Trident Intersects 5.73 g/t Au over 15.0m including 9.35 g/t Au over 7.0m and 15.05 g/t Au over 2.0m Below Historical Mining Infrastructure at the Contact Lake Gold Project in Northern Saskatchewan
MWN-AI** Summary
Trident Resources Corp. (TSXV: ROCK) has announced successful results from the final six diamond drill holes of its 2025 drilling program at the Contact Lake Gold Project in Northern Saskatchewan. Among these, Hole CL25017 revealed impressive gold mineralization, intersecting 5.73 g/t Au over 15.0m, which included higher grades of 9.35 g/t Au over 7.0m and 15.05 g/t Au over 2.0m, deepening the prospect for a significant extension of the gold resource below previous mining operations. This marks a significant accomplishment as the holes were specifically aimed at exploring areas beneath historical mining infrastructure.
The overall 2025 drill program involved 19 holes and 6,838 meters of drilling, confirming substantial gold mineralization within and around the Bakos Shear Zone, the main mineral host. Hole CL25016 also yielded notable results, intersecting 2.62 g/t Au over 37.44m, further indicating the area's rich potential. Following this positive outcome, Trident has initiated a fully funded 10,000-meter drill program for Winter 2026 to continue exploring these promising zones.
CEO Jon Wiesblatt expressed optimism regarding the results, highlighting the potential of the Contact Lake Project as a large orogenic gold system capable of evolving into a world-class, high-grade deposit. The exploration will target previously untested areas, focusing on expanding both discovered and historical gold zones left unmined due to past market conditions. With a rich mining history and considerable untested potential, Contact Lake remains a key asset for Trident as it advances its exploration strategy in the La Ronge Gold Belt.
MWN-AI** Analysis
Trident Resources Corp. (TSXV: ROCK) has provided promising updates from its Contact Lake Gold Project following the release of impressive results from its 2025 drilling program. The company reported several significant gold intersections, with Hole CL25017 returning 5.73 g/t Au over 15.0 meters, including higher grades of 9.35 g/t and 15.05 g/t Au over shorter intervals. These results indicate a potentially robust gold system beneath previously mined areas, prompting a fully-funded 10,000-meter drilling program set for the winter of 2026.
The historical context is pivotal; Trident's project is situated in the La Ronge Gold Belt, a region that has previously yielded high-grade gold ore. With production ceasing in 1998 and gold prices around USD $300/oz, significant resources remained untouched, leaving the door open for exploration at depth where mineralization may persist. The recent drill results support this theory, showcasing the depth potential of the Bakos Shear Zone, which remains under-explored.
Given the encouraging results and the upcoming drilling campaign focusing on extending mineralized zones, investors might view Trident as an attractive opportunity. The company's strategic focus on systematically mapping and testing these areas could lead to the identification of new resources capable of enhancing their valuation significantly.
However, potential investors should consider the inherent risks associated with exploration, including results variability and the regulatory environment in Canada. Therefore, while the potential upside appears promising given recent drill results, it’s crucial to approach with caution, particularly by monitoring the outcomes of the next drilling phase and fluctuations in gold prices. Diversification and a sound investment strategy are advisable while Trident works towards establishing its gold resource potential in a historically significant area.
**MWN-AI Summary and Analysis is based on asking OpenAI to summarize and analyze this news release.
Vancouver, BC, Jan. 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Trident Resources Corp. (TSXV: ROCK) (OTCQB: TRDTF) (“Trident” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce the results of the remaining six (6) diamond drill holes from the 19-hole 2025 drill program at the Contact Lake Project. These are the final holes to be reported from the 2025 fall program and were designed to test for the down-dip extension of gold mineralization below the historically defined Main Zone of the Bakos Shear Zone, the main host to gold mineralization. Based on the very successful results of the 2025 drill program (6,838m drilled in 19 holes), a fully-funded 10,000m winter 2026 drill program at Contact Lake is underway.
