- DUP26-093 returns 5.26 g/t Au over 19.55 m, including 7.58 g/t over 12.95 m and including 21.80 g/t over 1.0 m
- DUP26-096 returns 3.43 g/t Au over 28.0 m, including 10.36 g/t Au over 7.20 m
VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- First Mining Gold Corp. ("First Mining" or the "Company") (TSX: FF) (OTCQX: FFMGF) (FRANKFURT: FMG) is pleased to announce initial results from the 2026 exploration drilling program at its Duparquet Gold Project ("Duparquet Project" or the "Project") located in the Abitibi region of Quebec, Canada. The Company commenced its 2026 drilling program at the Project in May 2026 and is targeting to complete an estimated 15,000 m of drilling focused on exploration and resource advancement opportunities. The results reported here are primarily from the Miroir target, a high-priority discovery zone first identified by First Mining in its 2024 drill program and further delineated and advanced through follow-up drilling in 2025 and 2026.
- Drill holes DUP26-093 to DUP26-096 successfully targeted an important easterly and down plunge extension and returned the following highlights: DUP26-093 returned 5.26 g/t Au over 19.55 m, including 7.58 g/t Au over 12.95 m, and including 21.80 g/t Au over 1.0 m
- DUP26-095 returned 3.36 g/t Au over 15.8 m, including 15.10 g/t Au over 2.0 m, and 3.54 g/t Au over 4.2 m, including 7.28 g/t Au over 1.0 m
- DUP26-096 returned 3.43 g/t Au over 28.0 m, including 10.36 g/t Au over 7.2 m, and 2.99 g/t Au over 4.6 m, as well as 4.90 g/t Au over 2.7 m
In addition, drill hole DUP26-092 returned 3.33 g/t Au over 5.0 m, including 7.20 g/t Au over 1.0 m, and validated an extension of the mineralization towards the west and at depth (See Table 1 and 3 for details). The deposit remains open in all directions for additional exploration.
"We continue to be very active with our exploration program at Duparquet and are excited to announce the initial results from our 2026 program. The continued high-grade results from Miroir are very encouraging and demonstrate the potential of this target to become an important contributor to future resource growth and development planning at our Duparquet Project," stated Dan Wilton, CEO of First Mining. "We are pleased with the progress made through our successive drill programs and the continued expansion of mineralization at Miroir. With additional results still pending, we look forward to further advancing this target and evaluating its potential within the broader Duparquet Project."
In 2025, drilling at the Miroir target tested mineralization over a strike length of 150 m and to a vertical depth of 250 m. Building on these results, the 2026 exploration program has focused on testing extensions of the mineralized zone, with initial results received to date extending the known strike length to approximately 220 m, while also extending mineralization at depth in areas to the east and west (Figures 1 and 2).
Drilling at the Miroir target continues to demonstrate the potential for further expansion of mineralization at the Duparquet Project, with the multiple robust gold intercepts returned to date supporting the growing scale and continuity of the mineralized zone. The 2026 drilling program has continued to test the target along strike and at depth, further advancing the Company's understanding of the geometry and extent of mineralization. Additional drill results remain pending.
2026 Drilling and Resource Model Advancement
The 2026 drilling program at the Duparquet Project commenced in May 2026 and are continuing into Q4 2026, with the Company targeting the completion of a 15,000 m drilling campaign focused on key exploration and resource advancement opportunities. Assay results from the ongoing programs continue to be received, with additional results and interpretations to be disclosed in future updates as ongoing integration and modelling work continues.
In addition, First Mining has initiated an update to the Duparquet Project resource model to incorporate drilling completed since the current Mineral Resource Estimate, which has an effective date of September 12, 2022. Since that time, the Company has completed 48,000m of drilling across the Project at established resource areas and emerging exploration targets. The updated resource model will incorporate this new drilling and provide an opportunity to evaluate the potential impact of the additional data on the Project's mineral resource and geological understanding.
The latest reported assays represent approximately 1,553 m of drilling from a total of 2,994 m across 11 drill holes drilled at the Miroir target this year. These holes were focused on advancing the understanding of mineralization controls at Miroir and extending the target depth while testing the down-dip potential. Assay highlights are provided in Table 1, with the full list of assay results presented in Table 3 and drill collar details in Table 4.
