Hercules Metals Provides Further Positive Update on Its 2025 Drilling Campaign

Drilling Continues to Validate New Geological Model; Significant Extensions Being Tested Along Strike

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - July 16, 2025) - Hercules Metals Corp. (TSXV: BIG) (OTCQB: BADEF) (FSE: C0X) ("Hercules" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an additional update on its ongoing 2025 drilling campaign at its Hercules Property in western Idaho (the "Property") including its flagship Leviathan porphyry copper discovery. Seven (7) holes are now complete, with another five (5) in progress, equating to more than 5,500 metres drilled so far this season (Figure 1). Drilling continues to validate the new 3D geological model announced in April of this year, which was the primary objective of the campaign. As a result, the Company ramped up from three to five drill rigs, all of which are focused on the following targeted approach:

1. Define grade and width along an initial 1.3-kilometre strike length, with systematically spaced drill fences testing both main stage porphyry mineralization, and an overlapping zone of higher-grade enrichment.

2. Extend the system in both directions (northeast and south), where surface mapping, sampling, chargeability, magnetics, and preliminary MT geophysics all suggest Leviathan's potential strike length could extend upwards of 3.5 kilometres.

3. Test for thicker zones of hypogene enrichment along strike. Post-mineral tilting may lead to greater preservation of the higher-grade enrichment zone down-tilt to the northeast, within the Grade Creek Zone.

Highlights

• Seven completed drill holes have validated all key elements of the Company's predictive geological model, consistent with the classical porphyry copper model (Figures 2, 3, and 4).

• The first completed drill hole of the season, HER-25-02, has demonstrated potential for both main stage porphyry mineralization and hypogene enrichment to extend northeast into the Grade Creek Zone.

• The Leviathan chargeability anomaly extends 1.1 kilometres northeast from hole HER-25-02 to the limit of the 2023 DC-IP survey, highlighting significant expansion potential (Figure 1).

• Soil and rock chip sampling above the northeastern extension of the chargeability anomaly reveals strongly elevated copper and molybdenum values where Grade Creek cuts deeply into the Jurassic cover sequence.

• A hematized red conglomerate (interpreted as a paleo-river channel) occurs 1.5 kilometres northeast of HER-25-02, at the base of the Jurassic cover, containing significant porphyry-altered and veined boulders of leach cap, consistent with an underlying porphyry system, adding further support for a potentially large northeast extension (Photos 1 and 2).

• Two drill holes are currently stepped-out from HER-25-02, testing the northeast (Grade Creek Zone) extension (Photo 3).

• Drill hole 25-06, an 800-metre step-out to the south of drill hole 24-19, is now the first hole to successfully drill below Jurassic cover and intersect the porphyry system beneath the Southern Flats Zone. The hole is currently in progress within what is interpreted to be the hanging wall pyrite halo (see Figure 3 for reference to alteration zonation). The hole is targeting the centre of a new MT conductivity anomaly which shows a strong correlation with the Leviathan Porphyry mineralization (Figures 5 and 6).

• The new MT conductivity anomaly extends through the entire Southern Flats Zone, over 4 kilometres to the southeast of the known mineralization, indicating potential for a major southern extension, on land which the Company holds surface mining rights.

Chris Paul, CEO and Director of Hercules Metals, commented, "2025 has been the most exciting start to a drilling season we've had at the Hercules Property. We've been able to start the campaign positively by hitting porphyry mineralization from the first completed hole. The new model not only increases the success rate, it allows us to ramp up our exploration program with systematic grid-based fence drilling. We're also seeing potential to significantly expand the system in both directions, while simultaneously better defining 1.3 kilometres of known strike at a significantly more optimal orientation, across the centre of the porphyry."

Mr. Paul concluded, "Core from several of the completed holes have now been shipped to the lab for assaying and we hope to receive assay results in the next 6-8 weeks. We look forward to updating the market as soon as results become available."

Figure 1: Plan view showing 2025 drill holes completed and in progress (labelled with hole ID and dip), relative to a 450-metre depth slice of chargeability. Potential drill fences illustrated by the white dashed lines, show the potential for testing up to 3.5 kilometres of strike length to the system over the 2025-2026 operating seasons. Section line A-A' for Figures 2-4 is shown in orange.

Figure 2: Cross-section A-A', looking northeast, illustrating the causative intrusive phases comprising the Leviathan Porphyry centre, relative to 2023-2024 drill holes. 2025 drill holes (not shown) are now testing the system along 200 m spaced fences, at moderate dips to the northwest, perpendicular to the porphyry system.

Figure 3: Cross-section A-A' illustrating the approximate percentages of main stage (primary) chalcopyrite mineralization, deposited prior to the secondary hypogene enrichment event which is dominated by bornite mineralization as illustrated in Figure 4 below. The system remains open at depth and along strike.

