Star Metro - Aeonian Commences Inaugural Drill Program at the Jake Zone, Koocanusa Copper-Silver Project, Southeastern British Columbia

Highlights

• Fully-funded inaugural drill program at the Koocanusa copper-silver project now underway setting the stage for a productive 2026 exploration season.

• Three diamond drill holes planned from two drill pads totaling approximately 900 metres.

• Diamond drilling designed to test a 130-metre-thick conductive sedimentary package interpreted to be a premium host for copper mineralization.

• Drill target defined by coincident surface exposed copper-silver mineralization and airborne magnetic geophysics.

• Conductivity anomaly is interpreted to extend along approximately 500 metres of strike length which remains open both laterally and down dip.

• Portable XRF analysis will be used on site to help guide drilling decisions in real time.

• Jake is one of approximately nineteen priority copper-silver targets identified across the district-scale Koocanusa property.

Andy Randell, CEO of Aeonian Resources, commented:

"Commencing our inaugural drill program at Koocanusa is an important milestone for Aeonian. The Jake target presents a compelling combination of encouraging copper-silver values at surface, favourable sedimentary host rocks, and a strong conductive geophysical signature that may represent sulphide-bearing horizons at depth.

This program represents the first test of a broader exploration model across the Koocanusa property. With nineteen priority targets identified to date, we believe the project has the potential to develop into a significant copper-silver exploration district within the Purcell Basin.

Our objective with this initial drilling is to confirm the geological model and determine whether these conductive sedimentary horizons host copper mineralization at depth."

Why the Jake Target Matters

The Jake target represents a compelling first drill test within the Koocanusa Project due to the combination of several key exploration indicators:

• Surface copper and silver mineralization identified in sedimentary host rocks

• A strong airborne magnetic and ground conductivity anomaly coincident with mapped mineralized horizons

• Geological bedding orientations consistent with the dip of the geophysical target

• A conductive stratigraphic package interpreted to be approximately 130 metres thick

Together, these features provide a strong geological basis for testing whether copper-silver mineralization continues at depth within favourable sedimentary host units.

The inaugural drill program is focused on the Jake target, where surface sampling has returned values of up to 0.32% copper and 31.1g/t silver from mineralized sedimentary units exposed at surface (see December 8, 2025, news release). These occurrences coincide with a strong subsurface conductivity and surface magnetic anomalies identified in airborne geophysical surveys completed in 2025.

The initial drill program will consist of three diamond drill holes from two drill pads totaling approximately 900 metres (Figure 1), designed to test for down dip extensions of mineralization over an interpreted 500 metre strike length.

Geophysical interpretation indicates that the Jake target corresponds to a conductive stratigraphic package approximately 130 metres thick, interpreted to dip eastward at an angle consistent with bedding measurements observed in surface outcrops. The Company believes the conductivity anomaly may represent sulphide-bearing sedimentary horizons capable of hosting copper mineralization.

The conductive zone is interpreted to extend along approximately 500 metres of strike and remains open both laterally and down dip, providing potential for expansion if mineralization is confirmed.

During the program, the Company will utilize a portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) analyzer on site to rapidly assess copper concentrations in drill core. While pXRF measurements are not a substitute for laboratory assays, the instrument will be used to guide geological interpretation and help make the drill program more responsive as results are observed in real time.

Decisions regarding follow-up drilling will be made once geological observations and laboratory assay results from the initial program have been received and evaluated.

The Jake target was selected for the inaugural drill program due to its combination of strong geophysical response, encouraging surface mineralization, and favourable access.

Sediment-Hosted Copper - Target Concept

Sediment-hosted copper deposits form when metal-bearing fluids migrate through permeable sedimentary rocks and precipitate copper-hosting minerals within favourable stratigraphic horizons, often along faults or physical trap zones. These deposits can form laterally extensive mineralized layers that follow bedding within sedimentary basins.

At Koocanusa, the exploration model focuses on Revett-type sedimentary copper mineralization, where copper and silver occur within specific sedimentary units that provided favourable fluid pathways and chemical conditions for metal deposition.

