Cartier Delivers Metallurgical Results Exceeding Expectations with 96.3% Gold Recovery at Cadillac

VAL-D’OR, Quebec, May 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cartier Resources Inc. (″Cartier″ or the ″Company″) (TSXV: ECR; FSE: 6CA; OTCQB: ECRFF) is pleased to announce the results of the metallurgical testwork program conducted on drill core samples from the Main Sector at its 100%-owned Cadillac Project, located in Val-d’Or (Abitibi, Quebec, Canada). Work was supervised by Soutex, a firm specializing in mineral processing and metallurgy, located in Quebec City (Quebec).

Strategic Highlights of Metallurgical Testwork

Positive Results

• Overall gold extraction for Main Sector reached 96.3%, after less than 48 hours of cyanide leaching.
• Low gold recovery variation between deposits, ranging from 95.4% at East Chimo to 97.1% at Chimo.
• Fast dissolution achieved due to pre-aeration step and lead-salt addition prior to cyanidation.
• Significant optimization of gold recovery, grinding the material to a D80 of 50 µm.
• Very low cyanide consumption during leaching expected to be approximately 0.25 kg/t.
• Low sulfur content of mineralized samples, varying from 0.93 to 1.46%.
• Variation from 13.1 to 14.3 kWh/t of grinding bond work index, indicating moderately hard material.
• Conventional milling flowsheet with crushing, grinding, cyanide leach and gravity separation.
  
  

Comparison

• Gold recovery increased by 3.2% versus 2023 Preliminary Economic Assessment (93.1% to 96.3%).
• Gold recovery increased by 5.7% versus historical Chimo Mine average production (90.6% to 96.3%).
  
  

Philippe Cloutier, President and CEO of Cartier, stated: "Achieving gold recoveries above 96% in the Main Sector highlights the metallurgical characteristics of the Cadillac mineralization and reinforces the project’s strong development potential."

Ronan Deroff, Vice President Exploration of Cartier, added: "It was essential for Cartier to generate updated, high-quality data that reflects current standards. Improving gold extraction of Chimo deposit approximatively at 97% and establishing first-time metallurgical recovery data for the East Chimo and West Nordeau satellite deposits, respectively around 95% and 97%, exceed our expectations and enhance the economic potential of the Cadillac project. Additionally, we are now considering conducting a maiden metallurgical testing program on the very promising North Contact gold zone, highlighted by Cartier's recent drilling work."

Objectives and Methodology

The key objectives consisted of defining expected gold recovery rates and improving upon historical results from the Chimo deposit and establishing first-time metallurgical recovery data for the East Chimo and West Nordeau satellite deposits, where no previous data exists. Also, the program included head characterisation, comminution testing, cyanide leach testing, gravity, cyanide detox and chemical and mineralogical characterization.

Sample Preparation

The metallurgical testwork have been conducted on NQ-size half-drill core intervals spatially selected to be representative of both the type of mineralization and the average head grade of the resource. A total of 6 composites for 388.7 kg from the three deposits (Chimo, East Chimo and West Nordeau) has been generated including approximatively two 65 kg-composites for each deposit.

Mineralogical Analysis

A quantitative scan mineralogical analysis (QEMSCAN) has been conducted on each sample to measure their sulfur content with results ranging from 0.93 to 1.46%, signaling a low sulfur quantity. Mineralogy indicates the presence of primary sulphides in the ore such as pyrrhotite and arsenopyrite.

Pyrrhotite is known to consume oxygen during cyanidation which leads to a slow rate of gold dissolution but does not affect the final gold recovery; however, its impact is reduced when the solids are subjected to a pre-aeration step and lead-salt addition prior to the cyanidation. Arsenopyrite has little effect on cyanidation itself, but it may contain gold as a solid solution, which may not be recovered unless the arsenopyrite is destroyed through roasting or strong oxidation.

Comminution Tests

Comminution tests characterize the ore grindability based on two parameters: the bond ball mill work index (Bwi) providing ball mill energy consumption and the SMC test giving information on the breakage characteristics and coarse fragment grinding energy.

Grindability results show a Bond Ball Mill Work Index ranging from 13.1 to 14.3 kWh/t, and SMC testing gives A×b values from 25 to 32, indicating a moderately hard material.