Trident’s Regional Project Location Map:
https://www.tridentresourcescorp.com/projects/contact-lake-gold-project/#&gid=1&pid=1
Highlights:
- The final six holes from Trident’s inaugural drill program at Contact Lake all intersected substantial gold mineralization within, above and below the Bakos Shear zone – the main host of gold at Contact Lake. These holes targeted gold mineralization in areas below the historical mining infrastructure, which highlights the tremendous depth-potential of the orogenic gold system present at Contact Lake.
- Hole CL25017 returned 5.73 g/t gold (Au) over 15.0m from 472.0m including 9.35 g/t Au over 7.0m from 480.0m and 15.05 g/t Au over 2.0m from 481.0m.
- Hole CL25016 returned 2.62 g/t Au over 37.44m from 465.6m including 5.70 g/t gold over 9.0m from 469.8m and 11.53 g/t Au over 2.3m from 476.5m.
- A 2026 winter phase of drilling consisting of approximately 10,000 metres in up to 40 drill holes with two drill rigs has commenced.
Jon Wiesblatt, CEO of Trident Resources, commented: “These results are very important for Trident as they clearly demonstrate the potential to significantly expand gold mineralization at depth, well below the historical mine workings developed by Cameco in the 1990’s. These first few deeper holes illustrate the discovery potential beneath the old infrastructure and reinforce our belief that Contact Lake is a large, robust orogenic gold system with the capacity to evolve into a world-class, high-grade deposit, similar to those at other major greenstone gold camps in Canada. Advancing exploration at depth will remain a key priority for the Company, and these results provide strong validation for the follow-up drilling planned in our ongoing programs at the project.”
Summary of Drilling:
The final six holes were mainly focused on discovering gold mineralization below the existing underground infrastructure in order to prove the depth potential of the orogenic shear-hosted mineralization present at Contact Lake. These types of gold systems commonly persist to great depths, such as SSR’s Seabee Gold Operation, located 85km northeast of Contact Lake, where underground mining operations occurred up to 1.3km below surface. Contact Lake was shut down in 1998 when the gold price was close to USD $300/oz and the limit of mining reached 340 metres vertical depth. Trident believes the Contact Lake gold system has excellent potential to extend well below the limits of the historical mining where there has been effectively no drill testing.
Contact Lake Gold Property Map:
http://www.tridentresourcescorp.com/_resources/maps/contact-lake-property-map.jpg
Analytical results from the 2025 drill program show that high-grade gold is present at shallow depths as well as deeper down. The 2026 winter drill program at Contact Lake will seek to extend recently discovered and historically identified gold zones along strike to the northeast in the BK3 Zone where historically defined resources were left unmined due to the low gold price. Trident will continue to explore and drill test in a systematic manner as the team looks to expand on and discover additional high-grade gold zones.
Contact Lake Drill Collar Location Map:
https://www.tridentresourcescorp.com/_resources/images/Contact-Lake-Gold-Property-20260114.png
Detailed Description of the Drill Holes:
Hole CL25014 (338º azimuth and -62º dip) was collared 414m southeast of the mine portal entrance in an area of sparse historical drilling to target the potential down-dip and lateral extension of gold mineralization in the Main Zone at a vertical depth of 330m, near the lower limits of the mine infrastructure in that area. Two distinct higher-grade zones of mineralization were encountered in the footwall of the Bakos Shear including 5.03 g/t Au over 5.0m (484.0-489.0m down-hole) and 1.24 g/t Au over 23.0m (507.0-530.0m down-hole) including 2.15 g/t over 10.5m (512.5-523.0m). Lower-grade gold mineralization was encountered in the Bakos Shear between 366-400m down-hole depth with a more coherent zone encountered in weakly sheared granodiorite in the footwall of the shear returning 0.86 g/t Au over 19.6m between 450.0-469.6m.
