Star Metro - Meta Critical Minerals Receives Drill Permit For Advanced Arcadia Critical Minerals Project in Wyoming

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / October 5, 2026 / Meta Critical Minerals Inc. (the "Company" or "Meta") (CSE:MTTA)(OTCQB:MTTAF)(FSE:VJ3) is pleased to announce that it has received approval to proceed with a 10,500-foot (3,200-metre) drill program at the Dugout Creek deposit, part of the Company's advanced-stage Arcadia Project ("Arcadia") in Washakie County, Wyoming.

The Dugout Creek depositis in the southeastern Bighorn Basin, where it crops out along a series of dissectedmesas. In both areal extent and tonnage, Dugout Creek is the largest known Cretaceous heavy-mineral sandstone in Wyoming (Lichtner et al., 2023, pp. 59-60).

Previous drilling and groundwork have identified the outcropping mineralization strike length of over two miles on the property (figure 1). The basal contact of this deposit is gradational, making the actual thickness difficult to determine. In some places the heavy-mineral-bearing intervalis over 7 m thick. Houston and Murphy (1962) estimated a range of thickness of between 3.0 to 4 .6 m (10 to 15 feet). (Houston and Murphy, 1962, pp. 82-88).

Access to the property is an easy drive to all proposed drill sites from the state highway.

Highlights

• Near-term results: initial assay results are expected during the fourth quarter of 2026.

Figure 1 Geologist in foreground approximately 0.5 miles west of the North trending heavy mineral sand outcropping

The U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management has approved the Company's Notice to conduct exploratory drilling for heavy minerals within unpatented mining claims on BLM administered public lands.

Meta has engaged Wyoming-based BRS Engineering to design and manage the next phase of technical work at Arcadia. The planned drilling program is intended to confirm and expand upon the substantial body of historical work already completed at Dugout Creek and generate the geological, density, metallurgical and other technical data required to support the preparation of a maiden Mineral Resource Estimate in accordance with NI 43-101, with the objective of subsequently advancing the Project toward a Preliminary Economic Assessment.

The planned 2026 drill program is fully funded from the Company's existing treasury. The selected drilling contractor is expected to mobilize to site shortly, with the first hole currently scheduled to be collared during the third week of October 2026.

Rana Vig, CEO of Meta Critical Minerals, commented: "Receipt of the drill permit marks an important milestone for Arcadia and allows us to begin the next phase of advancing what is already a well-developed critical minerals project. With more than 60 historical drill holes, metallurgical testing, mineralogical studies and preliminary mine planning already completed, we are not starting from the beginning. This 10,500-foot program is designed to build upon that extensive body of historical work, confirm and expand our understanding of Dugout Creek and provide the modern technical data required to support a maiden mineral resource estimate. Our objective is very clear: systematically advance Arcadia through resource definition and into economic evaluation through a Preliminary Economic Assessment."

"We are also very pleased to have the highly experienced team at BRS Engineering managing this work. Their extensive experience in Wyoming, together with their capabilities in resource estimation, mine planning, permitting and economic studies, provides Meta with a highly qualified technical team to advance Arcadia through its next stages."

Arcadia Project - Wyoming, U.S.A. Zirconium · Titanium · Rare Earth Elements

Arcadia is an advanced-stage critical minerals project comprising approximately 4,480 acres of land claims and State leases in Wyoming and hosts two principal near-surface heavy mineral sand deposits known as Grass Creek (1380 acres) and Dugout Creek (3100 acres). The deposits contain zircon, titanium-bearing ilmenite and rare-earth-element-bearing monazite. The Grass Creek deposit is among the largest high-grade Cretaceous paleoplacers known in Wyoming (Lichtner et al., 2023, pp. 59-60). Historical work at Grass Creek has reported average zircon grades of approximately 2.2% ZrSiO₄. Dow and Batty (1961) analyzed a composite of nine samples, which contained 21.5 percent TiO2, 20.9 percent iron, 3.0 percent ZrO2, and 0.09 percent equivalent ThO2 at Grass Creek. The deposits also contain monazite, a source of rare earth elements used in applications including permanent magnets, defence systems and nuclear energy. Substantial historical technical work has been completed at Arcadia, including more than 7,000 feet (2,134 metres) of drilling across more than 60 holes (including 30 holes drilled at Grass Creek), together with metallurgical testing, mineralogical studies, geophysical surveys, environmental baseline work and preliminary open-pit production modelling.

