Cartier Extends Mineralized System 4 km East of Main; Cuts 23.2 g/t Au over 1.0 m at Nordeau (Cadillac); Expands High-Grade Gold Near Surface at East Nordeau Zone

VAL-D’OR, Quebec, Feb. 18, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cartier Resources Inc. (? Cartier ? or the ? Company ?) (TSXV: ECR; FSE: 6CA) is pleased to announce the eighth batch of results from the 100,000-m drilling program (2 drill rigs), for the Nordeau Sector and more precisely, the East Nordeau Zone (? ENZ ?), on the 100%-owned Cadillac Project, located in Val-d’Or (Abitibi, Quebec). The ENZ consists of two parallel high-grade gold zones: EN1 and EN2, spaced approximately 25 m apart.

Strategic Highlights from Nordeau Sector

Drill Hole Results (Figures 1 to 4)

• CA25-565 intersected 23.2 g/t Au over 1.0 m (EN1 Zone).
• CA26-570 graded 11.9 g/t Au over 1.0 m (EN1 Zone) and 14.1 g/t Au over 1.0 m (EN2 Zone).
• CA26-572 reported 7.3 g/t Au over 1.0 m (EN1 Zone).
  

Significance for Investors

• Holes CA25-565, CA26-570 and 572 confirm the newly recognized ENZ high-grade gold zone near surface. The mineralization extends over a minimum of 400 m in strike length and remains open at depth.
• New mineralization environment with iron formations indicates a strong opportunity for making gold discoveries, increasing the scale of target area in the Nordeau Sector.
• Most importantly, ENZ is strategically located just 800 metres south of Contact Sector and the new emergent high-grade gold North Contact Zone, signaling significant upside exploration potential.
  

Next Steps

• Further expansion drilling is planned to significantly refine the geological model, verify the mineralization continuity and determine the gold enrichment.
• Additional exploration drilling is required to test several new high-priority regional targets along strike of the Nordeau Sector and the Cadillac Fault Zone, backed by detailed structural and geological modelling and VRIFY’s artificial intelligence (AI) driven targeting.

" The Nordeau Sector now becomes the third sector to return significant gold results from our 100,000-meter drill campaign, underscoring the growing scale and strength of the mineralized system. With no fewer than 11 sectors to be drilled, this aggressive program is designed to unlock multiple new gold discoveries and firmly establish the Cadillac Project as a camp-scale gold opportunity with upside exploration potential." – Philippe Cloutier, President and CEO of Cartier.

" The initial results from the Nordeau Sector indicate a gold enrichment trend comparable to that observed in the North Contact Zone of the Contact Sector. These findings also suggest that the sector may exhibit a slightly different structural geometry than that identified in the Main Sector and at the past-producing Chimo mine. This drilling program is designed to confirm this interpretation and further define the sector’s potential, with the objective of unlocking additional value for shareholders. " – Ronan Deroff, Vice President Exploration of Cartier.

Table 1: Drill hole best assay results from Nordeau Sector

* Occurrences of visible gold (VG) have been noted in the drill core at various intervals. ** Based on the observed intercept angles within the drill core, true thicknesses are estimated to represent approximately 70-95% of the reported core length intervals.

Figure 1: Location of the new drill results (regional plan view)

Figure 2: Location of the new drill results (regional longitudinal section)

Figure 3: Plan view, cross and long sections of the Nordeau Sector

Figure 4: Photos of the drill core from holes CA25-565 and CA26-570

Nordeau Sector

The Nordeau Sector is a highly prospective area featuring the East Nordeau Zone with indicated resources of 17,500 ounces (0.3 million tonnes at 1.7 g/t Au) and inferred resources of 101,200 ounces (1.7 million tonnes at 1.9 g/t Au). The latter is the first ever resource estimate in this sector for which there has been only limited and relatively shallow testing. This sector hosts several newly defined high-priority drill targets.

The ENZ lies along an east-west trending, strongly sheared corridor (Cadillac Fault Zone) and occurs in an iron formation (Cadillac Group) within the turbiditic sedimentary rocks (wacke-mudrock) of Cadillac Group. This lithological unit is a favorable horizon for hydrothermal fluid flow, likely related to synvolcanic gold deposition.

