Diamond drilling rig at the Seagull Critical Minerals Project, Ontario, January 2026.
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Following the company’s press release dated December 8, 2025, drilling crews have been mobilized to the site, the casings have been cemented and drilling is now underway. The January 2026 drill program is fully funded and fully permitted and is designed to evaluate a previously untested deep target identified beneath the Seagull mafic-ultraramatic intrusion.
Rift Minerals Inc. (“Rift”), as an operator, has commenced exploration-stage drilling on this property, which is being evaluated for platinum group elements (PGEs), nickel, copper and associated naturally occurring gases including hydrogen and helium. The company’s Phase 1 program is planned as a diamond drill hole approximately 1,350 meters deep, designed to test a low-speed anomaly identified by Rift’s Ambient Noise Tomography (“ANT”) research. A specialist gas processing team will arrive later this month to support drilling activities as the program progresses. Gas sampling is research in nature and does not imply the presence of commercial gas sources.
The borehole is designed to test an underground zone that has not previously been tested by drilling. The company expects to provide additional updates as drilling progresses and results become available.
ABOUT THE SEAGULL PROJECT
The project is located approximately 80 kilometers northeast of Thunder Bay, Ontario, and addresses the interpreted mafic-ultramafic seagull intrusion in the Nipigon Basin. Historic explorations between 1998 and 2012 included airborne geophysical surveys and approximately 20,000 meters of diamond drilling, which propagated to semi-massive sulphide mineralization containing nickel, copper and platinum group elements along parts of the basal contact of the intrusion. These results are historical in nature and have not been independently verified by Anteros.
In 2024, Rift completed an Ambient Noise Tomography (“ANT”) study to refine the internal geometry of the Seagull Intrusion and to help define a deeper underground target. The study outlined contrasting velocity domains that were interpreted as reflecting lithological and alteration variations. These interpretations have not been drill tested and remain unverified by Anteros. The current Phase 1 drill program is intended to provide the first subsurface evaluation of the deeper ANT anomaly.
QUALIFIED PERSON
The scientific and technical information contained in this press release relating to the Seagull Project has been prepared by Rift Minerals Inc. and has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Geoff Heggie, P. Geo. (Ontario), a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101. This information has not been independently verified by Anteros Metals Inc. and is provided for geological context only.
ABOUT Anteros Metals Inc.
Anteros Metals Inc. is a Canadian exploration company focused on advancing a pipeline of critical minerals projects in Newfoundland and Labrador and select Canadian jurisdictions. The company focuses on copper, nickel, zinc and emerging strategic raw materials that support the global energy transition. Immediate plans for the flagship Knob Lake Property include bringing the historic Fe-Mn Mineral Resource Estimate to its current status and initiating baseline environmental and feasibility studies.
ABOUT RIFT MINERALS INC.
Rift Minerals Inc. is a privately held company based in Thunder Bay, Ontario, founded in 2024 by Steven Stares, Michael Stares, Cliff Hickman and Abraham Drost, M.Sc., P.Geo. (Ontario). Rift has completed initial exploration work on the Seagull Project, including an Ambient Noise Tomography survey conducted by Sisprobe, France. The resulting assessment report has been submitted to the Ontario Ministry of Energy and Mines for assessment credit. Additional information about Rift Minerals Inc. is available from publicly accessible sources.
On behalf of the Board of Directors:
Chris Morrison
Director
chris@anterosmetals.com | +1-709-725-6520
16 Forest Road, Suite 200, St. John’s, NL, Canada A1X 2B9
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information
This press release may contain “forward-looking information” and “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Any information contained herein that is not historical in nature may constitute forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements contained herein include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the prospects for the development of the Company’s mineral properties and are necessarily based on a number of assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to business, market and economic risks, uncertainties and contingencies that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.
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