The Company believes this extensive body of historical information provides a strong technical foundation from which to undertake the confirmatory and infill work required to advance Arcadia toward a maiden Mineral Resource Estimate in accordance with NI 43-101and subsequent economic evaluation.

About BRS Engineering

BRS Inc. is a Wyoming-based professional engineering and geological consulting firm with decades of experience in mineral exploration, resource estimation, mine design and planning, economic evaluation, environmental permitting and mine reclamation. BRS has held technical and management roles on more than 100 mining and mine reclamation projects and has experience preparing mineral resource estimates, NI 43-101 technical reports, Preliminary Economic Assessments and feasibility-level studies.

Fig 2. Proposed Drill Hole Sites

Historical Information

Certain drilling, grade, metallurgical and other technical information relating to Arcadia contained in this news release is historical in nature. No Mineral Resource or Mineral Reserve is currently being reported by the Company for the Arcadia Project. A Qualified Person has not completed sufficient work to independently verify all historical drilling, assay, metallurgical and other technical information described in this news release.

The planned confirmatory and infill drilling program is intended, in part, to verify and supplement the historical data and provide information suitable for use in the preparation of a maiden Mineral Resource Estimate and related technical disclosure in accordance with NI 43-101.

Sampling and QA/QC

Detailed sampling, analytical and quality assurance/quality control procedures for the 2026 drilling program will be established in consultation with BRS Engineering and the Company's Qualified Person. The Company will provide additional details regarding the analytical laboratory, sampling intervals, analytical methods and QA/QC protocols as the drilling program progresses.

The Company also announces that it has granted an aggregate of 5,700,000 stock options to certain advisors and consultants of the Company pursuant to the Company's omnibus equity incentive plan. The stock options vest immediately and are exercisable at a price of $0.15 per share and will expire five years from the date of grant. The grant of the stock options is subject to acceptance by the Canadian Securities Exchange.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Ted Vander Wart, P.Geo., a consultant to the Company and a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

References:

Lichtner, D.T., Krupnick, J.M., Webber, P.M., and Doorn, C.J., 2023, Upper Cretaceous Fossil Beach Placers of Wyoming-Geochemistry, Mineralogy, and Economics, Wyoming State Geological Survey Report of Investigations 80.

Houston, R.S., and Murphy, J.R., 1962, Titaniferous Black Sandstone Deposits of Wyoming, Geological Survey of Wyoming Bulletin 49.

Dow, V.T., and Batty, J.V., 1961, Reconnaissance of Titaniferous Sandstone Deposits of Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Colorado: U.S. Bureau of Mines Report of Investigations 5860, 52 p.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD,

Rana Vig | CEO and Director
Telephone: 604-218-4766
[email protected]

About Meta Critical Minerals Inc.

Meta Critical Minerals Inc. is a well-funded, publicly listed mining company focused on building shareholder value through the acquisition, exploration, and development of strategically located critical-mineral assets. The Company is advancing a portfolio of projects targeting silica (silicon), zircon (zirconium), titanium, scandium, vanadium, and rare earth elements, commodities that are essential to advanced manufacturing, defense systems, green power generation and electrification, and emerging technologies. Meta's assets are located in jurisdictions characterized by strong and growing demand for critical minerals, spanning Canada, U.S.A. and Central-East Asia. The Company's strategy emphasizes near-term production potential, disciplined capital allocation, and the development of assets capable of supporting a transition to cash-flow-generating operations, with the objective of delivering sustainable long-term value to shareholders, host communities, and regional stakeholders.

The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed this press release and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements regarding the timing, scope and completion of the Company's planned 2026 drilling program at the Arcadia Project; the mobilization of drilling equipment and commencement of drilling; the timing and receipt of assay results; the ability of the drilling program to confirm, expand or supplement historical information; the preparation of a maiden Mineral Resource Estimate in accordance with NI 43-101; the potential classification of mineral resources; further metallurgical testing; and the potential advancement of Arcadia toward a Preliminary Economic Assessment and subsequent development. Forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations, assumptions and estimates and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. There can be no assurance that the planned work will be completed as anticipated, that a Mineral Resource will be defined, or that the Project will advance to economic evaluation or development. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements except as required by applicable securities laws.

SOURCE: Meta Critical Minerals Inc.

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

M.Johnston--SMC