% Cu over 29.75m at South Zone. The company maintains a strong financial position with $2.65 million in treasury and $391,489 in marketable securities as of May 2025.

Positive

• Project is fully funded by major mining company Freeport-McMoRan
• Strong historical drilling results with high-grade gold-copper mineralization
• Strategic location near Newmont's Brucejack Gold Mine and Seabridge's KSM-Iron Cap deposits
• Healthy financial position with $2.65M cash and no warrants
• Additional income of $375,000 expected by year-end from partners

Negative

• Company must give up 51% project ownership to Freeport upon completion of earn-in
• Low market capitalization of only $7.48 million suggests limited investor interest
• Project remains in early exploration stage with no defined resource

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 26, 2025) - ArcWest Exploration Inc. (TSXV: AWX) ("ArcWest") is pleased to announce that it has mobilized to begin a drill program at its wholly owned Todd Creek Copper ("Cu") - Gold ("Au)" Project in British Columbia's Golden Triangle, with drilling scheduled to begin by the end of June 2025. Program funding of at least CAD$4 million is being 100% provided by Freeport-McMoRan Mineral Properties Canada Inc. ("Freeport"). Freeport's funding is provided under the March, 2023 Todd Creek Earn-In Agreement ("EIA"), by which Freeport may earn a 51% interest in the Todd Creek project by spending CAD$20M over a five-year period and making staged cash payments to ArcWest.

Highlights

• First drilling at the Todd Creek project since inception of Freeport earn-in agreement in 2023

• Four broad porphyry copper-gold targets to be tested in first phase program: (1) Orange Mountain, (2) Fall Creek - Ice Creek, (3) Yellow Bowl, and (4) South Zone (Figure 1).

• Program guided by the same Freeport technical team responsible for the recent high grade Aurora porphyry Cu-Au discovery in northern BC (Joy project, Amarc Resources)

Tyler Ruks, President and CEO of ArcWest commented, "Our work with Freeport to date at Todd Creek demonstrates that the property is host to one of the largest underexplored Cu-Au systems in BC. The 2025 Todd Creek drill program represents the culmination of two years of extensive field work which has outlined multiple drill targets on the property. ArcWest is excited to begin testing if the gold-copper mineralization, which occurs near surface along a 13 km long trend, is related to one or more underlying porphyry Cu-Au systems.

The 2025 drill program represents the first test of four of these deeper targets. ArcWest looks forward to working with the Freeport technical team, who played a key role in the recently discovered high grade Aurora porphyry Cu-Au system in northern British Columbia. ArcWest thanks Freeport for funding the 2025 Todd Creek drill program and providing a supportive relationship during the two year process of refining drill targets."

Tyler Ruks comments further, "ArcWest remains in a strong financial position with $2.65 million hard dollars in the treasury as of May 30^th, 2025, in addition to marketable securities worth $391,489. The company has no warrants, significant insider ownership and a low burn rate. Anticipated income for ArcWest between now and the end of the year totals approximately $375,000 including option and share payments from earn-in partners in addition to operatorship fees for ArcWest managed exploration programs. As of June 25th, the company has a market capitalization of $7.48 million."

The Todd Creek Property

ArcWest's 100% owned, 21,700 hectare Todd Creek Cu-Au project adjoins Newmont Corporation's Brucejack Gold Mine property, one of the highest-grade operating gold mines in the world, and is located approximately 40 km southeast of Seabridge Gold's KSM-Iron Cap Cu-Au deposits, which is one of the largest Au-Cu concentrations in North America.

The Todd Creek project is host to a 13-kilometre-long zone of strongly gossanous, variably altered, predominantly Early Jurassic volcanic rocks and contained Cu-Au mineral occurrences (Todd Creek alteration corridor; "TCAC") that are broadly coeval with the nearby Brucejack and KSM-Iron Cap epithermal Au-Ag and porphyry Cu-Au systems, respectively (Figure 1). At least four broad target areas within the TCAC are planned for drill testing during the 2025 exploration program. Drill targets were defined through extensive geophysical, geochemical and geological mapping programs conducted during the 2023-2024 field seasons, as part of the Freeport earn-in expenditures. Within the TCAC, Cu-Au occurrences are widespread, however, historical drilling has been focused on just a few discrete linear mineralized zones testing for shallow high-grade precious metal systems. These historical drill holes defined a number of Cu-Au mineralized structures to shallow depth:

• South Zone: 3.6 grams per tonne ("g/t") Au and 0.27% Cu over 29.75m from 59.5m in drill hole NTC88-19;
• Ice/Fall Creek Zone: 3.47 g/t Au and 0.73% Cu over 31.85m, from 29.3m in drill hole 88-22

Re-logging of historic drill holes has documented previously unrecognized porphyry style veins, alteration, and related intrusions from a number of Cu-Au mineralized zones throughout the TCAC. The exploration-hypothesis that one or more porphyry Cu-Au centers underlie the Cu-Au occurrences at surface has been under appreciated by historical operators and has never been adequately tested with drilling. The 2025 Todd Creek drill program will comprise a first phase test of at least four high-potential porphyry Cu-Au targets and will include at least six drill holes with planned 500-metre or deeper down-hole depths.

