Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 3, 2025) - Great Pacific Gold Corp. (TSXV: GPAC) (OTCQX: FSXLF) (FSE: V3H) ("Great Pacific Gold," "GPAC," or the "Company") is providing an update on its exploration activities at the Wild Dog Project ("Wild Dog" or the "Project"), located on the island of New Britain, in the province of East New Britain, Papua New Guinea ("PNG"), Figure 1.
Key Highlights:
- A MobileMT geophysics helicopter-borne survey is currently being flown over a 187km2 area (1,030 line-km) across the Wild Dog Project with 200-meter line spacing and 2,000-meter tie-lines. The survey is currently approximately 30% complete.
- Drilling contract signed with Zenex Drilling and a dual-purpose (DD & RC) drill rig is expected to be delivered to East New Britain on April 22, 2025. Drilling is planned to commence in early May.
- A NI 43-101 compliant technical report has been completed by RSC which provides a comprehensive review of historical work carried out on the Project and recommends the Phase I drilling program be focused on a 3km section of the Wild Dog epithermal vein structure (Figure 1?).
- Phase I drill program proposed to consist of 10 diamond drill holes, spaced at 200-250 meter intervals along a north-northeast-striking line from the South Oxide Zone to the Kavasuki Zone for a total of 3,000 meters and an additional 4 diamond drill holes testing the important north-northwest-trending structures for an additional 1,800 meters (Figure 2?).
- Camp and core storage facilities have been established in the community of Rieit with a Project Manager, technical team and support staff in place.
- Successful community celebration was held on March 29th with over 5,000 people in attendance and support from local, provincial and federal government officials.
"Wild Dog is a project of tremendous potential and a potential company-maker for Great Pacific Gold," commented Greg McCunn, CEO. "We are very grateful for the warm welcome we received from the Baining and Tolai people of East New Britain and the wonderful hospitality of the community of Rieit in hosting a kick-off celebration last weekend. Exploration activity has been ramping up at the Project during Q1, and Q2 is set to be an exciting time with the geophysics set for completion and Phase I drilling set to commence. We look forward to delivering some exciting results from the first modern exploration program carried out on this district-scale land package."
Callum Spink, VP Exploration of GPAC, commented: "The launch of our first drill campaign marks a significant step in unlocking the project's potential. With historical intercepts indicating high-grade gold, this program is aimed at confirming and extending those results, building the foundation for a compliant resource and broader district-scale exploration success."
Figure 1: Location map of Wild Dog Project (EL 2516 and EL 2761) and 2025 focus area.
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Wild Dog MobileMT Geophysics Survey
The survey marks a significant milestone in exploration at Wild Dog and is a key step toward enhancing the Company's understanding of the area's structural and lithological framework controlling high-grade gold and copper mineralization throughout the 11 km-long Wild Dog structural corridor (Figure 1).
Wild Dog hosts several advanced high-sulphidation and low-sulphidation epithermal gold-copper targets, including the previously mined Sinivit deposit and the Kavasuki vein system. In addition, porphyry Cu-Au targets at Magiabe and Mt Regess have now been confirmed as high priority targets through recent follow-up work.
The NI 43-101 Technical Report (March 31, 2025) highlights the significant upside of the Wild Dog Project, with widespread high-grade surface geochemistry, strong alteration systems, and results of up to 127 g/t Au in trench samples at Kavasuki. Previous exploration has been limited by deep tropical weathering, and widespread shallow ash cover - making airborne geophysics the most efficient means to unlock the district's full potential.
The MobileMT survey is designed to:
- Define large-scale structures and alteration zones beneath ash cover;
- Delineate potential feeder systems and porphyry-style mineralization at depth; and,
- Refine priority targets for Phase I and II drilling programs.
"Launching this survey is a pivotal milestone for GPAC," commented Callum Spink, VP Exploration of GPAC. "MobileMT gives us a unique window into the deep structural framework of Wild Dog, particularly beneath the ash cover that obscures much of the geology. We're excited to generate new targets and rapidly advance this highly prospective, underexplored district."
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The towed "bird" is suspended approximately 30 metres below the aircraft. It houses the MobileMT receiver and sensors used to measure natural electromagnetic fields.
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Geophysical technicians setting up the MobileMT base station at the Wild Dog Project. The base station records natural electromagnetic field variations at ground level, providing critical reference data to enhance the accuracy and resolution of the airborne MobileMT survey.
Community Celebration
Great Pacific Gold thanks all the wonderful Baining and Tolai people of East New Britain as well as the settlers and visitors who attended the important cultural celebration held on March 29th in Rieit, East New Britain Province. Company personnel enjoyed celebrating with the community to kick-off the 2025 exploration program.
