Golden Cross discovers gold-bearing vein system at Aurora East, Australia

Golden Cross Resources Inc. [TSXV: AUX; OTCQB: ZCRMF; FSE: ZMLO] has intersected gold in all seven holes drilled at its Aurora prospect within the Reedy Creek Goldfield in Victoria, Australia, including a high-grade interval of 0.32 metres at 15.95 g/t gold at Aurora East, where drilling has identified a distinct gold-bearing vein system with potential to open up new exploration targets.

Located approximately 200 metres northeast of the primary shear, Aurora East hosts gold-bearing quartz-vein arrays within corridors bounded by faults trending approximately 340°. The vein system has a different orientation from the principal shear and tension-vein structures identified elsewhere at Reedy Creek, highlighting a new style of gold mineralization for the Company to investigate.

At Aurora, drilling has identified priority intersections between the primary shear and younger faults for follow-up testing. The company is also applying these geological insights through its six-hole, 1,250-metre drilling program at Welcome Reef and Prince of Wales, while a soil survey at Aurora East investigates the potential for additional occurrences of the newly identified vein structures.

Highlights – New gold-bearing vein system identified at Aurora East: Drilling has intersected a distinct style of gold mineralization approximately 200 metres northeast of the primary shear, hosted in parallel reefs within corridors bounded by 340° faults.

High-grade gold at Aurora East: Hole AUD010 returned 0.32 metres at 15.95 g/t Au from 133.12 metres, with visible gold, and a separate interval of 0.44 metres at 5.08 g/t Au from 7.4 metres, highlighting local high-grade mineralization within the newly identified vein system.

Gold in all seven Aurora drill holes: Every hole in the program intersected gold mineralization, demonstrating the effectiveness of the Company’s approach of targeted drilling beneath historic workings and the application of lidar scanning.

Gold mineralization confirmed at depth: AUD005 returned 8.25 metres at 1.32 g/t Au from 368.25 metres downhole, including 1.5 metres at 4.4 g/t Au from 368.25 metres, confirming mineralization at depth within the primary shear.

New structural targets defined: AUD007 intersected multiple gold-bearing intervals across 27 metres of drill core, interpreted as a dilational zone at the intersection of the primary shear and a 340° stepover fault.

Exploration footprint spans more than 5 km: Gold mineralization has now been intersected over a strike extent of more than 5 km of the approximately 7 km Reedy Creek Goldfield, supporting continued testing of the broader system.

Follow-up exploration advancing: An approximately 1,100-sample soil survey is underway at Aurora East to identify potential repetitions of the vein structures, while six holes totalling 1,250 metres are underway across Welcome Reef and Prince of Wales.

Matthew Roma, CEO, commented, “We’re particularly encouraged by the results at Aurora East, where drilling has identified a distinct gold-bearing vein system in a new structural setting. This gives us an additional style of mineralization to explore and the opportunity to investigate whether similar structures occur elsewhere across the project.

“Combined with gold intersected in all seven Aurora holes and the structural targets emerging from our drilling, these results are helping us build a more comprehensive picture of the broader gold system. Our focus now is to advance the Aurora East soil survey, refine follow-up drill targets and apply what we’ve learned to exploration at Welcome Reef and Prince of Wales.“

Drilling at Aurora East has identified a distinct gold-bearing vein system approximately 200 metres northeast of the primary shear, highlighting a new structural setting for gold mineralization within the Reedy Creek Goldfield.

The first three holes at Aurora East (AUD009-AUD011) intersected quartz-vein arrays within corridors bounded by paired faults trending approximately 340°. All three holes intersected multiple parallel quartz veins, including the two sub-parallel veins mined in the historic workings. The vein orientation differs from the principal shear and tension-vein sets identified elsewhere at Reedy Creek. The multiple parallel reefs seen at Aurora East may represent part of a tension vein array, highlighting the potential for additional gold-bearing structures beyond those seen in the current round of drilling.

Results included 1.0 metres at 3.17 g/t Au from 17 metres in AUD009; 0.44 metres at 5.08 g/t Au from 7.4 meytres, 0.32 metres at 15.95 g/t Au from 133.12 metres in AUD010; and 3.3 metres at 1.39 g/t Au from 114.05 m in AUD011.

Golden Cross is undertaking an approximately 1,100-sample soil survey across the Aurora East structural corridor. The geochemical survey aims to identify arsenic anomalies indicating additional, potentially mineralized, tension vein repetitions within the corridor. The results will help prioritize targets for follow-up drilling, with the extent and continuity of the mineralization yet to be established.

Geological Interpretation: Drilling at Aurora intersected gold-bearing veins associated with a primary shear running parallel to the Reedy Creek anticline. The 2026 program tested the shear at depth and followed up targets identified by a pilot induced-polarization (IP) survey. Holes were designed to test beneath historic underground workings that the company has mapped using lidar scanning. Lidar scanning of the historic mine workings, completed earlier this year, provides invaluable insight into the geometry and structure of the gold mineralization. The 3D scans produced were utilized most recently in the design of the Aurora East drilling.

The results suggest that gold mineralization is locally concentrated where the primary shear intersects younger faults trending approximately 340°. These faults offset the shear in a series of stepovers between Aurora and Shepherd’s Hill. The company interprets these intersections as potential zones of dilation that may have provided pathways for gold-bearing fluids.