Within the Purcell Basin, the mineralized unit known as the Revett Formation in Montana is equivalent to the Creston Formation in British Columbia, reflecting differences in regional geological nomenclature rather than a change in stratigraphy.

Exploration programs elsewhere in the Purcell Basin in Montana have targeted the same regional sedimentary basin and stratigraphic sequence that extends northward into southeastern British Columbia. Several significant sediment-hosted copper-silver deposits occur within this basin, including the Libby (Montanore) Project, Rock Creek Project, and Spar Lake Mine.

In recent years Hecla Mining Company has consolidated several of these projects and updated mineral resource estimates, including the Montanore deposit near Libby, Montana, which is reported to contain an inferred mineral resource of approximately 1.5 billion pounds of copper and 183 million ounces of silver ¹.

The Company notes that these deposits are referenced for geological context only, and that mineralization present elsewhere in the basin is not necessarily indicative of mineralization at the Koocanusa Project.

While the Koocanusa Project is at an early stage of exploration and mineralization remains unconfirmed at depth, Aeonian believes that the presence of similar stratigraphic units and basin architecture supports the potential for sediment-hosted copper-silver systems within the project area.

District-Scale Exploration Potential

Exploration at the Koocanusa Project has identified approximately nineteen priority targets across the property through airborne geophysical surveys, geological mapping, and surface sampling programs.

These targets represent conductive stratigraphic horizons and structural trap zones interpreted within favourable Creston Formation sedimentary units across the project area. Several of these targets exhibit geophysical signatures like the Jake conductivity anomaly and remain untested by drilling.

Results from the inaugural drill program at Jake will help refine the geological model and guide future exploration across the broader target pipeline.

Reference

¹ Reported by Hecla: https://www.hecla.com/exploration

Qualified Person and NI 43-101 Disclosure

The scientific and technical information in this news release was reviewed and approved by Kristian Whitehead, P.Geo., a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. Mr. Whitehead is not independent of the Company.

About the Koocanusa Project

The Koocanusa Project is a district-scale copper-silver exploration property located in southeastern British Columbia near the Canada-United States border. The project covers approximately 352 km² of prospective ground within the Purcell Basin, a large Proterozoic sedimentary basin known to host stratiform copper-silver mineralization.

Exploration at Koocanusa has focused on identifying conductive stratigraphic horizons and structural trap zones within Revett-equivalent sedimentary units that may host sediment-hosted copper mineralization.

The Koocanusa Project benefits from excellent infrastructure and access, including highway access on three sides of the property and the ability to conduct exploration activities throughout the year.

The current exploration permit allows for drilling activities over a three-year period, providing the Company with flexibility to advance exploration depending on results.

About Aeonian Resources Corp.

Aeonian Resources is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on advancing sediment-hosted copper and critical mineral projects in British Columbia. With a strong commitment to environmental responsibility, Indigenous engagement, and sound science, Aeonian aims to uncover the next generation of sustainable mineral resources. For additional information, visit the Company's website www.aeonianresources.com

All costs in this release are in Canadian Dollars.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF AEONIAN RESOURCES CORP.

"Andy Randell"
Chief Executive Officer

For further information, please contact:

Sharyn Alexander, Corporate Communications
[email protected]
Telephone: +1 (604) 800 6849

Neither the TSX Venture Exchangenor its Regulation Services Provider(as that term is definedin policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking information" with respect to Aeonian within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements with respect to the Company's planned drilling and exploration activities. The Company provides forward-looking statements for the purpose of conveying information about current expectations and plans relating to the future and readers are cautioned that such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. By its nature, this information is subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that may be general or specific and which give rise to the possibility that expectations, forecasts, predictions, projections or conclusions will notprove to be accurate, that assumptions may not be correct, and that objectives, strategic goals and priorities will not be achieved. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to those identified and reported in Aeonian's public filings under Aeonian Resources SEDAR profileat www.sedarplus.ca Although Aeonianhas attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate as actual results, and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Aeonian disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise unless required by law.

SOURCE: AEONIAN RESOURCES CORP

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

Y.X. Gagnon--SMC