GPAC is honoured to also have toured the project area this weekend with leaders from various local governments and landowners as well as federal and provincial government officials. The project, as it advances, is uniquely situated to provide significant benefit to the local communities in terms of economic development and employment opportunities.
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NI 43-101 Compliant Technical Report
Great Pacific Gold commissioned RSC to prepare an independent technical report (the "Report") in compliance with National Instrument 43-101: Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101) and Form 43-101F1, in respect of the Wild Dog Project in East New Britain Province, PNG. The purpose of the Report is to provide a comprehensive review of the historical work carried out on the Project and to make recommendations for an exploration program that is expected to commence in Q2 2025.
The Report documents all scientific and technical data and data collection processes for the Project. No current mineral resource estimate exists for the Project. The Report has an effective date of 31 March 2025 and will be filed on SEDAR+ and the Company's website imminently.
Property Description & Ownership
The Project is located approximately 50 km south-southwest of Rabaul on the northeastern slopes of the Baining Mountains of the Gazelle Peninsula, East New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea. The Wild Dog Project consists of two exploration licenses (EL 2516 or 'Wild Dog', and EL 2761 or 'Gunsap'), which total 1,424 km2. Gunsap (EL 2761) was granted to a wholly-owned subsidiary of GPAC (Wild Dog Resources) on 27 June 2023 and is subject to renewal on 27 June 2025. Wild Dog (EL 2516) was granted to a private company called Munga River Limited (MRL) on 22 April 2024 and is subject to renewal on 22 April 2026.
Geology & Mineralization
The Gazelle Peninsula is dominated by a series of north-northwest-striking normal faults, known as the Baining Mountain Horst and Graben Zone (Madsen and Lindley, 1994). During the early Miocene, ash flow tuff volcanism of the caldera margin-related Nengmutka Volcanics was localized along this extensional zone (Madsen and Lindley, 1994). Basement rocks in the Gazelle Peninsula, and throughout New Britain, comprise Late Eocene and Late Oligocene volcaniclastic formations (the Baining Volcanics and Merai Volcanics, respectively), typical of an embryonic island arc, and intruded by dioritic plutons. Two contrasting structural regimes are recognized, with the older existing at the time of initial mineralization at the Wild Dog Project during the early Miocene, and a subsequent period of extensional tectonism that has persisted from early Miocene to the present.
The early Miocene structural pattern at Wild Dog is reflected by vein-filled and silicified structures known as the Nengmutka Vein System. The ~2.6-km-long central portion of the Wild Dog Project area is dominated by two north-northeast-trending sub-parallel structures that are variously (hydrothermal) clay-covered or host outcropping veining and silicification. This ~1- km-wide structural corridor (the 'Sinivit - Gunsap Mountain structural corridor') represents the predominant structure, with a strike of at least 10 km. A fault jog, which trends 330-340°, connects the partially exhumed northern end of the Sinivit structure with the southern end of the Gunsap Mountain structure, and indicates the operation of a sinistral shear duplex at the time of initial Au-Cu vein-hosted mineralization during the early Miocene.
Four hydrothermal vein types and two hydrothermal episodes have been recognized in the Sinivit and Kavasuki deposits, which represent the most advanced (and previously mined for oxide gold (Au) mineralized material at Sinivit from 2007- 2013) project areas at Wild Dog. These episodes include an early low-sulphidation stage and a late high-sulphidation stage (Lindley, 1990). Epithermal vein textures suggest that Au was deposited as a result of pressure release and boiling of hydrothermal fluid localized by a major fault structure. Gold mineralization is best developed near local cross structures. Later mineralization fills open fractures and cavities in the quartz veins as dark sulphide stringers comprising copper (Cu) sulphides (chalcopyrite with minor bornite, chalcocite, and tennantite), with local occurrences of a wide variety of Cu-Bi-Pb-Ag sulphide, telluride, and selenide minerals. Gold typically occurs as Au-Ag telluride minerals, with native Au also present within the weathering profile.
In addition, limited historical work by several previous owners of the Project (drainage mapping and sampling, assaying and airborne magnetics and induced polarization (IP) survey interpretations) has identified at least two potential porphyry Cu- Au targets (Magiabe and Mt Regess) within two kilometers of the epithermal Au-Cu vein-hosted mineralization at Sinivit. Precursory exploration by previous owners suggests that these dioritic intrusions may represent the causative plutons for epithermal vein-hosted Au-Cu identified at Sinivit, Kavasuki, and several other early-stage prospects along the Sinivit- Gunsap Mountain structural corridor.
