Drilling Program To Be Expanded At Jabal Sahabiyah

TORONTO - Royal Road Minerals Limited reported on its exploration work in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Company carries out its exploration activities in Saudi Arabia through its local subsidiary, Royal Road Arabia Limited (RRA).

RRA was granted Winning Bidder of the Al Miyah tender area and received notification of a 90-day provisional award. However, upon RRA's request, the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources (MIMR) in Saudi Arabia has agreed to allow RRA to relinquish its rights to the Al Miyah tender. This decision enables RRA to concentrate on and expand its planned drilling activities in the Jabal Sahabiyah project area.

The Jabal Sahabiyah project consists of three contiguous Exploration Licenses and was awarded to RRA as Preferred Bidder in a competitive Licensing Round in January of this year. The license areas total approximately 284 square kilometers in areal extent and are located in Asir Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia .

RRA interprets copper, gold and polymetallic mineralization at Jabal Sahabiyah to be controlled broadly by meta-intrusive rocks and associated metasomatism emplaced at or below a mid-crustal detachment. Previous work at Jabal Sahabiyah included regional and prospect-scale mapping, surface geochemistry, geophysics and scout-drilling conducted by Riofinex in the late 1970s, followed by drill testing of vein gold occurrences by Ma'aden (Saudi-Arabian state-owned mining company) in 2007.

Riofinex identified a total of 8 individual prospect areas represented primarily by exposed or sub cropping remnants of base and precious metals gossans, which demonstrably continue beneath recent alluvium. RRA's exploration work has focused initially on identifying the concealed extensions of the Jabal Muwayqirah gossan and on advancing it to the point of drill-testing, but the program has now been expanded to include preparation and drill-testing of the Hanash South prospect area and further mapping, geochemical work and drone-borne magnetics at Umm al Harjan, Ash Shajjah and Wadi Raiel.

The Jabal Muwayqirah gossan is located at the northern extent of an interpreted magnetic aureole and represents a shallow-dipping oxidized, erosional remnant of zinc, copper, gold and silver mineralization which extends below metamorphosed hangingwall rocks to the north and below alluvial cover to the south. Limited shallow open hole drilling conducted by Riofinex intersected zinc, copper and lead mineralization on the gossan and immediately adjacent to it under alluvial cover). Riofinex did not assay for gold. The best intersection was drill hole JM4 which returned 14 meters at 0.6% copper, 5.1% zinc and 0.7% lead (not JORC compliant; from surface). RRA grab rock-chips returned significant gold, silver and base metal grades with gold up to 7.5 grams per tonne (mean 1.6, minimum 0.1 grams per tonne), silver up to 423 ppm (mean 59.5, minimum 1.5 ppm), copper up to 5.0% (mean 0.8%, minimum 0.03%) and zinc up to 30% (mean 3.7%, minimum 0.2%).

Mapping and new drone-borne magnetic data have revealed that exposed gossan at Jabal Muwayqirah is positioned on the limb of an (F3-generation) antiform. Auger samples taken from 3 meters below the surface of alluvial sediments have identified subtle zinc and copper anomalism which defines a geochemical trend around the antiform towards its hinge. The geochemistry, structural mapping and magnetic data has highlighted a south-southeast plunging drill-target of approximately 500 meters strike extent and unknown (down-plunge) depth extent. The gossan also continues beneath overlying metamorphic rocks to the north and may be exposed again around a synform and beneath alluvial cover to the east. The Company is planning further auger sampling to test this model and has commenced the environmental permitting process for drilling at Jabal Muwayqirah. Drilling is expected to commence in the first quarter of 2025.

The Hanash South prospect area was discovered by Riofinex in the late 1970's. Riofinex identified copper, zinc and silver mineralized gossans outcropping and sub-cropping along and within a wadi over a strike distance of approximately 1.6 kilometers. Riofinex completed ground magnetics, induced polarization (IP) and self-potential (SP) surveys at Hanash South. The IP survey outlined an approximately 2.3-kilometer-long chargeability anomaly located beneath alluvial sediments. Riofinex drilled seven diamond drill holes along the trend of the IP anomaly. All drill holes except for HAS-3 and 6, intersected (layer-parallel) sulphide intervals of from 25 to 90 meters thickness. The sulphide sections were anomalous in silver, zinc and copper. Some select samples were taken for gold analyses, but results were not reported. Estimated grades assessed from graphic logs can be up to approximately 20 meters at 20ppm silver and 0.3% copper (visual estimate only, not JORC compliant). Highest reported grades over shorter intervals were 12.5% zinc and 0.4% copper over 1.7 meters and 46.4 ppm silver over 2.4 meters (Not JORC compliant).

Drilling from Hanash South has identified significant thicknesses of sulphide mineralization over 2.3 kilometers of strike-length and open towards the southeast. Sulphide intersections have not been systematically assayed for gold and where they were sampled, modern fire assay analytical techniques were not utilized, and results have not been reported. RRA is currently completing geological mapping and a drone-borne magnetic survey across Hanash South and has implemented the environmental permitting process with a view to drill testing the prospect in the first quarter of 2025.

Tim Coughlin, President and CEO, said, "Systematic exploration work at Jabal Sahabiyah is identifying local and district-scale potential at several localities. Key to the polymetallic potential of these localities is repeat geochemical sampling using modern analytical techniques to better assess particularly the gold content of exposed mineralization. This is evident at Jabal Muwayqirah, where the addition of gold from RRA's grab sampling has elevated copper equivalent grades to a maximum of 16.5% and increased the economic potential of the prospect area. Also important at Jabal Sahabiyah and elsewhere is testing beneath transported cover or wadis. We now have several examples of gossan occurrences occurring as erosional remnants along the immediate banks of wadi's or as sub crop from within the wadi itself. In the case of Hanash South, Riofinex collared all of their drill holes from within the wadi and at Jabal Muwayqirah our immediate targets are evident as subtle auger anomalies and drone magnetic responses from beneath three meters of transported cover. We look forward to drill-testing our models in the coming year.”