For further details, the Todd Creek technical presentation is available for download from the ArcWest website here.

2025 Drill Target Areas

The 2025 Todd Creek drill program will test four discrete target areas within the TCAC for porphyry Cu-Au centres. From north to south, these are: (1) Orange Mountain, (2) Fall Creek - Ice Creek, (3) Yellow Bowl, and (4) South Zone (Figure 1).

Fall Creek - Ice Creek

Multiple holes are designed to test geophysical targets in the Ice Creek - Fall Creek area (Figure 2). The Ice Creek and Fall Creek zones include linear trends of Au-Cu bearing quartz-sulfide veins, breccias and breccia dykes, which have been tested to shallow depths by historical drill holes (Figures 3 and 4), e.g.: NTC88-022 (31.85 meters of 3.47 g/t Au and 0.73% Cu; 29.3-61.95m), and NTC88-047 (20.95m of 1.78 g/t Au and 0.55% Cu; 28.7-49.65m). These overall NNW trends contain secondary NE-trending structures as well as stratabound zones within permeable volcanic and sedimentary units. Host volcanic rocks are variably altered, including zones of intense quartz-sericite-pyrite alteration ("QSP") with high white mica crystallinity.

At Fall Creek-Ice Creek, high level Au-Cu trends at surface are underlain by extensive chargeability highs and an intense resistivity low; these significant geophysical anomalies are predominately at depths that are untested by historical drilling (Figures 3 and 4).

Yellow Bowl

Yellow Bowl, the largest gossanous area on the property, hosts strong Cu-Au values in rocks over a 1 by 2 km area and has been tested by just two drill holes to date (Figure 5). Pyrite and chalcopyrite are associated with strong QSP and local advanced argillic ("AA") alteration with up to 10% or more disseminated sulfides. Larger gossans are associated with "blow-outs" along intersecting structures. Polymictic hydrothermal breccias, including breccias with chalcopyrite-mineralized, possibly intrusive clasts, are significant in the southern part of Yellow Bowl (Figure 6). The 2023 induced polarization survey outlined a 1.5 by 0.7 km chargeability high west of the area tested by two 2020 Yellow Bowl drill holes (the only holes ever drilled at Yellow Bowl). The outermost margin of this chargeability high was "clipped" by Yellow Bowl drill hole TC20-02 (Figure 7), where it intersected a zone of multiply brecciated quartz-chalcopyrite veining and local porphyry-like veins (e.g., quartz veins with pyrite-chalcopyrite centrelines). This interval returned 0.78% Cu, 84 ppb Au over 14.05m from 330m depth and suggests that the nearby chargeability anomaly, which remains untested by drilling, may be associated with a porphyry Cu-Au centre. A drill hole has been designed to test the the chargeability high below strong QSP alteration as well as a copper-molybdenum (Cu-Mo) soil anomaly (up to 3420 parts per million [ppm] Cu and 99.5 ppm Mo) at surface.

South Zone - Acid Pit

Historical drilling at South Zone has consistently intersected epithermal-like Au-Cu mineralization over a strike length of 875m and up to 250m down dip, with intercepts up to 3.6 g/t Au and 0.27% Cu over 27.75m from 59.5m in NTC88-19 (Figure 8). Gold and copper occur in a roughly north trending, steeply west dipping zone of banded to coxcomb multistage quartz-sulfide veins and breccias with abundant chalcopyrite, hematite and jasper. About 500m west of South Zone, the recently discovered Acid Pit is a zone of intense advanced argillic alteration (alunite - pyrophyllite - diaspore - dickite - kaolinite) associated with a north trending zone of low resistivity and coincident high chargeability which represents a significant, 2 km long untested structure. Both South Zone and Acid Pit may represent high level and/or lateral expressions of a larger porphyry system at depth (Figure 9). Relogging of South Zone drill hole SZD07-01A in 2024 indicated that porphyry style mineralization and intense potassic alteration in intrusive rocks was intersected from surface just west of the main South Zone trend. A drill hole has been designed to test the downplunge and along strike extents of South Zone for an underlying porphyry Cu-Au system.