Although there is as yet no guarantee that the Project will yield a potentially large Cu-Au (-Mo) deposit, the Qualified Person's (QP; Frank Bierlein) site visit in February 2025 confirmed that mining was carried out in the past at Sinivit, and that Cu mineralization was readily visible in outcrop, float, and check samples collected by the QP. The QP also sighted (and sampled) exposures of the altered Magiabe diorite, yielding disseminated pyrite and chalcopyrite, as well as evidence for incipient breccia quartz-sulphide veining. Geochemical analysis (by Intertek Laboratories) of 24 check samples collected by the QP (Frank Bierlein) from Sinivit and Kavasuki confirm the presence of anomalous concentrations of Au (<84 ppm) and Cu (>95,240 ppm) in many of these samples.
History
Mineralization in the Sinivit area was first identified by Fisher and Noakes (1942), who reported trace amounts of Au in the main streams draining the Baining Mountains. In 1983, Esso Papua New Guinea Inc. (Esso) discovered the 'Wild Dog' (herein referred to as 'Sinivit') Au deposit after a 14-month program, comprising detailed sampling and mapping in a 90- km2 area between the Nengmutka and Rapmarina rivers. Between 1983 and 2012, various owners carried out a range of exploration programs over the wider Project area, as well as >25,000 m of diamond coring and nearly 24,000 m of shallow percussion drilling at Sinivit and Kavasuki. New Guinea Gold Corporation (NGG), which acquired the rights to the Sinivit property in 2002, operated a relatively unsuccessful and likely unprofitable shallow open-pit oxide Au mine at Sinivit from late-2007 to mid-2013. Since that time, the historical mining and new license application area has not been subjected to further exploration.
Conclusions & Recommendations
Historical production from the Sinivit Au operation was relatively limited and on a small scale. However, the widespread presence of chalcopyrite, bornite, chalcocite, and covellite (+ reported tellurides, tennantite, Bi-sulphosalts, and selenides), strong argillic, phyllic and colloform-pervasive silicic alteration over strike distances of >2.6 km, together with individual Au assays of up to 127 g/t from trenching at Kavasuki (Motton, 2023), and evidence for multiple hydrothermal pulses associated with structural movements, all point to the potential existence of a significant Au-Cu mineralizing system at Sinivit and Kavasuki. Sporadic exploration by previous owners throughout the broader Project area has included reconnaissance mapping along ridges, spurs, creeks, and streams, as well as geochemical sampling, alteration studies, and (limited) airborne geophysical surveys. This work led to the recognition of several additional target zones, including the Kavasuki epithermal vein deposit and the Magiabe and Mt Regess porphyry Cu-Au occurrences. However, confirmation of the Project's exploration upside, and ability to host potentially economic mineralization, will require funding and resources to open access tracks and rock exposures, drill-test targets, and undertake systematic geological mapping, structural investigations, and geochemical assaying of well-documented samples. The presence of a 2-3 m thick veneer of volcanic ash, which covers ~70% of the Wild Dog-Gunsap Mountain structural corridor, and deep tropical weathering significantly affects the application of standard exploration methods and their effectiveness in the steeply incised and rugged region encompassed by GPAC's two exploration licenses (EL 2516 and EL 2761).
To this end, the NI 43-101 Report prepared by RSC includes several recommendations for a two-phase exploration program at Wild Dog. These recommendations are broken down into a Phase I and a subsequent Phase II work program, whereby the decision to proceed with Phase II is critically dependent on the success of the Phase I program. The total time frame for the completion of both phases is approximately 15-24 months from the commencement of Phase I. Phase I is designed to validate historical findings for the Sinivit and Kavasuki areas, which are known to host epithermal Au mineralization. Lessons learned from the greatly improved understanding of these highest-priority target areas can then be applied to a more broad-scale approach that considers targeting and testing of historically identified areas, both along the Sinivit-Gunsap Mountain structural corridor and further afield. This includes the targeting of porphyry Cu-Au mineralization at Magiabe, Mt Regess, and other early-stage intrusive-related prospects.
Phase I Potential Drill Plan
Key to an improved understanding of the mineralized system and determining the upside potential of the Project, is a well-planned and executed Phase I drilling program. The QP recommends that such a drill program:
- Be focused on the Sinivit and Kavasuki high-priority target areas, and
- Comprises six and four orientated diamond drillholes, respectively.