Table 1: Latest Significant 2026 Drill Intercepts
Additional Details on Miroir
The Miroir target forms an important part of a recently unlocked exploration advancement area located along the eastern mineralization trend of the Duparquet Project gold deposits. Exploration of the area also includes the CVD series of deposits as well as open trends to the north and south. The area is thought to represent new growth opportunities where a strong potential for additional continuity of gold mineralization and discoveries may exist along strike, down dip, and down plunge.
The 2026 drilling at the Miroir target focused on further delineating the extent of near-surface mineralization discovered in 2024. In 2025, drilling confirmed multiple near-surface gold zones and extended the discovery to a vertical depth of 250m which spanned approximately 150 m of strike length. A series of significant intercepts have been returned at Miroir to date (Table 2), with the most recent drilling continuing to confirm and expand the target area, extending mineralization to a strike length of 220 m and highlighting multiple near-surface gold zones.
Notable results from the most recent drilling include drill hole DUP26-093 returning 5.26 g/t Au over 19.55 m from 182.0 m to 201.55 m, including 7.58 g/t Au over 12.95 m, and including 21.80 g/t Au over 1.0 m. Drillhole DUP26-096 returned 3.43 g/t Au over 28.0 m from 234.35 m to 262.35 m, including 10.36 g/t over 7.2 m. These results continue to demonstrate the potential for multiple, high-quality gold zones within the Miroir target and reinforce its potential for further growth.
High-grade mineralization at the Miroir target is associated with coincident brittle deformation within a volcanic package proximal to syenite contacts. Mineralized intercepts are spatially correlated with northeast–southwest-striking D2 deformation zones that coincide with a geophysically inferred basalt–syenite contact plunging to the east.
In the most recent drill holes, mineralization is hosted within a mixed package composed primarily of basalt with syenite clasts. This strongly brecciated unit is silica-altered and contains 2–5% very fine-grained, disseminated to fracture-controlled bronze pyrite. In some areas, the alteration is sufficiently intense that evidence of the primary textures has been completely overprinted.
Table 2: Previous Disclosure Highlights from the Miroir target
Table 3: Latest Assay Results from 2026 Drill Program
Table 4: Latest 2026 Drill Hole Locations
About the Duparquet Gold Project
The Duparquet Project is situated in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt and is geographically located approximately 50 km northwest of the city of Rouyn-Noranda. The Project benefits from easy access and proximity to an existing workforce and infrastructure, including road, rail and hydroelectric grid power. The Duparquet Project currently hosts an NI 43-101 compliant gold resource of 3.44 million ounces in the Measured & Indicated category, grading 1.55 g/t Au, and an additional 2.64 million ounces in the Inferred category, grading 1.62 g/t Au. First Mining completed a Preliminary Economic Assessment1 ("PEA") on the Project in 2023.
The Duparquet Project totals approximately 5,800 hectares focused on an area of 19 km of strike length along the prolific Destor-Porcupine Fault Zone, along with numerous mineralized splays and influential secondary lineaments. The Duparquet Project includes the past-producing Beattie, Donchester and Duquesne mines as well as the Central Duparquet, Dumico and Pitt Gold deposits.
Analytical Laboratory and QA/QC Procedures
All sampling completed by First Mining within its exploration programs is subject to a Company standard of internal quality control and quality assurance (QA/QC) programs which include the insertion of certified reference materials, blank materials and a level of duplicate analysis. Core samples from the 2026 drilling program at Duparquet were sent to AGAT Laboratories, with sample preparation in Val d'Or, Quebec and analysis in Thunder Bay, Ontario, where they were processed for gold analysis by 50 gram fire assay with an atomic absorption finish. Samples from selected holes were sent to AGAT Laboratories in Calgary, Alberta, for multi-element analysis (including silver) by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) method with a four acid digest. AGAT Laboratories systems conform to requirements of ISO/IEC Standard 17025 guidelines and meets assay requirements outlined for NI 43-101.
Qualified Person
Caroline Pienaar, P.Geo., Director of Exploration for First Mining, is a "Qualified Person" for the purposes of NI 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical disclosure contained in this news release.
About First Mining Gold Corp.