Hercules Metals Intersects 285 m of 0.47% Copper, Including 56 m of 0.89% Copper at the Leviathan Porphyry System and Discovers New Silver Zone in Southern Flats with 10.7 m of 420.5 g/t AgEq

Leviathan Continues to Expand, while a New Epithermal Silver Discovery Unfolds in the Southern Flats Zone

• A new epithermal silver-lead-zinc center has been identified in the Southern Flats Zone, supported by multiple drill holes spaced more than 1 km apart, indicating potential for the largest epithermal silver system on the Hercules Property. The first 2025 hole into Southern Flats, HER-25-06, intersected:

  • 10.7 m of strong veining grading 257.2 g/t Ag, 2.18% Pb, and 4.62% Zn (420.5 g/t AgEq),

  • Within a broader 119.9 m interval grading 31.2 g/t Ag, 0.29% Pb, and 0.86% Zn (59.7 g/t AgEq)

This is the first new silver discovery at Hercules since the 1980s, confirming a major southern extension of the Ag-Pb-Zn epithermal system. Early indications from this new zone show potential for the most continuous section of Hercules Rhyolite, the favourable host unit for silver mineralization, which may span more than 1 km in strike length, 1 km in width and 100 m in thickness.

• Potential to Expand Epithermal Silver Discovery Closer to Surface – Follow-up drilling continues to intersect Hercules Rhyolite across all holes in the Southern Flats Zone, including structurally-controlled zones of silver-lead-zinc epithermal veining. As shown in Figure 1, the rhyolite was intersected significantly closer to surface in 2024 drill hole HER-24-16, as well as drill holes HER-25-23 and HER-25-25, for which assays are pending. Surface mapping has also identified altered Hercules Rhyolite at surface, approximately 1.6 km along strike to the south of HER-25-06.

• Leviathan’s Footwall Zone Intersected in HER-25-12 – Drill hole HER-25-12 intersected the thicker footwall portion of the Leviathan porphyry system, returning:

  • 285 m of 0.47% Cu, 63 ppm Mo, and 1.0 g/t Ag,

  • including 56 m with bornite-chalcocite mineralization grading 0.89% Cu, 41 ppm Mo, 1.7 g/t Ag

• High-Grade Core Extends South – Visual core logging indicates Leviathan’s hypogene-enriched core may expand southwest of HER-25-12, in recently completed drill hole HER-25-15 and the currently in-progress drill hole HER-25-18, for which assays are pending. A pre-collared drill hole, PRE-25-21, is planned to continue testing this corridor southwest of HER-25-18, in early 2026, following the holiday break.

• Phase II MT+ELF Survey Completed – The previously announced Magnetotelluric (“MT“) survey has been further infilled from 1,000 m to 250 m spacing to significantly improve resolution of the 5-km-long Leviathan conductivity anomaly and refine estimates of cover thickness in the south. The updated inversion model is expected to materially enhance targeting of both porphyry and epithermal mineralization in Southern Flats.

• Three ongoing drill holes, HER-25-18, HER-25-21 and HER-25-25 have been paused for the holiday break. HER-25-18 is at 841 m depth in relict biotite (potassic) alteration with copper sulfide and pyrite veining that indicate a potentially wider portion of the Footwall copper shell than previously recognized. HER-25-21 is pre-collared and ready for completion with a core drill. HER-25-25 intersected Lower Plate Triassic rocks in the Southern Flats Zone at 808 m depth, in altered porphyry leach cap cut by what appear to be a younger phase of Jurassic silver-lead-zinc epithermal veins. Both holes are scheduled to resume in early February 2026, subject to weather conditions.

Toronto, Ontario–(Newsfile Corp. – December 22, 2025) – Hercules Metals Corp. (TSXV: BIG) (OTCQB: BADEF) (FSE: C0X) (“Hercules” or the “Company“) reports further results from its ongoing 2025 drilling campaign on the Leviathan porphyry copper discovery at its Hercules Property in western Idaho (the “Property“).

Results continue to demonstrate strong continuity and thickness of Leviathan’s Footwall Zone. Drill hole HER-25-12 (“25-12“) returned 285 m of 0.47% Cu, 63 ppm Mo, and 1.0 g/t Ag, including 56 m of 0.89% Cu, 41 ppm Mo, 1.7 g/t Ag.