These drillholes should be spaced at between ~200 to ~250 m intervals along a roughly north-northeast-striking fence line and to a depth of up to 300 m, for a total meterage of 3,000 m. The aim of this programme is primarily to verify and validate historical findings by the 'twinning' of some historical drillholes that intercepted the Sinivit vein system and reported significant Au intercepts (i.e. >2 g/t Au; Taylor, 2011), evaluate the down-dip extension and continuity of mineralization, and acquire critical information regarding lithology, structure, veining, Au mineralization and alteration from both oxidised and fresh host rocks. The azimuth of previous drilling was predominantly orientated west to east (090°) and west-northwest to east-southeast (120°), as it was aimed at intercepting the steeply west-dipping, north-northeast-trending Wild Dog structure. The QP (Frank Bierlein) recommends the same drill direction (i.e. to 120°), at a dip of -60° for the proposed Phase I program.
Given the importance of the spaced north-northwest-trending and moderately to steeply southwest-dipping linking structures on the siting of mineralization the QP (Frank Bierlein) also recommends directing an additional four -60° inclined drillholes towards an azimuth of ~050°, and to a depth of 300 m at Sinivit, with two similarly positioned holes at Kavasuki, for an additional 1,800 m of diamond drilling (Figure 3).
On behalf of Great Pacific Gold
Greg McCunn, Chief Executive Officer and Director
For further information visit gpacgold.com or contact:
Email: info@gpacgold.com
Qualified Person
The technical content of this news release has been reviewed, verified and approved by Callum Spink, the Company's Vice President, Exploration, who is a member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists, MAIG, and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument NI 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Spink is responsible for the technical content of this news release.
Figure 2: Plan view of proposed Phase I drilling program at Sinivit and Kavasuki.
Historical drill hole traces are given in grey.
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About Great Pacific Gold
Great Pacific Gold has a portfolio of exploration stage projects in Papua New Guinea ("PNG") and Australia. The Company is focused on developing gold-copper resources from its highly prospective land packages. Its core projects include:
- Wild Dog - located in the East New Britain province of PNG, Wild Dog is a brownfield exploration project with a history of small-scale gold mining. The project contains numerous epithermal and porphyry hydrothermal-magmatic targets evidenced by previous exploration and operations.
- Kesar - located in the Eastern Highlands province of PNG and contiguous with K92 Mining's mine tenements, Kesar is a greenfield exploration project with several high priority targets in close proximity to the property boundary with K92. Multiple epithermal veins at Kesar are on strike and have the same orientation of key K92 deposits such as Kora. Exploration work to date by GPAC at Kesar has shown that these veins have high grades of gold present in outcrop and very elevated gold in soil grades, coincident with aeromagnetic highs.
- Arau - located in Eastern Highlands province of PNG, the Arau Project contains the highly prospective Mt. Victor exploration target with potential for a high sulphidation epithermal gold-base metal deposit. A Phase 1 Reverse Circulation drilling program was completed at Mt. Victor in August 2024, with results pending. The Arau project includes the Elandora licence which also contains various epithermal and copper-gold porphyry targets.
- Lauriston - located in the state of Victoria, Australia, the Lauriston project is located on the southern extension of the Fosterville Goldfield Belt and is adjacent to Agnico Eagle's extensive Fosterville tenements and mine operations. Lauriston contains the Comet-Trojan target, a 4.5km long epizonal orogenic system. The discovery hole at Comet intersected 8m at 105 g/t gold and a follow-up drilling program was completed in Q3 2024. The Company is consolidating its information on the Lauriston project and expects to publish an NI 43-101 compliant technical report.
- Walhalla - located in the state of Victoria, Australia, the Walhalla project consists of over 1,400km2 of concessions including the numerous historical mining operations and the recently acquired Woods Point land package. The Company is consolidating its information on the Walhalla project and expects to publish an NI 43-101 compliant technical report. Walhalla contains a high-priority greenfield target called Pinnacles. Extensive soil geochemistry has highlighted a 400m x 1,100m gold mineralized aplitic dyke which contains disseminated sulphides and outcrops at surface. The Pinnacles target is fully permitted and ready for drilling.
The Company also holds a number of other exploration projects including the recently acquired Tinga Valley Project.
Forward-Looking Statements
Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance. Great Pacific Gold cautions that all forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by many material factors, many of which are beyond their respective control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to Great Pacific Gold's limited operating history, its exploration and development activities on its mineral properties and the need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, Great Pacific Gold does not undertake to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.
Mineralization at the properties held by K92 Mining is not necessarily indicative of mineralization at the Kesar Project.
Neither 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.
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SOURCE: Great Pacific Gold Corp.
