SOMA GOLD DISCOVERS NEW VEIN IN UPPER ATENAS ZONE OF THE CORDERO MINE
VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 15, 2026 /CNW/ -- Soma Gold Corp. (TSXV: SOMA) (WKN: A2P4DU) (OTC: SMAGF) (the "Company" or "Soma") is pleased to announce the results of surface drilling at the Cordero Mine in Antioquia, Colombia (Figure 1). Sixteen drill holes have been completed at Atenas, totalling 1,838 m in 2026. The ongoing drill program at the Atenas Zone is designed to support mining operations and to extend the known extent of the quartz vein system at the upper extent of the Atenas Zone (Figure 2).
Highlights include the following drill intercepts:
- BASDDH-25-038: 15.3 g/t Au over 6.05 m from 86.5 m, incl. 60.5 g/t Au over 0.64 m
- UATDDH-26-008: 28.2 g/t Au over 3.0 m from 96.7 m, incl. 167.2 g/t Au over 0.47 m
- UATDDH-26-011: 20.6 g/t Au over 3.8 m from 68.75 m, incl. 94.5 g/t Au over 0.8 m
- UATDDH-26-006: 8.0 g/t Au over 3.18 m from 86.2 m, incl. 25.2 g/t Au over 0.58 m
- UATDDH-26-003: 5.9 g/t Au over 3.84 m from 92.7 m, incl. 16.1 g/t Au over 0.49 m
- UATDDH-26-010: 13.7 g/t Au over 1.58 m from 85.65 m, incl. 34.5 g/t Au over 0.48 m
- UATDDH-26-004: 4.6 g/t Au over 3.71 m from 102.9 m, incl. 21.3 g/t Au over 0.59 m
Chris Buchanan, Soma's Vice-President of Exploration, commented, "The discovery of a new high-grade vein zone in the hanging wall of the upper Atenas Zone demonstrates that continued infill and exploration drilling will add gold ounces to Cordero's mineral resource. The newly discovered vein lies about 20 m above the current conventional mining operations on the Atenas Vein. The exploration team expects the ongoing drill programs near the Cordero Deposit will identify additional veins like the one in the Atenas Zone."
Table 1 presents composite assay results for fourteen completed drill holes, with assays pending for two drill holes. Assay grades range from below detection to a maximum grade of 167.2 g/t Au. A total of 811 samples were collected from the core where quartz veins or alteration were observed. Forty-seven samples were >2.5 g/t Au, and twenty were >10 g/t Au. Twenty-nine composites >1.0 g/t Au were identified in the assay data. Composite grades range from 1.0 g/t Au to 28.2 g/t, with a maximum length of 8.55 m.
Table 1: Composited Assay Results from the Atenas Zone Drill Holes
Hole Number | From (m) | To (m) | Length (m) | True Thickness (m) | Au (g/t) | |
BASDDH-25-037 | No significant results | |||||
BASDDH-25-038 | 86.5 | 95.05 | 8.55 | 6.05 | 15.3 | |
incl. | 89.5 | 91.5 | 2 | 1.41 | 23.2 | |
incl. | 92.25 | 95.1 | 2.8 | 1.98 | 27.8 | |
incl. | 94.15 | 95.1 | 0.9 | 0.64 | 60.5 | |
MATDDH-26-001 | 11.65 | 12.2 | 1 | 0.41 | 1.5 | |
and | 46.5 | 47.5 | 1 | 0.41 | 6.4 | |
MATDDH-26-002 | Assays Pending | |||||
MATDDH-26-003 | Assays Pending | |||||
UATDDH-26-001 | 60.8 | 67.7 | 6.9 | 6.2 | 1.6 | |
incl. | 65.3 | 66.3 | 1 | 0.9 | 6.5 | |
and | 85.1 | 86.1 | 1 | 0.9 | 1.8 | |
incl. | 85.55 | 86.1 | 0.55 | 0.49 | 3.2 | |
