Commencement Of 2025 Exploration Program On Winston Group Properties

VANCOUVER - Rio Grande Resources Ltd. announced that an exploration and sample program will commence at its Winston Group of Gold and Silver Properties located in the Black Range Mountains in the Chloride Mining District of Sierra County, New Mexico. The initial phase of this program is strategically designed to refine targets for evaluation, to test new high-priority zones and will include systematic sampling for additional targets.

Jason Barnard, CEO, said, "Rio Grande is embarking on a new chapter at our Winston Project at an exciting time, with a robust and bullish gold/silver market providing an ideal backdrop. Given that the Winston Project hosts several past and present silver mines, we are confident that this exploration program will identify additional promising targets. We are sitting on a district hosting several past and present gold and silver mines, and we believe it holds tremendous potential for significant discoveries. Our systematic sampling and comprehensive analysis will build a strong foundation for future drilling and bring us closer to realizing the property's full potential, with our team dedicated to rapidly advancing the Winston Project for our shareholders."

The Winston Project encompasses over 3,000 acres and includes the historic Ivanhoe, Emporia, and Little Granite mines. The Ivanhoe and Emporia consists of 2 patented lode claims, which were past producing gold-silver mines, under the same name. Discovered in the 1880s, the Ivanhoe features three shafts reaching a depth of 470 feet and multiple subterranean levels intermittently worked throughout its history. The Little Granite, consisting of 4 lode mine claims, has a main vein that has been traced for over 200 meters by past drilling and remains open along strike and at depth. Historic reports suggest the Little Granite Vein widens to approximately 3m (10ft) at depth. Mining in this area only ceased due to the decline in the price of silver and gold and not for a lack of significant mineralization.

The program will focus on geological mapping and systematic sampling along a 3 KM area of interest along the Paymaster Fault zone (highlighted section in red circle in figure 1), a significant structural feature associated with historical gold-silver vein deposits. In late 2022, the Company expanded its land holdings by acquiring eight additional claims along the northern extension of the Paymaster Fault. Rio will also conduct additional exploration along a prospective mineralized footprint that extends 8-kilometers in strike length and ranges from 1 to 2 kilometers in width. Geological evidence suggests a low-to-intermediate sulfidation epithermal vein system, with high-grade gold and silver mineralization confirmed across the property. While previous exploration occurred primarily in the 1970s and 1980s, Rio intends to leverage modern exploration concepts and advanced technologies including high-resolution geophysics, geochemical analysis and systematic methodologies to define geometry, controls on mineralization to delineate potential ore zones.

All samples collected will be submitted to ALS Global Laboratories via their intake facility in Tucson, AZ, for gold analysis by Fire Assay and multi-element analysis by 4-acid digestion and ICP.