The IP survey identified a resistivity high at Aurora, which was tested by AUD006. The hole intersected a quartz-rich zone in the hanging wall of the shear and returned 0.98 metres at 1.65 g/t Au from 247.54 metres in the shear. This result suggests that quartz veining alone is not a reliable indicator of gold mineralization and that structural context remains important when prioritizing geophysical targets.

AUD007 returned multiple gold intersections over 27 metres of drill core in an interpreted dilational zone near the northernmost stepover. Grades were lower in AUD008, drilled beneath AUD007, with mineralization decreasing away from the structure. Several other mapped stepovers remain untested where they intersect the primary shear, providing additional targets for evaluation.

The results refine the company’s structural model and support further testing of shear-fault intersections at Aurora. The interpretation remains preliminary and will be assessed through additional drilling.

Structural intersections are recognized controls on gold mineralization in Victoria’s orogenic goldfields. At Fosterville, for example, gold mineralization is associated with intersections between the Fosterville Fault, its splays and folded bedding, with ore shoots plunging broadly parallel to the host fold (Leader et al., 2010, Australian Journal of Earth Sciences). This provides a geological context for testing structural intersections at Reedy Creek.

At Fosterville, gold grades in the shallower portion of the deposit averaged 1 to 4 g/t Au from surface down to approximately 800 m depth, with the high-grade, antimony-associated Swan Zone situated below this level. Drilling to date has tested only the upper As-Au zone of the Reedy Creek Goldfield, which is characterized by strong arsenic halos and gold grades consistent with the zonation present at Fosterville.

Structural mapping of the Reedy Creek anticline, and the presence of stibnite at Empress Reef indicate the Au-Sb zone may lie closer to surface toward the southeast. The Company considers the deeper, untested portions of the system prospective for higher-grade mineralization, although Fosterville is not necessarily indicative of the style, extent or economic potential of mineralization at Reedy Creek.

Aurora: AUD005-AUD008 – AUD005 tested the primary shear at depth and returned 8.25 metres at 1.32 g/t Au from 368.25 metres downhole, including 1.5 metres at 4.4 g/t Au from 368.25 metres. The result confirms gold mineralization at the tested depth.

AUD006 intersected the primary shear with 0.98 metres at 1.65 g/t Au from 247.54 metres. A resistivity anomaly identified in the IP program is seen in the core as a quartz-rich zone on the hanging-wall side of the shear.

AUD007 and AUD008 tested the intersection of the primary shear and a 340° stepover fault. AUD007 returned multiple gold intersections across 27 metres of drill core in an interpreted dilational corridor, including 2.48 metres at 1.06 g/t Au from 157 metres, and 0.55 metres at 2.31 g/t Au from 171.2 metres. AUD008 returned 0.49 metres at 0.83 g/t Au from 149.09 metres in an interval containing visible gold. These results support further testing of the structural intersection.

A pilot magnetic and induced-polarization (IP) survey by Fender Geophysics assessed the use of geophysics for targeting structurally controlled gold. Magnetic data outlined the primary shear but was limited by low host-rock susceptibility, noise and terrain. IP identified a chargeability high near the Reedy Creek anticline hinge and resistive zones interpreted as quartz veining.

One of these zones was tested by AUD006, which intersected intense quartz veining in the hanging wall of the shear (see Geological Interpretation). The survey shows IP can help identify prospective features, but structural context remains key when ranking drill targets.

2026 Exploration Program – Welcome Reef and Prince of Wales: A six-hole, 1,250-metre drilling program is underway, with three holes planned at each prospect. The program draws on lidar surveys of historic workings, and the structural interpretation developed through drilling at Aurora.

Welcome Reef: Three holes totalling 600 metres will test beneath previous drilling, including 0.7 metres at 3.65 g/t Au in WMD002 and historic workings interpreted to represent potential reef systems.

The scale of the historic workings, which include a large vertical shaft and substantial mullock, tailings and crusher sands, reflects significant past production: records indicate at least 9,000 oz of gold was produced from the Ah Mouy mine between 1874 and 1891, from approximately 10,500 t of ore averaging 25 g/t Au. These historical production figures have not been independently verified by the company’s Qualified Person.

Prince of Wales: Three holes totalling 650 metres will test beneath previous intercepts and historic ore shoots, guided by lidar scans of a large stope. The Prince of Wales line of reef comprises approximately 600 metres of historic workings, featuring a 60 metres long open cut. Previous drilling returned 10.8 metres at 2.08 g/t Au from 28 metres, including 0.49 metres at 24.4 g/t Au, in PWD004.

Aurora East: Approximately 1,100 soil samples are being collected along east-west lines across the corridor hosting the Aurora East veins. Sampling is spaced at 25 metres between lines and 10 m between samples, with coverage extending across the primary shear, bounding 340° faults and tension-vein structures.

The survey is designed to identify arsenic anomalies associated with mineralization and help prioritize potential repetitions of the vein corridors for follow-up drilling which will aim to extend the known targets to depth and test any veins identified from the soil sampling program currently underway.

Aurora: Follow-up drilling will target untested intersections between the primary shear and 340° stepover faults, as well as the intersection tested by AUD007 and AUD008, which remains open at depth.

Mineralized intersections quoted herein are reported as interval widths and not true width. Where possible, drilling is conducted perpendicular to the interpreted mineralization trend.

Golden Cross Resources is focused on advancing the Reedy Creek gold project in Victoria, Australia. Located just 7 km from Southern Cross Gold’s Sunday Creek discovery, the project covers three contiguous tenements in one of Australia’s most active epizonal gold corridors.