Figure 4: Cross-section A-A' illustrating the conceptual model of secondary hypogene enrichment (pink) telescoped along southeast dipping structures over earlier main stage chalcopyrite mineralization in blue. The hypogene enrichment zone may plunge into the page, ~45 degrees northeast, according to the interpreted post-mineral tilt of the system. Plunging of the high-grade enrichment may lead toward increased preservation thicknesses to the northeast, if the unconformity has eroded less deeply into the shallower enrichment.

Figure 5: Cross-section looking northeast at a preliminary coarse MT inversion model. A southeast dipping conductivity anomaly (<100 ohm-m resistivity) shows a strong correlation with the southeast dipping copper mineralization at Leviathan. The initial MT survey was done at large 1-kilometre station spacing and plans are underway to have M-Geo USA infill the Leviathan Target at a tighter station spacing to increase the spatial accuracy of the anomaly and better define its boundaries for drill targeting.

Figure 6: Cross-section slice, approximately 1 kilometre south of Figure 5, showing the southern extension of the Leviathan conductivity anomaly, underneath the Southern Flats Zone. The conductive anomaly increases in magnitude to <50 ohm-m resistivity (purple) and extends for over 4 kilometres south of drilled mineralization. Drill hole HER-25-06, shown in white at its current depth, is targeting the centre of the anomaly. The hole has drilled through Jurassic cover and is interpreted to have reached the hanging wall side of the Leviathan Porphyry in pyrite halo style mineralization and strong D veining, potentially proximal to a copper grade shell (see Figures 3 and 4 for reference to the alteration zonation model at Leviathan).

Photo 1: Strongly silicified clasts with hematite after sulfide contained within a basal conglomerate, 1.5 kilometres northeast of HER-25-02. The presence of large, sub-angular boulders within an interpreted paleo-river channel deposit indicates that they were likely sourced from the immediate vicinity beneath the conglomerate, providing further support for a northeast extension of the Leviathan Porphyry in the Grade Creek Zone.

Photo 2: Drill hole 24-12 illustrating the typical transition from basal conglomerate, through leach cap, into the hypogene enrichment zone. The upper photo shows the hematized basal conglomerate (923 feet) overlying strongly silicified leach cap with characteristic burgundy-red hematite after sulfides. The lower photo then captures the transition deeper in the hole, where oxidation shifts from leaching (red hematite) to the onset of bornite (blue-purple mineral at 1,069 feet) characteristic of the underlying hypogene enrichment zone.

Photo 3: Facing southwest from hole 25-13, showing drill hole 25-11 underway in the foreground and 25-12 setting up for an RC pre-collar in the background.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved for disclosure by Dillon Hume, P.Geo. and Vice President, Exploration for the Company. Mr. Hume is a "Qualified Person" for Hercules Metals within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

About Hercules Metals Corp.

Hercules Metals Corp. (TSXV: BIG) (OTCQB: BADEF) (FSE: C0X) is an exploration Company focused on developing America's newest porphyry copper district, in Idaho.

The 100% owned Hercules Project located northwest of Cambridge, hosts the newly discovered Leviathan porphyry copper system, one of the most important new discoveries in the region to date. The Company is well positioned for growth through continued drilling, supported by a strategic investment from Barrick Mining Corporation.

With the potential for significant scale, the Company's management and board of directors aims to build on its proven track record which includes the discovery and development of numerous precious metals projects worldwide.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. Any securities referred to herein have not and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws of an exemption from such registration is available.

Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains certain information that may be deemed "forward-looking information" with respect to the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements, or developments in the industry to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information includes statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "could" or "should" occur. Forward-looking information contained in this press release may include, without limitation, the expected execution of future exploration programs on the Property; assay results of future drill holes; results of operations, and the expected financial performance of the Company.

Although the Company believes the forward-looking information contained in this news release is reasonable based on information available on the date hereof, by its nature, forward-looking information involves assumptions and known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information.

Examples of such assumptions, risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, assumptions, risks and uncertainties associated with general economic conditions; the Covid-19 pandemic; adverse industry events; the receipt of required regulatory approvals and the timing of such approvals; that the Company maintains good relationships with the communities in which it operates or proposes to operate, future legislative and regulatory developments in the mining sector; the Company's ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources, and/or inability to access sufficient capital on favorable terms; mining industry and markets in Canada and generally; the ability of the Company to implement its business strategies; competition; the risk that any of the assumptions prove not to be valid or reliable, which could result in delays, or cessation in planned work, risks associated with the interpretation of data, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits, the possibility that results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations, as well as other assumptions risks and uncertainties applicable to mineral exploration and development activities and to the Company, including as set forth in the Company's public disclosure documents filed on the SEDAR+ website at www.sedarplus.ca.

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