The first 2025 drill hole in the Southern Flats Zone, HER-25-06, intersected 10.7 m grading 257.2 g/t Ag, 2.18% Pb, and 4.62% Zn (420.5 g/t AgEq), within a broader interval of 119.9 m grading 31.2 g/t Ag, 0.29% Pb, and 0.86% Zn (59.7 g/t AgEq), revealing the presence of strong epithermal mineralization concealed in Southern Flats. The hole reached its Triassic lower plate target for porphyry copper mineralization, but terminated short of its planned depth, intersecting a narrow interval of bornite-chalcopyrite mineralization grading 1.06% Cu and 0.29 g/t Au over 4.57 m. Pyrite “D-veins” were observed downhole with sericite-chlorite alteration, typical of the outer phyllic halo of a porphyry system, with the final 5.7 m of the hole ending in 68.9 g/t Ag.

Although the hole was lost before reaching its target depth, the alteration observed is consistent with proximity to a nearby porphyry center. Step-out drilling in HER-25-25 is designed to follow up on these results.

Table 1: Highlight Intervals

Hole ID	From  (m)	To  (m)	Interval (m)1	Cu  (%)	Mo  (ppm)	Ag  (g/t)	Pb  (%)	Zn  (%)	AgEq2  (gt)	Deposit  Style
HER-25-06	466.34	724.88	258.54			16.4	0.16	0.46	31.7	Epithermal Ag-Pb-Zn
including	605.03	724.88	119.85			31.2	0.29	0.86	59.7
including	621.79	632.46	10.67			257.2	2.18	4.62	420.5
AND	784.86	789.43	4.57	1.06	8	0.9				Porphyry Cu-Mo-Ag
AND	818.69	824.39	5.70	0.08	8	68.9
HER-25-07	349.61	399.9	50.29	0.67	151	12.2
AND	816.86	934.21	117.35	0.32	78	0.6
HER-25-08	190.5	646.18	455.68	0.23	67	1.5
HER-25-10	281.94	389.53	107.59	0.38	74	0.5
HER-25-11	303.28	422.15	118.87	0.25	21	3.1
HER-25-12	406.91	691.9	284.99	0.47	63	1.0
including	406.91	463.30	56.39	0.89	41	1.7

 

Chris Paul, CEO and Director of Hercules Metals, commented, “Drilling continues to expand the continuity and thickness in Leviathan’s Footwall Zone. HER-25-12 extends the full width of the Footwall Zone approximately 400 meters southwest of HER-25-02, with early indications from other holes suggesting potential for increasing hypogene enrichment along trend to the southwest.

“Meanwhile, a significant new epithermal silver discovery in HER-25-06 serves as a reminder of the upside potential provided by multiple mineralizing systems at Hercules, adding value while helping vector toward the next potential porphyry center on the project.

“With fieldwork complete on the Phase II MT survey, we also expect to soon have a refined, high-resolution model of the 5 km Leviathan anomaly to materially enhance targeting of new porphyry and epithermal centers indicated at Southern Flats, focusing on areas with reduced cover thickness to the south.”

Figure 1: Drill plan. Grade bars for copper (orange) and molybdenum (blue), with the location of Figure 2’s cross-section (C-C’). Intervals of Hercules Rhyolite, the favourable host unit for silver mineralization, intersected by the first six holes drilled in Southern Flats, are shown in yellow-green along the drill traces. Rhyolite was intersected near-surface in 2024 drill hole 24-16 and 2025 drill holes 25-23 and 25-25.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9425/278780_970d3d38b49b48bd_002full.jpg

CORE PHOTOS FOR REPORTED INTERVALS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING WITHIN 24 HOURS AT:

https://www.herculesmetals.com/hercules/core-photos/

Figure 2: Cross-section C-C’ (See Figure 1 for location), showing drill hole HER-25-12 relative to previous drilling on the fence.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9425/278780_970d3d38b49b48bd_003full.jpg

Drill Hole Summaries

HER-25-06 – below the post-mineral basalt, HER-25-06 intersected epithermal mineralization consisting of veins of tetrahedrite-tennantite, pyrite, galena, sphalerite, and rhodochrosite within the Hercules Rhyolite. The full 258.54 m rhyolite interval averaged 31.7 g/t AgEq, highlighting the bulk-tonnage epithermal potential above the underlying porphyry copper target at Southern Flats. This included a 119.85 m interval of stronger mineralization grading 59.7 g/t AgEq, with a strongly veined 10.7 m subinterval averaging 420.5 g/t AgEq.