Plan View of the Contact Lake Drilling in Fall of 2025:
http://www.tridentresourcescorp.com/_resources/news/2025-Drill-Plan-Holes-14-to-19.jpg
Hole CL25015 (335º/-67º) was designed to test for the down-dip extension of the southwest Main Zone gold mineralization at a vertical depth of >350m, below the lowermost mine infrastructure. Near the lower extents of the Bakos Shear, a zone grading 1.91 g/t Au over 13.8m (512.2-526.0m down-hole) was intersected with a 1.8m zone grading 12.06 g/t Au (536.8-538.6m) located below in a moderately sheared horizon in the granodiorite host, which continued to a down-hole depth of 567.0m. Below the main sheared horizon, in a weakly sheared granodiorite, a 4.0m zone grading 4.91 g/t Au (575.0-579.0m) was discovered with intermittent isolated multi-gram hits continuing to the terminal hole depth of 659.0m.
Hole CL25016 (338º/-63º) was collared 115m WNW of CL25015 at the outermost southwestern edge of historical drilling to target the southwest, down-dip extension of high-grade gold mineralization in the PO Zone, an ore lens located in the footwall of the Main Zone. This drillhole encountered a broad zone of gold mineralization that extended from the lower portions of the Bakos Shear into the footwall that graded 2.62 g/t Au over 37.4m between 465.6-503.0m. Within this zone, three higher-grade zones were intercepted: 5.70 g/t Au over 9.0m (469.8-478.8m), 10.09 g/t Au over 1.7m (469.8-471.5m) and 11.53 g/t Au over 2.3m (476.5-478.8m).
Hole CL25017 (338º/-63º) was collared 43m southwest of CL25016 to further test for the down-dip extension of historically defined gold mineralization reported in the PO Zone. A broad well-mineralized zone returned 2.61 g/t Au over 48.95m between 467.0-515.95m down-hole depth. Within this broad intercept, higher-grade horizons consisted of: 5.73 g/t Au over 15.0m (472.0-487.0m), 9.35 g/t Au over 7.0m (480.0-487.0m) and 15.05 g/t Au over 2.0m (481.0-483.0m). This mineralized intercept spanned the entire width of the Bakos Shear zone and persisted roughly 15m into the footwall of the structure. Sporadic mineralization continued below this broad horizon to the hole’s terminal depth at 668.0m.
Hole CL25018 (338º/68º) was collared from the same pad as CL25017 at a steeper dip to test for an extension of PO Zone mineralization at a deeper level. This hole intersected different phases of the composite Little Deer Lake pluton, which hosts the Contact Lake deposit, that were not encountered in hole CL25017. Within and below the Bakos Shear zone, a 22.0m continuous zone of mineralization returned 0.90 g/t Au between 491.0-513.0m down-hole depth. Two more narrow higher-grade zones were intercepted within this range that returned 1.72 g/t Au over 3.6m (501.0-504.6m) and 1.89 g/t Au over 4.0m (509.0-513.0m).
Hole CL25019 (338º/-45º) was collared 440m NNW of holes CL25017 and CL25018 at the furthest northwestern edge of the Contact Lake mine site to test the potential for gold mineralization in the footwall of the Bakos Shear Zone. Intermittent narrow <1.5m horizons of gold mineralization were intersected throughout the hole within the weakly sheared granite and granodiorite hosts. The final 1.0m sample at a down-hole depth of 364.0m returned 4.55 g/t Au over 1.0m.
