Highlights:

• Multiple high-grade gold intercepts within and surrounding the Monique conceptual pits
• Expansion drilling cut best intercept to-date on the property with new interval grading 4.9 g/t Au-cut (19.2 g/t Au–uncut) over 22.9 metre, including 427 g/t Au over 1.0 metre, 227.8 g/t Au over 1 metre and 17.0 g/t Au over 4.0 metres proximal to the existing resource
• Infill drilling continues to strengthen resource and returned significant new intersections grading up to 2.4 g/t Au over 34.3 metres, 1.8 g/t Au over 44.0 metres, and 3.2 g/t Au over 21.6 metres
• New Mineral Resource Estimate for Monique scheduled for January 2023
• 165,000 metres of drilling completed at Val-d’Or East
• Drilling will resume early in January

TORONTO, Dec. 13, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Probe Metals Inc. (TSX-V: PRB) (OTCQB: PROBF) (“Probe” or the “Company”) is pleased to provide the last set of results from the 2022 drill program on its 100%-owned Val-d’Or East Monique property (the “Property”) located near Val-d’Or, Quebec. Results from seventy-nine (79) new holes revealed significant, new high-grade mineralized intersections along strike, at depth and inside the modeled Monique gold zones. This year’s drill program totaling 85,000 metres from two hundred ninety-nine (299) holes on the Monique property focussed on resource expansion as well as resource conversion within and surrounding the conceptual pits from the 2021 PEA report (see figure 1 to 3). Drilling confirmed a large gold system of 2.2 kilometres long, 1 kilometre wide and 600 metres deep. The Monique Gold Trend zones are all open along strike and at depth. All the post PEA drilling results, including today’s results, at Monique will be part of the new Mineral Resource Estimate scheduled for January 2023. Selected highlights from the new results are presented below.  

David Palmer, President and CEO of Probe, states: “Remarkably, Monique continues to provide us with better and better results.  The holes released today have provided us with yet another record gold interval and we are in the enviable position of having a deposit that remains open in all directions, with the potential to continue growing and improving. We are extremely pleased with the progress we have made this year and with the outstanding results from what has been our largest drill program to date.  We have completed 165,000 metres of drilling and, most importantly, achieved a zero-incident safety record for the Company.  This is a testament to the hardworking, conscientious and extremely diligent team we have in Val-d’Or, as well as regionally, and also speaks to the quality and professionalism of the contractors and consultants who contribute to this project.  We would not be where we are without the excellent team we have assembled to advance our projects.  As today’s results can attest, 2022 has seen continued improvement in our Val-d’Or gold deposits and support our belief that this will become one of Canada’s leading mining projects.  In 2023 our goal will be to demonstrate the phenomenal growth potential that we see in this project by continuing to grow resources, as well as stepping out to test some of the regional targets we have been developing over the past two years.  Detour also contributed to the success of 2022 with an unexpected polymetallic (Cu-Mo-Ag-Au) discovery having the potential for incredible scale. Despite the still-challenging market conditions, we continue to increase the value of the project and we appreciate the patience of our shareholders while we unlock further potential.  From everyone at Probe, please have a safe and happy holiday season as we look forward to an active start for the Company in 2023.”

Expansion drilling – Forty (40) holes released today are from the expansion drilling program designed to test the extension of the A, B, I, J, M, K, Q and new zones laterally and at depth. Twenty-five (25) of these expansion drilling holes intersected gold structures with grade times thickness above 15.0 g/t. Gold mineralization above the 0.42 g/t Au cut-off grade was intersected in all these holes. In 2023, we intend to do follow-up drilling to further expand the resource.

Infill drilling – Thirty-nine (39) holes are from the resource conversion drilling program designed to test the continuity of A, B, I, J, M and K zones inside and close to the conceptual pits between surface to approximately 350 metres depth.   All holes returned intercepts with gold grades above the 0.42 g/t Au cut-off grade of which twenty-one (23) holes returned intercepts with grade times thickness above 15.0 g/t Au-metre. Results confirmed the current block model with respect to grades and thicknesses. The 2022 infill drill program over the Monique gold zones has been successful in achieving an approximate 30-metre drill spacing over the mineralization in the PEA’s conceptual pits and down to 500 metres, locally, within the proposed underground resource areas.

Results from three hundred forty-one (341) holes totaling 66,000 metres drilled since the beginning of 2022 at the Pascalis (225) and the Courvan (116) trends are still pending and will be released as they are received and interpreted. In addition to drilling activities, Probe is advancing rock mechanics, ground geotechnical, metallurgical and baseline studies which are required for the completion of the Prefeasibility Study scheduled to be released in fall 2023.   