HER-25-07 – intersected 50.3 m of strong porphyry mineralization grading 0.67% Cu, 12.2 g/t Ag, and 151 ppm Mo in the Hanging Wall Zone. The hole then entered the lower-grade central porphyry, before grades began increasing toward a potential southwest extension of stronger grades in the Footwall Zone. Follow-up drilling is planned to test this projected southwest extension of the Footwall Zone as illustrated by the dashed lines on Figure 1. HER-25-21 has already been pre-collared to test the same extension on a nearby fence starting in 2026.

HER-25-08, HER-25-09 and HER-25-10 – intersected the outer pyrite halo of the system which is host to lower-grade mineralization and alteration on the southeast side of Leviathan’s hypogene-enriched core. Despite this, HER-25-10 intersected 107.6 m of 0.38% Cu, 74 ppm Mo and 0.5 g/t Ag, along the hanging wall of the central porphyry.

HER-25-11 – suggests a potential fault offset of the system at the boundary between the Company’s surface mining rights, which host strong hypogene enrichment, and largely untested federal lands administered by the United States Forest Service (“USFS“). This interpretation is consistent with a sharp decrease in the Leviathan MT anomaly where it shifts from a north-northeast trend to an east-trending orientation toward the headwaters of Grade Creek. While additional drilling and IP geophysics on USFS lands may be used to investigate this weaker offset of the Leviathan anomaly in 2026, the Company’s current focus remains on the significantly higher potential to the south, where the conductivity anomaly strengthens on mineral rights the Company holds in fee simple.

HER-25-12 – intersected 56 m of bornite-chalcocite hypogene enrichment grading 0.89% Cu, within an overall intercept of 285 m of 0.47% Cu, defining a wide section of the Footwall Zone from the lower-grade central porphyry, to the Footwall pyrite halo.

Table 2: Surveyed Drill Collar Locations

Hole ID	Easting	Northing	Elevation	Depth (m)		Azimuth	Dip
HER-25-06	511892.24	4954965.31	1269.79	825.22		290	-69.94
HER-25-07	511759.37	4955859.65	1362.92	934.21		293.74	-45.19
HER-25-08	512093.82	4956826.69	1588.48	696.77		313.49	-84.75
HER-25-09	512214.89	4956235.16	1514.62	137.56		314.91	-53.72
HER-25-10	512068.01	4956608.69	1545.42	442.87		315	-69.06
HER-25-11	512093.82	4956826.69	1588.48	807.72		345	-54.24
HER-25-12	511816.25	4956580.58	1503.5	783.95		314.24	-55.33

 

Sample Analysis and QAQC

All drill core samples were prepped and analyzed at MSA Labs in Langley, British Columbia, an ISO 17025 and ISO 9001 certified laboratory. Samples were dried and crushed to 2 mm, from which a 250 g sub-sample split was then pulverized to 85% passing a 75 micron sieve. Following preparation, assays were determined by the IMS-230 method. A 0.25 g aliquot of the prepared pulp was digested in a 4-acid solution consisting of hydrochloric, nitric, perchloric and hydrofluoric acids. 4-acid is a near total digest and only the most highly resistant minerals are not dissolved. The resulting solution was analyzed via ICP-MS and ICP-ES for 48 elements and was corrected for inter-element spectral interferences. Lower detection limits for this procedure are 0.01 ppm for silver, 0.5 ppm for lead, 2 ppm for zinc, and 0.2 ppm for copper. Mercury is not reported due to volatilization in reaction with hydrofluoric acid and gold is not reported due to the small, 0.25 g aliquot size being insufficient to overcome the nugget effect.

Samples with initial results beyond the upper detection limit of the IMS-230 method were analyzed by procedures ICF-6Ag, ICF-6Cu, ICF-6Pb and ICF-6Zn. The thresholds are 100 ppm for silver, and >1% for copper, lead and zinc.

