Nova Pacific Metals drills 16.2 metres at 3.2 g/t AuEq and 17.64 metres at 1.92 g/t AuEq from first assay results at Lara VMS Project, Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Nova Pacific Metals Corp. [CSE: NVPC; OTCQB: NVPCF; FSE: YQ10; WKN: A40GFH] reported assays from the first four holes, totaling 582 metres of its ongoing 8,700-metres exploration drilling campaign at the Coronation area of its Lara VMS Project on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The Lara Project spans a 17-km belt of the McLaughlin Ridge Formation, which is correlative with the volcanic package that hosts the past-producing Myra Falls VMS Mine, 140 km to the northwest.
Highlights: Hole NP25-004 intersected 16.2 metres grading 3.3 g/t AuEq or 8.55% ZnEq (1.5 g/t Au, 2.17% Zn, 53.5 g/t Ag, 0.42% Cu, 0.52% Pb) from 85 m downhole, including 11.1 g/t AuEq or 26.37% ZnEq (7.6 g/t Au, 2.51% Zn 58.0 g/t Ag, 1.70% Cu, and 0.81% Pb).
Hole NP25-001 intersected 17.64 metres grading 1.92 g/t AuEq or 4.28% ZnEq (0.7 g/t Au, 1.25% Zn, 17.7 g/t Ag, 0.29% Cu, 0.18% Pb) from 86.6 metres downhole.
Hole NP25-002 intersected 9.0 metres grading 2.1 g/t AuEq or 5.32% ZnEq (0.9 g/t Au, 1.30% Zn, 28.3 g/t Ag, 0.36% Cu, 0.19% Pb) from 84.75 m downhole.
All intervals are down-hole lengths. True width estimated at 86-88% based upon historical data.
Drilling is ongoing with assays pending from seven additional holes (1,250 m). A mineral resource estimate targeted for Q4/2025.
Sam Eskandari, CEO, commented, “We’re excited by the initial results from the first four holes-each intersected mineralization, including several intervals enriched with precious metals. These early results are validating our exploration model and are consistent with historical drilling in this portion of the Coronation deposit, reinforcing our confidence in the dataset we’re working to verify. That same dataset supported a historical mineral resource, as described in our news release, and we remain on track to deliver a current MRE later this year.
“While much of the remaining program at Coronation will focus on verification, we’re also stepping out to test down-plunge extensions that could potentially grow the deposit. Coronation is just one of many targets within our 17-km long VMS belt, which remains underexplored despite its position in the highly prospective McLaughlin Ridge Formation, a volcanic sequence correlative to the rocks that hosts the past-producing Myra Falls VMS Mine.”
Assay results from seven submitted drillholes are pending and will be released once received and validated under the company’s QA/QC protocols. Geologists from continues to log core, collect samples for assaying, and capture valuable lithological and structural data to support ongoing interpretation, drill targeting, and potential resource definition.
As of 20 June 2025, 38 holes totaling more than 8,000 metres have been drilled at the Coronation area as part of Nova Pacific’s 8,700-metre Phase 1 exploration program, with 34 holes completed and four holes abandoned due to challenging conditions. Approximately 700 m of drilling across two holes remain to be completed.
All four of the initial drillholes intersected mineralization, including several intervals with notable precious metals content. These collars are located near the northwestern end of the 1.5 km Coronation trend outlined by historical drilling. These holes were designed to confirm the spatial extents of the Hanging Wall (HW) zone, which overlies part of the main Coronation horizon, and to collect samples for assay. All holes intersected the Coronation zone near the predicted depths. NP25-001 and NP25-002 also encountered the HW zone where expected, while NP25-003 and NP25-004 confirmed the company’s interpretation of the HW zone’s southeastern extent.
While still early in the program, these results appear to validate the company’s exploration model and are generally consistent with historical drilling in this portion of the Coronation deposit. This provides encouraging support for the verification of the historical dataset.
While the Phase 1 program is focused on verification drilling to support a current mineral resource estimate, six step-out holes are targeting down-plunge extensions of previously intersected mineralization based upon a new structural interpretation developed by the Company’s technical team.
The Phase 1 exploration program is intended to verify up to 39,092 mteres of historical drilling across 245 holes in the Coronation area of the Lara Project, which previously supported a historical mineral resource estimate. The Company intends to verify historical drilling data through its Phase 1 exploration program to support a current mineral resource estimate targeted for Q4 2025, subject to successful exploration drilling and the timely receipt of final assay results. In anticipation of this, Mineit Consulting Inc., has been engaged to prepare an updated technical report for the Lara Project, under the supervision of Greg Mosher, M.Sc., P.Geo.
Coronation is just one of several high-priority targets within Nova Pacific’s 17-km VMS belt on Vancouver Island. The belt lies within the prospective McLaughlin Ridge Formation, a correlative volcanic sequence that hosts the past-producing Myra Falls VMS Mine and remains underexplored despite favourable geology and nearby infrastructure. The Lara Project spans 19 mineral claims covering 47 km2, with an unverified historical dataset that includes 323 drillholes totalling 58,262 metres of drilling.
Although the Coronation area has attracted most of the historical work, Nova Pacific has begun evaluating six additional mineralized zones across the property, many of which contain historical drill holes. These zones are largely untested and form a key part of the company’s strategy to define resources at the Lara Project beyond the Coronation area. Field programs, including mapping, systematic sampling, and historical data compilation, will be used to refine targets and support future drilling. The potential for lens stacking and stratigraphic clustering, characteristic of VMS camps, further strengthens the broader exploration thesis.
Nova Pacific Metals recognizes the inherent rights of all Indigenous Peoples of Canada and is committed to early, meaningful, and respectful engagement with First Nations communities. The company acknowledges that its Lara Project is located on the Traditional, Ancestral, and Unceded Territories of the Hul’qumi’num Treaty Group, a politically unified group representing six Hul’qumi’num-speaking First Nations: Cowichan, Stz’uminus, Penelakut, Lyackson, Halalt, and Lake Cowichan.
Nova Pacific is focused on the Lara Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide (VMS) Project on Vancouver Island, B.C. Nova Pacific holds an option to acquire a 100% interest in the Lara Project. The project hosts a significant historical resource, rich in critical and precious metals situated in a prime location near excellent infrastructure.