Selected drill results from holes MO-22-471 to 549 at the Monique Area drilling program are, as follows:

(1) All the new analytical results reported in this release and in this table, are presented in core length and cut to 100 g/t Au when needed. True width is estimated between 65 to 95 % of core length. Only grade times thickness above 15.0 g/t Au * m is reported

About the Monique Property:
The Monique property is located 25 km east of Val-d’Or, in Quebec, and consists of 21 claims and one mining lease covering a total area of 5.5 square kilometres in Louvicourt township. The property hosts a current measured and indicated mineral resource of 13,619,000 tonnes at a grade of 1.54 g/t for 672,800 ounces of gold and inferred mineral resource of 11,733,000 tonnes at a grade of 1.78 g/t for 671,400 ounces of gold (source: Probe Metals NI 43-101 Technical Report Val-d’Or East Project – June 2021). The Property is part of the Company’s Val-d’Or East Project, and the consolidated land package stands at 436 square kilometres. Val-d’Or East is situated in a politically stable and low-cost mining environment that hosts numerous active producers and mills.

Geology
Gold mineralization on the Monique property is mainly associated with three deformation zones that cross the property with an orientation of 280° and a 75°- 80° dip to the north. Gold mineralization is defined by a network of quartz/carbonate/albite/±tourmaline veins and veinlets with disseminated pyrite in the altered wall rocks. More than twenty-four (24) parallel gold zones have been discovered on the property, to-date. Some mineralized zones have been defined from surface to a depth of 600 metres and vary in width from 1 metre to up to 100 metres. Mineralized structures extend laterally up to 1,500 metres.

Past Production
The Monique open pit mine began commercial production in 2013 and ceased production at the end of January 2015. A total of 0.58 Mt of mineralized material was extracted at a grade of 2.53 g/t Au, from the surface to 100 metres depth for a total of 45,694 ounces of gold.

Qualified Person:
The scientific and technical content of this press release has been reviewed, prepared, and approved by Mr. Marco Gagnon, P.Geo, who is a "Qualified Person" within the meaning of NI 43-101, and Executive Vice-President and a director of Probe.

Quality Control:
During the last drilling program, assay samples were taken from the NQ core by sawing the drill core in half, with one-half sent to a certified commercial laboratory and the other half retained for future reference. A strict QA/QC program was applied to all samples, which includes insertion of mineralized standards and blank samples for each batch of 20 samples. The gold analyses were completed by fire-assays with an atomic absorption finish on 50 grams of materials. Repeats were carried out by fire-assay followed by gravimetric testing on each sample containing 3.0 g/t gold or more. Total gold analyses (Metallic Sieve) were carried out on the samples which presented a great variation of their gold contents or the presence of visible gold.

About Probe Metals:
Probe Metals Inc. is a leading Canadian gold exploration company focused on the acquisition, exploration and development of highly prospective gold properties. The Company is committed to discovering and developing high-quality gold projects, including its key asset the multimillion-ounce Val-d’Or East Gold Project, Québec. The Company is well-funded and controls a strategic land package of approximately 1,500-square-kilometres of exploration ground within some of the most prolific gold belts in Québec. The Company was formed as a result of the $526M sale of Probe Mines Limited to Goldcorp. Eldorado Gold Corporation currently owns approximately 10% of the Company.

On behalf of Probe Metals Inc.,

Dr. David Palmer,
President & Chief Executive Officer

For further information:

Please visit our website at www.probemetals.com or contact:

Seema Sindwani
Director of Investor Relations
info@probemetals.com
+1.416.777.9467

Forward-Looking Statements

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. This News Release includes certain "forward-looking statements" which are not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Company’s future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as “believes”, “anticipates”, “expects”, “estimates”, “may”, “could”, “would”, “will”, or “plan”. Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to the Company, the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet management’s expectations. Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, the Company’s objectives, goals or future plans, statements, exploration results, potential mineralization, the estimation of mineral resources, exploration and mine development plans, timing of the commencement of operations and estimates of market conditions. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to: failure to identify mineral resources; failure to convert estimated mineral resources to reserves; the inability to complete a feasibility study which recommends a production decision; the preliminary nature of metallurgical test results; delays in obtaining or failures to obtain required governmental, environmental or other project approvals; political risks; inability to fulfill the duty to accommodate First Nations and other indigenous peoples; uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future; changes in equity markets, inflation, changes in exchange rates; fluctuations in commodity prices; delays in the development of projects; capital and operating costs varying significantly from estimates and the other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry; the results of the PEA being as announced, including future operating and capital costs, closure costs, AISC, the projected NPV, IRR, timelines, permit timelines and future Project opportunities; the ability to obtain the requisite permits, economics and associated returns of the Project as determined by the PEA, and all assumptions in the PEA regarding the technical viability of the Project, the market and future price of and demand for gold, the environmental impact of the Project, and the ongoing ability to work cooperatively with stakeholders, including the local levels of government; an inability to predict and counteract the effects of COVID-19 on the business of the Company, including but not limited to the effects of COVID-19 on the price of commodities, capital market conditions, restriction on labour and international travel and supply chains, and those risks set out in the Company’s public documents filed on SEDAR. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law.

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