The ENZ, defined by at least two parallel gold-rich zones, are typically and primarily associated with a medium to coarse-grained and disseminated pyrrhotite-pyrite-arsenopyrite mineralization, with a pervasive carbonate-garnet alteration, all crosscut by late-stage smoky quartz vein and veinlet stockworks.

Milestones of 2025-2027 Exploration Program

100,000 m Drilling Program (Q3 2025 to Q2 2027)

The ambitious 600-hole drilling program will both expand known gold zones and test new shallow surface high-potential targets. The objective is to unlock the camp-scale, high-grade gold potential along the 15 km Cadillac Fault Zone. It is important to note that Cartier’s recent consolidation of this large land holding offers the unique opportunity in over 90 years for unrestricted exploration.

Environmental Baseline Studies & Economic Evaluation of Chimo mine tailings (Q3 2025 to Q3 2026)

The baseline studies will be divided into two distinct parts which include 1) environmental baseline desktop study and 2) preliminary environmental geochemical characterization. The initial baseline studies will provide a comprehensive understanding of the current environmental conditions and implement operations that minimize environmental impact while optimizing the economic potential of the project. These studies will be supplemented by an initial assessment of the economic potential of the past-producing Chimo mine tailings to determine whether a quantity of gold can be extracted economically.

Metallurgical Sampling and Testwork Program (Q4 2025 to Q1 2026)

The metallurgical testwork program includes defining of expected gold recovery rates and improving historical results from the Chimo deposit, as well as establishing metallurgical recovery data for the first-time for the East Chimo and West Nordeau satellite deposits, where no previous data exists. This comprehensive program will characterize the mineralized material, gold recovery potential and validate optimal grind size defining the most efficient and cost-effective flowsheet. The data generated will directly support optimized project development and have the potential to significantly reduce both capital and operating costs, while also improving the environmental footprint.

Preliminary Economic Assessment (2026)

Internal engineering studies have been initiated to validate a multitude of development scenarios that consider the updated MRE and current market environment. Following the selection of the most optimal scenario, a PEA will be completed which will also build upon the results of the metallurgical testwork program and the environmental baseline studies to unveil the updated development strategy and vision of the project.

Table 2: Drill hole collar coordinates from Nordeau Sector

Table 3: Drill hole detailed assay results from Nordeau Sector

* Occurrences of visible gold (VG) have been noted in the drill core at various intervals. ** Based on the observed intercept angles within the drill core, true thicknesses are estimated to represent approximately 70-95% of the reported core length intervals.

Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) Program

The drill core from the Cadillac Project is NQ-size and, upon receipt from the drill rig, is described and sampled by Cartier geologists. Core is sawn in half, with one half labelled, bagged and submitted for analysis and the other half retained and stored at Cartier’s coreshack facilities located in Val-d’Or, Quebec, for future reference and verification. As part of Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) program, Cartier inserts blank samples and certified reference materials (standards) at regular intervals into the sample stream prior to shipment to monitor laboratory performance and analytical accuracy.

Drill core samples are sent to MSALABS's analytical laboratory located in Val-d’Or, Quebec, for preparation and gold analysis. The entire sample is dried and crushed (70% passing a 2-millimeter sieve). The analysis for gold is performed on an approximately 500 g aliquot using Chrysos Photon Assay™ technology, which uses high-energy X-ray excitation with gamma detection to quickly and non-destructively measure gold content.

Alternatively, samples are submitted to Activation Laboratories Ltd. ("Actlabs"), located in either Val-d’Or or Ste-Germaine-Boulé, both in Quebec, for preparation and gold analysis. The entire sample is dried, crushed (90% passing a 2-millimetre sieve) and 250 g is pulverized (90% passing a 0.07-millimetre sieve). The analysis for gold is conducted using a 50 g fire assay fusion with atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) finish, with a detection limit up to 10,000 ppb. Samples exceeding this threshold are reanalyzed by fire assay with a gravimetric finish to determine high-grade values accurately.

Both MSALABS and Actlabs are ISO/IEC 17025 accredited for gold assays and implement industry-standard QA/QC protocols. Their internal quality control programs include the use of blanks, duplicates, and certified reference materials at set intervals, with established acceptance criteria to ensure data integrity and analytical precision.

Qualified Person

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, who is a ? Qualified Person ? as defined by National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (? NI 43-101 ?).

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

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

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