Cyanide Leach Recovery

Based on the metallurgical results, grinding the material to a D80 of 50 µm will significantly optimize gold recovery, as the recovery gains at this fineness are expected to more than offset the increase in grinding costs.

With a pre-aeration step and lead-salt addition prior to cyanidation, dissolution is faster and can be achieved in less than 48 hours. Cyanide consumption during leaching is very low and expected to be approximately 0.25 kg/t, and cyanide losses to tailings are estimated at about 0.3 kg/t.

The overall gold extraction achieved 96.3% for the Main Sector for an average feed gold grade of 3.7 g/t, varying from 97.1% for the sample of Chimo deposit, 95.4% for the samples of East Chimo deposit and 96.6% for the samples of West Nordeau (Table 1).

Table 1: Recovery Test Results

Sample	D80 (µm)	Feed Gold Grade (g/t)	Feed Sulfur Grade (%)	Recovery (%)	Average Recovery (%)	Tailings Gold Grade (g/t)
Chimo-1	50	3.38	1.18	96.0	97.1	0.13
Chimo-2	50	4.35	1.01	98.2		0.08
East Chimo-1	50	4.22	1.46	94.7	95.4	0.22
East Chimo-2	50	4.58	1.33	96.0		0.18
West Nordeau-1	50	3.34	0.93	97.9	96.6	0.07
West Nordeau-2	50	2.44	1.19	95.2		0.12
			Average	96.3

Gravity

Gravity testwork indicates that 30% to 60% of the gold can be recovered by gravity. Leach testing of the gravity tails shows that the combined recovery is similar to the whole-ore leach recovery. The main advantage of gravity equipment is the recovery of gold within the grinding circuit, where it could otherwise accumulate over time; particularly because the flowsheet includes a pre-aeration step, which avoids the addition of cyanide in the grinding circuit.

Qualified Persons

The scientific and technical content of this press release has been prepared, reviewed and approved by Mr. Ronan Déroff, P.Geo., M.Sc., Vice President Exploration for Cartier, who is a ″Qualified Person″ as defined by National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (″NI 43-101″).

The metallurgical testwork results were reviewed and approved by Pierre Roy, P.Eng. for Soutex inc. and ″Qualified Person″ under NI 43-101.

About Soutex

Soutex is a consulting firm in mineral processing and metallurgy that offers specialized services, from the initial stages of development on paper to the daily operations of the processing plant. Their designs stem from their solid experience in providing plant operations support. This support is based on their knowledge of fundamental ore processing principles and their in-plant experience. Founded in 2000 and having offices in Canada (Quebec and Longueuil) and Germany (Munich), Soutex comprises more than 40 metallurgists, process engineers, and technicians, making it one of the largest groupings of specialists in the field in Canada.

About Cadillac Project

The Cadillac Project, covering 14,000 hectares along a 15-kilometre stretch of the Cadillac Fault, is one of the largest consolidated land packages in the Val-d’Or mining camp. Cartier’s flagship asset integrates the historic Chimo Mine and East Cadillac projects, creating a dominant position in a world class gold mining district. With excellent road access, year-round infrastructure and nearby milling capacity, the project is ideally positioned for rapid advancement and value creation.

The Cadillac property contains total gold resource of 767,800 ounces in the measured and indicated category (10.0 Mt at 2.4 g/t Au) and 2,416,900 ounces in the inferred category (35.2 Mt at 2.1 g/t Au) across all the sectors. Please see the ″ NI 43-101 Technical Report and Mineral Resource Estimate on the Cadillac Project, Val-d’Or, Abitibi, Quebec, Canada. Pierre-Luc Richard, P.Geo. of PLR Resources Inc., Stephen Coates, P.Eng. of Evomine Consulting Inc. and Florent Baril, P.Eng. of Bumigeme Inc. ″, effective January 27, 2026.

About Cartier Resources Inc.

Cartier Resources Inc., founded in 2006 and headquartered in Val-d’Or (Quebec) is a gold exploration company focused on building shareholder value through discovery and development in one of Canada’s most prolific mining camps. The Company combines strong technical expertise and a track record of successful exploration to advance its flagship Cadillac Project. Cartier’s strategy is clear: unlock the full potential of one of the largest undeveloped gold landholdings in Quebec.

For further information, contact:

Philippe Cloutier, P. Geo.
President and CEO
Telephone: 819-856-0512
philippe.cloutier@ressourcescartier.com
www.ressourcescartier.com

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