Western Exploration Inc. announced the results from its ongoing metallurgical heap leach test program designed to determine the processing characteristics at Doby George. Bottle roll recoveries from the various crush sizes sampled returned positive results that will form the basis for compositing mineralization for additional column leach test work at Doby George. Highlights: Agitated cyanidation bottle roll test work was completed on 46 composites generated from samples collected during the 2022 PQ drill program completed in 2022.

The composites ranged in grade from 0.17 g/t Au to 9.38 g/t Au and averaged 2.36 g/t Au and cyanide soluble gold-to-fire assay ratios (CN/FA) were generally above 80%. Average gold extraction of oxide mineralization of 69.3% from the agitated cyanidation bottle roll leach test work. The oxide composites generally did not contain detectable sulfur and composites from West Ridge Deep (Mixed) only contained approximately 0.07% to 0.2% sulfide sulfur.

Reagent consumption was consistently low and is expected to be low for commercial heap leaching, averaging 0.12 kg/ton for cyanide and 0.9 kg/ton for lime. In 2022, the exploration team drilled nine holes with the goal of further delineating and advancing the existing mineral resource at the Aura Project. Doby George hosts 407k Gold ounces in the indicated category (12.9k tonnes at 0.98 g/t) and 119k Gold ozs in the inferred category (4.99k tonnes at 0.73 g/t).