Orange Mountain

The Orange Mountain area is host to a large gossan comprising argillic/QSP altered volcanic rocks (Figure 10). The zone is host to quartz-barite veins and local Cu-Au ± Pb-Zn occurrences. Orange Mountain has only been tested by two shallow inclined drill holes (AM07-01 and 01A), which intersected variably altered and mineralized volcanic rocks with up to 0.59 g/t Au, 30.3 g/t Ag, 0.47% Cu, 92 ppm Mo, 593 ppm Pb, 3410 ppm Zn, 1060 ppm As and 82 ppm Sb over assay intervals of 1-1.5m. The drill holes contain zones of banded quartz-magnetite/hematite-chalcopyrite veins, and sulfide stockworks with QSP alteration resembling porphyry style veins. A drill hole has been designed at Orange Mountain to test the downplunge extents of volcanic hosted quartz-magnetite-chalcopyrite veins for an underlying porphyry Cu-Au centre.

About ArcWest Exploration Inc.

ArcWest Exploration is a project generator focused on porphyry copper-gold exploration opportunities throughout western North America. The company is in possession of seven copper-gold projects throughout BC's premier porphyry copper-gold districts. These include ArcWest's Todd Creek and Oweegee Dome projects, which are two of the largest and most prospective land positions for copper-gold exploration in BC's prolific Golden Triangle. Oweegee Dome neighbours Seabridge Gold's supergiant KSM-Iron Cap-Snowfield porphyry copper-gold deposit and Todd Creek adjoins Newmont's Brucejack mine property. Several ArcWest projects are currently being advanced through earn-in and joint venture agreements; this includes an agreement with mining giant Freeport-McMoRan to advance ArcWest's 100% owned Todd Creek copper-gold project. By conducting partner funded exploration on multiple exploration projects simultaneously, ArcWest's chances of discovery are enhanced while exposing shareholders to minimal dilution. The company is managed by an experienced technical team with a track record of discovery and a reputation for attracting well-funded senior partners, including Freeport-McMoRan, Robert Friedland group companies, ITOCHU, Antofagasta and Teck.

Qualified Person

ArcWest's disclosure of a technical or scientific nature in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Tony Barresi, Ph.D., P.Geo., a consultant and technical advisor for ArcWest, who serves as a Qualified Person under the definition of National Instrument 43-101.

For further information please contact: Tyler Ruks, President and CEO at +1 (604) 638 3695.

Investors are cautioned that ArcWest Exploration Inc. has not verified the data from the KSM-Iron Cap, Brucejack, Treaty Creek, deposits. Further, the presence and style of mineralization on these properties is not necessarily indicative of similar mineralization on the ArcWest Exploration Inc. property. Historical assays from drill programs on its properties have not been verified by ArcWest but have been cited from sources believed to be reliable. Assay results reported by ArcWest in this news release range from trace amounts to the values stated. Historical drill intercepts reported here are not true widths.

This news release contains statements about ArcWest's expectations and are forward-looking in nature. As a result, they are subject to certain risks and uncertainties. Although ArcWest believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them as actual results may differ materially from the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof, and ArcWest undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, except as required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/256890

FAQ

What is the size of ArcWest's (SJRNF) 2025 drilling program at Todd Creek?

ArcWest announced a CAD$4 million drilling program at Todd Creek, fully funded by Freeport-McMoRan, scheduled to begin by the end of June 2025.

What are the historical drilling results at Todd Creek?

Key historical results include 3.6 g/t Au and 0.27% Cu over 29.75m at South Zone and 3.47 g/t Au and 0.73% Cu over 31.85m at Ice/Fall Creek Zone.

What is Freeport-McMoRan's earn-in agreement with ArcWest (SJRNF)?

Freeport can earn a 51% interest in the Todd Creek project by spending CAD$20 million over five years and making staged cash payments to ArcWest.

What is ArcWest's (SJRNF) current financial position?

As of May 30th, 2025, ArcWest has $2.65 million in cash, $391,489 in marketable securities, and expects additional income of approximately $375,000 by year-end.

What are the main targets for ArcWest's 2025 drilling program?

The program will test four major copper-gold targets: Orange Mountain, Fall Creek - Ice Creek, Yellow Bowl, and South Zone, with at least six drill holes planned to depths of 500 meters or more.