Table 1: Drill Hole Results at Contact Lake (January, 2026)
| Summary of Assay Results for 2025 Drilling | |||||
| Drill Hole # | From (m) | To (m) | Width (m) | Au (g/t) | Gram-Metre (g-m) |
| CL25001 | 41.50 | 71.00 | 29.50 | 0.56 | 16.60 |
| CL25002 | 39.26 | 68.87 | 29.61 | 2.49 | 73.85 |
| including | 39.26 | 41.47 | 2.21 | 27.09 | 59.87 |
| and | 94.00 | 110.00 | 16.00 | 0.42 | 6.78 |
| and | 241.00 | 251.61 | 10.61 | 0.47 | 4.99 |
| CL25003 | 46.88 | 53.89 | 7.01 | 0.66 | 4.60 |
| and | 69.00 | 92.00 | 23.00 | 7.89 | 181.46 |
| including | 75.00 | 81.89 | 6.89 | 23.86 | 164.40 |
| and | 121.00 | 164.25 | 43.25 | 7.03 | 304.05 |
| including | 155.00 | 164.25 | 9.25 | 30.06 | 278.07 |
| CL25004 | 157.45 | 159.51 | 2.06 | 8.37 | 17.25 |
| CL25005 | 100.06 | 106.00 | 5.94 | 5.66 | 33.61 |
| including | 100.06 | 102.50 | 2.44 | 11.83 | 28.86 |
| and | 142.00 | 144.55 | 2.55 | 42.95 | 109.52 |
| CL25006 | 272.00 | 287.00 | 15.00 | 7.28 | 109.27 |
| Including | 272.00 | 278.00 | 6.00 | 16.69 | 100.13 |
| including | 272.00 | 275.00 | 3.00 | 30.41 | 91.23 |
| CL25007 | 329.50 | 369.00 | 39.50 | 4.43 | 174.84 |
| including | 329.50 | 345.00 | 15.50 | 5.76 | 89.26 |
| Including | 329.50 | 335.50 | 6.00 | 9.43 | 56.60 |
| and | 367.00 | 369.00 | 2.00 | 37.31 | 74.62 |
| CL25008 | 139.00 | 145.00 | 6.00 | 7.41 | 44.44 |
| and | 155.00 | 156.35 | 1.35 | 6.27 | 8.46 |
| and | 268.00 | 273.00 | 5.00 | 7.74 | 38.69 |
| and | 313.58 | 316.50 | 2.92 | 6.07 | 17.72 |
| CL25009 | 85.50 | 88.33 | 2.83 | 9.23 | 26.11 |
| and | 199.00 | 202.00 | 3.00 | 8.49 | 25.46 |
| and | 242.89 | 245.00 | 2.11 | 6.19 | 13.06 |
| CL25010 | 188.50 | 195.28 | 6.78 | 4.23 | 28.71 |
| including | 192.00 | 195.28 | 3.28 | 6.72 | 22.05 |
| CL25011 | 217.15 | 218.25 | 1.10 | 5.86 | 6.45 |
| CL25012 | 133.00 | 136.37 | 3.37 | 2.97 | 10.01 |
| and | 194.00 | 199.50 | 5.50 | 1.76 | 9.68 |
| including | 194.00 | 195.40 | 1.40 | 5.56 | 7.78 |
| CL25013 | 77.40 | 79.00 | 1.60 | 4.13 | 6.61 |
| and | 135.00 | 136.00 | 1.00 | 13.20 | 13.20 |
| and | 190.00 | 194.00 | 4.00 | 2.00 | 8.00 |
| and | 193.00 | 194.00 | 1.00 | 5.42 | 5.42 |
| CL25014 | 484.00 | 489.00 | 5.00 | 5.03 | 25.15 |
| and | 484.00 | 486.00 | 2.00 | 10.68 | 21.36 |
| and | 507.00 | 530.00 | 23.00 | 1.24 | 28.52 |
| including | 512.50 | 523.00 | 10.50 | 2.15 | 22.58 |
| and | 521.00 | 523.00 | 2.00 | 7.90 | 15.80 |
| CL25015 | 512.15 | 526.00 | 13.85 | 1.90 | 26.32 |
| including | 512.15 | 513.21 | 1.06 | 14.95 | 15.85 |
| including | 523.50 | 526.00 | 2.50 | 3.46 | 8.65 |
| and | 536.75 | 538.60 | 1.85 | 12.06 | 22.31 |
| and | 575.00 | 579.00 | 4.00 | 4.91 | 19.64 |
| CL25016 | 465.56 | 503.00 | 37.44 | 2.62 | 98.09 |
| including | 469.80 | 478.80 | 9.00 | 5.70 | 51.30 |
| including | 469.80 | 471.50 | 1.70 | 10.09 | 17.15 |
| and | 469.80 | 488.00 | 18.20 | 4.09 | 74.44 |
| including | 476.50 | 478.80 | 2.30 | 11.53 | 26.52 |
| CL25017 | 467.00 | 515.95 | 48.95 | 2.61 | 127.76 |
| including | 472.00 | 494.00 | 22.00 | 4.68 | 102.96 |
