Eminent Gold's Nevada Drill Results Hint at Turquoise Ridge Sibling

VANCOUVER, BC – September 17, 2026 – In the high-stakes world of mineral exploration, few scenarios are as tantalizing as a drill hole that ends in high-grade mineralization simply because the rig cannot dig any deeper. That is precisely the situation Eminent Gold Corp. finds itself in following the release of its maiden reverse circulation (RC) drill assays from the Otis target at its 100%-owned Hot Springs Range Project (HSRP) in Humboldt County, Nevada.

The Vancouver-based junior exploration company reported that Hole HSR2601 intercepted a sweeping 57.9 meters grading 0.3 grams per tonne (g/t) of oxide gold. More importantly, the mineralization intensified at depth, culminating in a 3.0-meter interval of 2.1 g/t gold before the RC rig reached its operational depth limit of 358.1 meters.

For a company explicitly hunting for a Carlin-style deposit—a geological formation notorious for deep, complex, and highly lucrative roots—terminating a hole in plus-gram mineralization is a compelling catalyst. It validates the structural models that Eminent’s technical team has been piecing together and sets the stage for a strategic shift toward deeper, more capital-intensive diamond core drilling.

Chasing the Root of a Carlin-Style System

The primary objective of Eminent’s recent RC program was to expand upon the initial success of its Phase 1 core drilling and to determine the directional vector of the gold mineralization. The results have successfully broadened the known mineralized envelope at the Otis target. While earlier core drilling proved high-grade structural continuity—highlighted by a previous 9.2-meter intercept of 3.2 g/t gold—the new RC data demonstrates that these discrete structures are surrounded by a massive, 58-meter-wide halo of mineralization.

Additional intercepts from the program reinforce this expanding footprint. Hole HSR2604, which partially pierced the adjacent Little Humboldt fault, returned 35.0 meters at 0.3 g/t gold, including a higher-grade core of 3.0 meters at 1.1 g/t gold. Hole HSR2605 added another 15.2 meters at 0.3 g/t gold.

Beyond the raw gold grades, the geological data points to a larger system lurking below. Utilizing Terracore shortwave infrared (SWIR) hyperspectral scanning and portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF), Eminent's geologists tracked clay alteration and pathfinder elements, particularly arsenic. The data reveals that illite crystallinity and decalcification—classic signatures of Carlin-type fluid pathways—intensify toward the northeast and at greater depths.

"We are encouraged by our results to date, Carlin systems are complex however they have no bottom," stated Justin Milliard, Vice President of Exploration at Eminent Gold. "The mineralization at Otis, much like most Carlin systems, is getting stronger at depth. Our next steps are going to be to follow the NE trending vector on the Otis structural corridor with deeper core testing. We will begin by re-entering Hole HSR2601, which terminated in plus-gram mineralization."

In the Shadow of Giants: The Getchell Trend Connection

To understand the strategic importance of the Hot Springs Range Project, one must look roughly 15 kilometers to the southeast across the Eden Valley Basin. There lies the Getchell Trend, a prolific gold corridor boasting an endowment of over 50 million ounces. It is home to the Turquoise Ridge and Twin Creeks operations, managed by the Barrick and Newmont joint venture, Nevada Gold Mines.

Eminent’s exploration model treats the HSRP as a conceptual analogue to Turquoise Ridge. The geological parallels are striking. Both regions feature permeable volcanic breccias and reactive carbonate rocks capable of neutralizing acidic, gold-bearing fluids. Both rely on a structural architecture where deep-seated, northeast-trending feeder faults intersect with regional thrusts to create traps for mineralization.

Industry analysts note that discovering a genuine greenfield Carlin-style system in an underexplored Nevada range is increasingly rare. Over the past two decades, the vast majority of new ounces in the state have been brownfield additions along mature, well-established corridors. By identifying a parallel structural trend with matching alteration typologies and strong arsenic co-enrichment, Eminent is positioning the HSRP as a potential sibling to the giants of the Getchell Trend.

Furthermore, the mineralization encountered at Otis thus far is predominantly oxide gold, characterized by the presence of goethite and hematite without observed sulfides. From a business perspective, oxide mineralization is highly desirable. It is typically amenable to lower-cost heap leach or conventional milling processes, avoiding the massive capital expenditures required for the roasting or autoclaving infrastructure needed to process deep refractory sulfides.

Strategic Backing and Capital Deployment

Transitioning from shallow reverse circulation drilling to deep diamond core drilling represents a significant strategic and financial pivot for any junior explorer. Coring at depths exceeding 350 meters in faulted, fractured terrain carries higher mobilization costs and increased diamond bit wear.

However, Eminent Gold is not navigating this transition in isolation. The company enjoys the strategic backing of Kinross Gold Corporation, which holds an approximate 13.8 percent equity position in the junior explorer. Kinross’s involvement goes beyond passive investment; the senior producer holds a Right of First Offer (ROFO) on the Hot Springs Range Project and maintains 50 percent representation on a joint technical advisory committee. Kinross has even staked exploration claims directly adjacent to the northern boundary of the HSRP, signaling a strong corporate interest in the district's broader potential.

Entering the third quarter of 2026, Eminent reported a healthy working capital surplus, bolstered by a recent influx of over CAD $3.2 million from early warrant exercises. While the completion of the current 10,000-meter RC phase will draw down these reserves, the company’s established relationship with Kinross and the presence of outstanding incentive warrants provide clear pathways to finance the upcoming core program.

"We are very pleased to see the increased widths of the mineralized envelopes at Otis and to see a vector developing to the NE and at depth, showing us the direction we need to go with our ensuing core program, which we will use RC pre-collars for," commented Dan McCoy, President and CEO of Eminent Gold. "We are actively drilling at Otis and ready to drill our Eden target in the eastern portion of Hot Springs Range, as well as our Celts property, anticipated this fall."

Technical Execution and Next Steps

The operational strategy moving forward is designed for maximum capital efficiency. Rather than drilling a new diamond core hole from the surface, Eminent plans to use the existing 358.1-meter HSR2601 hole as an RC pre-collar. A diamond core rig will re-enter the hole, bypassing the already-tested upper gravels and volcanics, to immediately intersect the primary feeder fault and test the down-dip continuation of the high-grade oxide zone.

The integrity of the data driving this decision is underpinned by modern analytical technology. Eminent utilized MSALABS in Elko, Nevada, employing Chrysos PhotonAssay technology for its assay results. Unlike traditional fire assays that test a small 30-gram charge, PhotonAssay analyzes a true 500-gram bulk aliquot using high-energy X-rays. This bulk sampling substantially mitigates the "nugget effect" common in gold exploration, providing a highly accurate representation of the broad, low-grade envelopes that characterize Carlin-style systems.

As the fall drilling season accelerates, Eminent Gold is executing a multi-target campaign. While the deep core tails at Otis remain the flagship endeavor, the company is concurrently preparing to test the Eden target—a three-kilometer soil anomaly ready for initial RC drilling—and advancing the Celts project in the Walker Lane district. By balancing aggressive step-out drilling with precise structural vectoring, Eminent is systematically derisking a project that could reshape the geological map of Humboldt County.