A 30 g split from the crushed and pulverized samples are composited into larger 300 g composite samples (consisting of ten continuous samples) and analyzed for gold utilizing CPA-Au1 photon assay method. Certain material gold results from the composite samples were then selected for re-analysis, by individual sample, as a 30 g fire assay (FAS-111 Method).

MSA Labs employs internal quality control standards, duplicates and blank samples at set frequencies.

Blind certified reference materials (CRMs) and blank samples were systematically inserted by the Company into the sample stream and analyzed as part of the Company’s quality assurance/quality control protocol.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved for disclosure by Dillon Hume, P.Geo. and Vice President, Exploration for the Company. Mr. Hume is a “Qualified Person” for Hercules Metals within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

About Hercules Metals Corp.

Hercules Metals Corp. (TSXV: BIG) (OTCQB: BADEF) (FSE: C0X) is an exploration Company focused on developing America’s newest porphyry copper district, in Idaho.

The 100% owned Hercules Project, located northwest of Cambridge, hosts the newly discovered Leviathan porphyry copper system, one of the most important new discoveries in the country to date. The Company is well positioned for growth through continued drilling, supported by a strategic investment from Barrick Mining Corporation.

With the potential for significant scale, the Company’s management and board of directors aims to deliver value to shareholders through proven discovery success.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. Any securities referred to herein have not and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act“) or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws of an exemption from such registration is available.

Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains certain information that may be deemed “forward-looking information” with respect to the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements, or developments in the industry to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information includes statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “intends,” “estimates,” “projects,” “potential” and similar expressions, or that events or conditions “will,” “would,” “may,” “could” or “should” occur. Forward-looking information contained in this press release may include, without limitation, the expected execution of future exploration programs on the Property; assay results of future drill holes; results of operations, and the expected financial performance of the Company.

Although the Company believes the forward-looking information contained in this news release is reasonable based on information available on the date hereof, by its nature, forward-looking information involves assumptions and known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information.

Examples of such assumptions, risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, assumptions, risks and uncertainties associated with general economic conditions; the Covid-19 pandemic; adverse industry events; the receipt of required regulatory approvals and the timing of such approvals; that the Company maintains good relationships with the communities in which it operates or proposes to operate, future legislative and regulatory developments in the mining sector; the Company’s ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources, and/or inability to access sufficient capital on favorable terms; mining industry and markets in Canada and generally; the ability of the Company to implement its business strategies; competition; the risk that any of the assumptions prove not to be valid or reliable, which could result in delays, or cessation in planned work, risks associated with the interpretation of data, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits, the possibility that results will not be consistent with the Company’s expectations, as well as other assumptions risks and uncertainties applicable to mineral exploration and development activities and to the Company, including as set forth in the Company’s public disclosure documents filed on the SEDAR+ website at www.sedarplus.ca.

THE FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS PRESS RELEASE REPRESENTS THE EXPECTATIONS OF HERCULES METALS AS OF THE DATE OF THIS PRESS RELEASE AND, ACCORDINGLY, IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AFTER SUCH DATE. READERS SHOULD NOT PLACE UNDUE IMPORTANCE ON FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION AND SHOULD NOT RELY UPON THIS INFORMATION AS OF ANY OTHER DATE. WHILE HERCULES METALS MAY ELECT TO, IT DOES NOT UNDERTAKE TO UPDATE THIS INFORMATION AT ANY PARTICULAR TIME EXCEPT AS REQUIRED IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAWS.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

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¹ The intervals reported represent drill intercepts and insufficient data are available at this time to state the true thickness of the mineralized intervals.
² Silver equivalent (AgEq) for drill intersections is calculated using 3-year trailing average metal prices of: silver US$30.16/oz., lead US$0.95/lb and zinc US$1.25/lb. Silver equivalent grade is calculated as AgEq (g/t) = Ag (g/t) + (Pb (%) x 0.90 x 19.437) + (Zn (%) x 0.9 x 25.007). Metallurgical recoveries assumed are 90% for lead and 88% for zinc, based on metallurgical results on similar deposits.

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