| 472.00 | 487.00 | 15.00 | 5.73 | 85.95 | |
| 480.00 | 487.00 | 7.00 | 9.35 | 65.45 | |
| including | 481.00 | 483.00 | 2.00 | 15.05 | 30.10 |
| CL25018 | 501.00 | 504.60 | 3.60 | 1.72 | 6.19 |
| and | 509.00 | 513.00 | 4.00 | 1.89 | 7.56 |
| CL25019 | 364.00 | 365.00 | 1.00 | 4.55 | 4.55 |
* Widths are drilled intercepts, true widths have not been determined. Gold values are length-weighted averages.
Figure 2: Cross Section of Contact Lake Drilling (Hole CL25014)
http://www.tridentresourcescorp.com/_resources/news/CL25014.jpg
Figure 3: Cross Section of Contact Lake Drilling (Hole CL25015)
http://www.tridentresourcescorp.com/_resources/news/CL25015.jpg
Figure 4: Cross Section of Contact Lake Drilling (Hole CL25016)
http://www.tridentresourcescorp.com/_resources/news/CL25016.jpg
Figure 5: Cross Section of Contact Lake Drilling (Holes CL25017 and CL25018)
http://www.tridentresourcescorp.com/_resources/news/CL25017-CL25018.jpg
Figure 6: Cross Section of Contact Lake Drilling (Hole CL25019)
http://www.tridentresourcescorp.com/_resources/news/CL25019.jpg
Contact Lake Gold Project Overview:
The Contact Lake Gold Project covers approximately 22,790 hectares and includes the past-producing Contact Lake gold mine, which produced approx. 190,000 ounces of gold at an average head grade of 6.16 g/t Au during active mining operations between 1994 to 1998. At the time of mine closure, the price of gold hovered around $300/oz (USD) and Cameco Corporation reported that substantial gold resources were left unmined. Situated in the highly prospective La Ronge Gold Belt of Saskatchewan, the Contact Lake Property also hosts the Preview SW, Preview North and the North Lake orogenic gold deposits. Along with the Greywacke North deposit (located 40km northeast of Contact Lake), these four deposits are wholly-owned by Trident Resources and host current Mineral Resource Estimates (see news release dated November 24th, 2025) which does not include any ounces from the past producing Contact Lake target area.
Trident Resources Corp. – News Link
Quality Control:
All drill core is logged, photographed and cut in half with a diamond saw. Half of the core is placed in sealed poly bags with unique identification numbers and transported to ALS Global in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan for analysis, while the other half is archived and stored on site for verification and reference purposes.
At the lab, samples are received and digitally recorded then dried and pulverized into a fine powder. Gold is assayed using a 30g fire assay method and 49 additional elements are analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) utilizing a 4-acid digestion. Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QAQC) samples including field blanks, duplicates and lab-certified standards are inserted in the sample stream at a rate of greater than 10% of all samples submitted to the lab. ALS Global also conducts their own internal QAQC protocol.
