Vancouver, B.C. – February 3rd, 2025 – Westhaven Gold Corp. (TSX-V:WHN) is pleased to announce that drilling has commenced on the 41,634 hectare Shovelnose gold property, situated within the prospective Spences Bridge Gold Belt (SBGB), 30 kilometres south of Merritt, British Columbia.
The winter drill program will be testing three target areas: Certes 1, Certes 3 and Corral, with approximately 2,500 metres (m) of drilling in five holes. Certes 1 and 3 are located approximately 8-10 kilometres (kms) southeast of the high-grade South Zone deposit (see Preliminary Economic Assessment July 18, 2023). A corridor of mineralization and anomalous pathfinder geochemistry was expanded southeast by surface sampling and drilling in 2024. This corridor may represent single west-northwest striking structure 13.5 kms in length that remains open in all directions.
Preliminary shallow drilling in 2024 at Certes has uncovered a well-preserved epithermal system, now confirmed in the pathfinder geochemistry and TerraSpec (SWIR) analytical work. Certes 3 will be the initial focus of the program, testing down-dip the arsenic and gold-bearing carbonate breccias and quartz veins intersected in hole SN24-425 (e.g. 125ppm arsenic over 9m, 0.69 g/t Au over 1.74m).
Drilling at Certes 1 will test a subvertical resistivity feature, outlined by the fall 2024 IP survey, immediately north of hole SN24-420 which saw a transition from high level gold pathfinders, mercury and antimony in the first 350m (e.g. 0.44ppm Hg over 119m) to deeper pathfinders such as arsenic in the bottom 40m of the hole. Certes 1 is also proximal to mercury-bearing sinter cobbles and boulders found on surface, suggesting the epithermal system is entirely preserved here.
A single hole is also planned at the Corral target, south of Certes. Corral is thought to represent a west-northwest striking structure subparallel to Certes in an area of anomalous arsenic in outcrop. This hole will target a resistivity feature detected in the same IP survey.
Shovelnose Development
An updated Mineral Resource Estimate and Preliminary Economic Assessment for the South Zone deposit is expected to be completed in Q1 2025 and will include the Forget Me Not (FMN) and Franz Zones, additional discoveries located within the main Vein Zone 1 trend.
On behalf of the Board of Directors
WESTHAVEN GOLD CORP.
“Gareth Thomas”
Gareth Thomas, President, CEO & Director is responsible for this announcement
Telephone number: 604-681-5558 ext. 102
Qualified Person Statement
Peter Fischl, P.Geo., who is a Qualified Person within the context of National Instrument 43-101 has read and takes responsibility for this release.
Sampling, Laboratory Analyses and Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC)
Most core samples consist of halved drill core cut by manual sawing. In rare cases, and where required by physical core conditions, manual splitting may be used. Half of the core is retained in the original core box for reference samples and any required future work, including QA/QC. Core samples, controlled by a unique barcoded reference number, are delivered to ALS’s Kamloops facility and prepared using the PREP-31 package. Each core sample is crushed to better than 70% passing a 2mm (Tyler 9 mesh, US Std. No.10) screen. A split of 250g is taken and pulverized to better than 85% passing a 75-micron (Tyler 200 mesh, US Std. No. 200) screen. Further analytical and assay procedures are conducted in ALS’s North Vancouver facility. A 0.75g subsample of the pulverized split is subjected to four acid digestion and analyzed via ICP-MS (method code ME-MS61m (+Hg)) which reports a suite of 49 elements. All samples are also analyzed for gold by fire assay with an AES finish, method code Au-ICP21 (30g sample size). Samples returning gold values over 10ppm are subjected to ore grade check assays using fire assay and a gravimetric finish (method code Au-GRA21 and a 30g sample size). Other overlimit elements may also be subjected to ore grade analyses which vary depending on the element of interest. QA/QC includes the laboratory’s internal quality assurance controls as well as field controls, including the insertion of quarter core duplicates, certified reference materials and blanks, each at a rate of roughly one per 20-25 core samples. Additional blanks are inserted following samples with visible gold or significant concentrations of ginguro (fine grained bands of dark gray to black sulphides). QA/QC data are evaluated on receipt for failures, and appropriate action is taken if results for duplicates, standards and blanks fall outside allowed tolerances. Westhaven’s ongoing Quality Assurance and Quality Control programs are consistent with industry best practices and include auditing of all exploration data. Any significant changes will be reported when available.
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 release.
About Westhaven Gold Corp.
Westhaven is a gold-focused exploration company advancing the high-grade discovery on the Shovelnose project in Canada’s newest gold district, the Spences Bridge Gold Belt. Westhaven controls 61,512 hectares (615 square kilometres) with four gold properties spread along this underexplored belt. The Shovelnose property is situated off a major highway, near power, rail, large producing mines, and within commuting distance from the city of Merritt, which translates into low-cost exploration. Westhaven trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the ticker symbol WHN. For further information, please call 604-681-5558 or visit Westhaven’s website at www.westhavengold.com
