South Atlantic Gold Begins Phase III Drilling at Pedra Branca Gold Project

Kelowna, British Columbia — April 14, 2026 — Leads & Copy —

South Atlantic Gold Inc. (TSX-V: SAO, OTC Pink: JLRRF) has announced the commencement of mobilization for its fully funded Phase III diamond drill program at the Pedra Branca Gold Project in Ceara State, Brazil. The 5,000-metre program, valued at approximately C$3.0 million, will conduct diamond drilling across three targets.

According to Douglas Meirelles, President & CEO, the initial phase of the exploration program will assess whether the Queimadas target extends to significant depths, potentially mirroring documented hypozonal orogenic deposits worldwide. The company will also conduct drilling at Mirador and Igrejinha, three resource targets identified in the current NI 43-101 Technical Report from 2021. Results from these drilling programs, along with geotechnical work and other exploration activities, will guide the ongoing program. The company anticipates a steady flow of results for shareholders, beginning in Q2 2026.

The Phase III program, fully funded from a C$4.2 million private placement closed in March 2026, will include an IP geophysical survey and mapping at depth. The program aims to drill potential extensions at Queimadas, Mirador, and Igrejinha. Specifically, depth drilling at Queimadas will target depths significantly below the current RC drilling ore intercepts, aiming for a maximum of 200m to confirm the hypozonal orogenic gold system. The program will deploy two drill rigs, starting at Queimadas for deep testing and potential extensions before moving to Mirador and Igrejinha over approximately 8 months.

In addition to drilling, the program will conduct an IP geophysical survey to map sulfide-bearing zones at depth. The pyrrhotite-dominant sulfide assemblage at Pedra Branca is an ideal IP target. Approximately 14 line-km of surveying will be conducted at the Queimadas target extensions along the strike and dip, with the potential to extend to other targets. Furthermore, additional historical diamond drill holes on the three targets will be re-sampled with fire assay gold and ICP-MS 33-element geochemistry.

The company anticipates providing regular exploration updates throughout the program, with the first assay results expected during Q2 2026.

Queimadas, the main host of the Pedra Branca NI 43-101 Inferred Mineral Resource from 2021, has previously yielded gold mineralization that persists to the deepest levels tested. Highlights from past drilling include: FCC002: 20.5m @ 4.69 g/t Au (grade x width = 96.1); and FCC016: 1.0m @ 43.70 g/t Au at 90m downhole depth.

Phase III will test the undrilled southwest extension at Mirador, following up on previous intercepts including: FMC008: 5.1m @ 9.35 g/t Au. Igrejinha, which has returned the strongest surface results in the Pedra Branca district, will undergo its first diamond drilling. Previous work includes reverse circulation drilling to a maximum depth of 52 metres and extensive trenching, returning: TIG044: 6.4m @ 19.18 g/t Au.

All reported intervals are downhole lengths, and true widths have not been determined.

Marcelo Antonio Batelochi (P.Geo.), MAusIMM (CP), Senior Vice President of Exploration of the Company, and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in the news release.

South Atlantic Gold is advancing the 100%-owned Pedra Branca Gold Project in Ceara State, northeast Brazil. The project hosts a NI 43-101 Inferred Mineral Resource of 180,000 ounces of gold and had approximately C$4.2 million in cash as of March 2026. South Atlantic Gold trades on the TSX Venture Exchange (SAO) and the OTC Pink Sheets (JLRRF).

Source: South Atlantic Gold