Sonoro Gold Corp. (TSXV: SGO), formerly known as Sonoro Metals Corp. (TSXV: SMO) | OTCQB: SMOFF | FRA: 23SP) (“Sonoro” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce assay results from 12 reverse-circulation (RC) drill holes at its Cerro Caliche project in Sonora State, Mexico. These results reflect all assays received to date from the Company’s ongoing RC drilling program focused on expanding four of the 17 gold mineralization zones at Cerro Caliche. Highlights include key intercepts at the premier Japoneses and Buena Suerte zones.

At Japoneses, SCR-104 intercepted 15.24 meters averaging 1.278 g/t Au and SCR-106 intercepted 16.76 meters averaging 0.853 g/t Au. At Buena Suerte, SCR-096 intercepted 16.76 meters averaging 0.841 g/t Au and SCR-097 intercepted 12.19 meters averaging 0.508 g/t Au. The Company expects that these results will contribute to establishing a significant addition to Cerro Caliche’s existing 201,000 gold equivalent (AuEq) inferred resource estimate. In total, 34 RC holes have been drilled to date, but assay turn-around times are very slow due to COVID-19 related delays. An additional 25 to 30 RC holes are expected to be completed by this coming mid-December and rock density determinations have also been initiated for incorporation into the resource data.

Core drilling at Cerro Caliche to investigate the higher-grade gold targets remains ongoing.  Nine exploratory holes have been completed to date and an additional ten core holes are expected to be completed by mid-December. Furthermore, an air-track drill rig is scheduled to commence shallow percussion drilling to investigate continuity of mineralization between the mineralized zones.

As part of the Company’s strategy to fast-track the development of a Heap Leach Mining Operation (HLMO) at Cerro Caliche, ten 85-mm diameter PQ Core holes were drilled to supply deeper mineralized material for metallurgical testing. Management is expanding its development plans from the previously announced pilot level project to assess the economic viability of a proposed 8,000 ton per day mining operation.

The current exploration work is part of the Company’s conceptual fast-track development schedule for the Cerro Caliche project with the aspirational goal of commencing gold production by the end of 2021. However, a successful realization of that goal remains subject to several material conditions, most notably including the satisfactory completion of metallurgical testing, securing required environmental permitting, a favourable preliminary economic assessment and the availability of project financing.

The 12 RC drill holes tabulated or discussed here are listed with the below-selected assay intervals. A Cutoff of 0.15 grams per ton Au was used for reporting intervals and, for consistency, is in the same format as in previous years’ news reports. The drill holes are angled generally 45 degrees at azimuth 225° and are targeted to cut the vein zones near perpendicular to their plane of strike. The drill intervals are near true widths of the vein zones unless reported otherwise.

The Japoneses vein zone is the largest mineralized zone on the Cerro Caliche project with dimensions of up to 300 meters wide by 550 meters long with the five new holes reported here filling several drill pattern gaps and also extending the mineralized zone 100 meters to the northwest and 100 meters to the southeast. The apparent continuation of this zone by an additional 350 meters to the southeast is identified as the Los Cuervos zone. This entire mineralized zone is a series of northwest-trending veins, shears and shatter bands in quartzite with shales in its central and southern parts. The northern extension of the Japoneses zone gold mineralization passes into andesite and vein associated rhyolitic dikes where both rock units host gold mineralization.

Two drill holes were in the vicinity of the El Boludito vein, a small zone that begins in the hanging wall of the Japoneses vein zone and extends in a northerly direction away from the Japoneses zone. The results indicated insufficient dimensions and mineralization to add to the current mineralized material inventory.

Two RC drill holes cut the Chinos NW gold mineralized zone which is about 400 meters long and up to 30 meters wide running parallel to the Japoneses zone on its east side. It continues northerly for another 500 meters between El Boludito and the Veta de Oro vein zone before merging into Veta de Oro where a further outcrop of the vein zone is hidden by soil cover. The Chinos NW vein zone appears to be part of a classic vein splitting pattern called “horse tailing” on its southern part. Drill hole SCR-101 tested the Chinos NW mineralization’s northernmost extent with mixed results, including 3.05 meters averaging 0.517 g/t Au and 3.6 g/t Ag. Two of the core drill holes cut the southern part of Chinos NW and will be reported in upcoming diamond drill hole results.

Three holes were completed in the Buena Suerte vein zone and, while showing the vein zone is independent of other nearby vein zones, they also added to the potential for increasing the project’s current inferred gold resource. The veins are hosted in quartzite and a vein parallel - rhyolite dike.  The three drill holes intersected gold mineralization that will potentially extend mineralized material to more than double the prior drill confirmed mineralized dimensions. The dimensions of the Buena Suerte mineralized zone are approximately 30 meters wide by 300 meters in length and located about 120 meters west of the Japoneses footwall structure with a parallel NW trend.

SGO Development Timeline

“With the pilot plant advancing alongside this work and its San Marcial project providing some additional exploration blue sky, Sonoro Gold is in a great spot to deliver market-moving results in the next six months. It’s a strong buy at current levels.”

—— Commented by Gold Newsletter