Table 2: Drill Hole ID Contact Lake (January, 2026)
| Hole ID | Easting | Northing | Azimuth | Dip | Depth(m) | Elevation (m) |
| CL25001 | 507933 | 6141324 | 336 | -45 | 198 | 402 |
| CL25002 | 507933 | 6141324 | 339 | -55 | 311 | 402 |
| CL25003 | 507941 | 6141303 | 360 | -45 | 236 | 401 |
| CL25004 | 507940 | 6141302 | 0 | -55 | 182 | 401 |
| CL25005 | 507943 | 6141302 | 339 | -55 | 194 | 401 |
| CL25006 | 508006 | 6141099 | 350 | -55 | 362 | 403 |
| CL25007 | 508005 | 6141099 | 349 | -67 | 419 | 403 |
| CL25008 | 507985 | 6141205 | 339 | -60 | 344 | 400 |
| CL25009 | 507961 | 6141252 | 339 | -58 | 296 | 399 |
| CL25010 | 507940 | 6141245 | 339 | -48 | 230 | 405 |
| CL25011 | 507941 | 6141245 | 339 | -56 | 245 | 405 |
| CL25012 | 507891 | 6141254 | 341 | -45 | 209 | 413 |
| CL25013 | 507891 | 6141254 | 341 | -55 | 215 | 413 |
| CL25014 | 507851 | 6140948 | 338 | -62 | 548 | 419 |
| CL25015 | 507679 | 6140715 | 335 | -67 | 659 | 427 |
| CL25016 | 507570 | 6140743 | 338 | -63 | 560 | 441 |
| CL25017 | 507546 | 6140709 | 338 | -63 | 665 | 441 |
| CL25018 | 507545 | 6140709 | 338 | -68 | 596 | 441 |
| CL25019 | 507384 | 6141116 | 338 | -45 | 365 | 433 |
* UTM Zone 13 NAD 83
Qualified Person:
The technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with the Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101 and reviewed and approved by Cornell McDowell, P.Geo., VP Exploration for Trident Resources and the Qualified Person for Trident as defined by NI 43-101.
About Trident Resources Corp.
Trident Resources Corp. is a Canadian public mineral exploration company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange focused on the development, exploration and acquisition of advanced-stage gold and copper exploration projects in Saskatchewan, Canada. The Company is aggressively advancing its 100% owned Contact Lake and Greywacke Lake projects which host significant historical gold resources located within the prospective and underexplored La Ronge Gold Belt, as well as the 100% owned Knife Lake copper project which contains a historical copper resource.
For further information, please contact:
Trident Resources Corp.
Jonathan Wiesblatt, Chief Executive Officer
Email: Jon.Wiesblatt@tridentresourcescorp.com
For further information contact myself or:
Andrew J. Ramcharan, PhD, P.Eng., SVP Corporate Communications
Trident Resources Corp.
Telephone: 647-309-5130
Toll Free: 800-567-8181
Facsimile: 604-687-3119
www.tridentresourcescorp.com
NEITHER THE TSXV NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.
Forward-Looking Information and Statements:
This release includes certain statements that may be deemed to be "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that management of the Company expects, are forward-looking statements. Although management believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements, include market prices, exploration and development successes, regulatory approvals, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Please see the public filings of the Company at www.sedarplus.ca for further information.
FAQ**
How does Trident Resources Corp. (TSXV: ROCK) plan to leverage the successful 2025 drill results at the Contact Lake Project to enhance investor interest in upcoming programs, particularly concerning Rockridge Resources Ltd. (ROCK:CC)?
Considering the high-grade gold findings in the latest drilling, how might this affect the valuation of Rockridge Resources Ltd. (ROCK:CC) in relation to Trident Resources Corp.'s ongoing exploration initiatives?
What strategies does Trident Resources Corp. (TSXV: ROCK) employ to mitigate risks associated with drilling at Contact Lake and how might this impact the perception of Rockridge Resources Ltd. (ROCK:CC) among potential investors?
In light of the recent drilling successes at Contact Lake, what potential collaborations could arise between Trident Resources Corp. (TSXV: ROCK) and Rockridge Resources Ltd. (ROCK:CC) to accelerate project development?
**MWN-AI FAQ is based on asking OpenAI questions about Rockridge Resources Ltd. (TSXVC: ROCK:CC).
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