and | 109.5 | 113.3 | 3.8 | 3.41 | 2.5 | |
incl. | 110.5 | 113 | 2.8 | 2.51 | 3.3 | |
incl. | 112.65 | 113 | 0.65 | 0.58 | 6.7 | |
UATDDH-26-002 | 42.05 | 43.05 | 1 | 0.97 | 1.9 | |
and | 58.4 | 62.3 | 3.9 | 3.78 | 3.7 | |
incl. | 61.3 | 62.3 | 1 | 0.97 | 13.8 | |
and | 104.8 | 108 | 3.15 | 3.06 | 3.5 | |
incl. | 105.7 | 107 | 0.85 | 0.82 | 5.4 | |
and incl. | 107.1 | 108 | 0.85 | 0.82 | 5.1 | |
UATDDH-26-003 | 35.7 | 37 | 1.3 | 1.28 | 3.3 | |
and | 55.7 | 62 | 6.3 | 6.2 | 4.3 | |
incl. | 56.7 | 59.2 | 2.5 | 2.46 | 10.1 | |
incl. | 56.7 | 57.5 | 0.8 | 0.79 | 28.2 | |
and | 77.9 | 79.15 | 1.25 | 1.23 | 1.0 | |
and | 92.7 | 96.6 | 3.9 | 3.84 | 5.9 | |
incl. | 95.1 | 96.6 | 1.5 | 1.48 | 12.3 | |
incl. | 95.1 | 95.6 | 0.5 | 0.49 | 15.0 | |
incl. | 96.1 | 96.6 | 0.5 | 0.49 | 16.1 | |
and | 102.9 | 103.9 | 1 | 0.98 | 12.9 | |
UATDDH-26-004 | 99.2 | 101.7 | 2.45 | 2.22 | 5.7 | |
incl. | 100.05 | 101 | 0.65 | 0.59 | 21.3 | |
and | 102.9 | 107 | 4.1 | 3.71 | 4.6 | |
incl. | 105.6 | 107 | 1.4 | 1.27 | 12.7 | |
incl | 106.1 | 107 | 0.9 | 0.82 | 15.2 | |
UATDDH-26-005 | 59.35 | 60.35 | 1 | 0.95 | 8.6 | |
incl. | 59.35 | 59.9 | 0.5 | 0.47 | 15.8 | |
and | 85.9 | 88.05 | 2.15 | 2.04 | 5.6 | |
incl. | 86.4 | 87.2 | 0.8 | 0.76 | 8.0 | |
UATDDH-26-006 | 86.2 | 89.5 | 3.3 | 3.18 | 8.0 | |
incl. | 88.2 | 89.5 | 1.3 | 1.25 | 19.2 | |
incl. | 88.2 | 88.8 | 0.6 | 0.58 | 25.2 | |
UATDDH-26-007 | 90.9 | 91.9 | 1 | 0.71 | 2.4 | |
UATDDH-26-008 | 96.7 | 99.9 | 3.2 | 3 | 28.2 | |
incl. | 98 | 98.5 | 0.5 | 0.47 | 167.2 | |
and incl. | 99.4 | 99.9 | 0.5 | 0.47 | 10.8 | |
UATDDH-26-009 | 64.7 | 65.8 | 1.1 | 1.04 | 6.7 | |
incl. | 64.7 | 65.3 | 0.6 | 0.57 | 8.7 | |
and | 95.85 | 96.85 | 1 | 0.95 | 7.9 | |
incl. | 96.05 | 96.9 | 0.8 | 0.76 | 9.8 | |
and | 99.45 | 100.7 | 1.2 | 1.13 | 2.4 | |
UATDDH-26-010 | 59.7 | 61.75 | 2.05 | 1.96 | 1.7 | |
and | 63.5 | 65.6 | 2.1 | 2.01 | 1.2 | |
and | 85.65 | 87.3 | 1.65 | 1.58 | 13.7 | |
incl. | 86.25 | 86.8 | 0.5 | 0.48 | 34.5 | |
and | 89 | 90 | 1 | 0.96 | 1.1 | |
and | 91.2 | 92.3 | 1.1 | 1.05 | 1.3 | |
UATDDH-26-011 | 68.75 | 72.55 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 20.6 | |
incl. | 71.75 | 72.55 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 94.5 | |
Note: intervals are composited to a 1 m minimum stope width for conventional mining. The true width of the intercepts is approximately 40%-100% of the drilled width, depending on the drill hole orientation. |
Figure 2 presents a map of the drill hole locations and their relative positions to the Cordero Mine. The holes were primarily drilled from the surface and targeted the shallow, up-dip extent of the Atenas Zone. Composite samples plotted on the drill traces indicate that many of the 2026 drill holes intersected two mineralized structures. The structures, Upper Atenas (UAV) and upper Upper Atenas veins (uUAV), are highlighted on Figure 2 with red ellipses. The structurally higher uUAV vein is a new discovery in this area of the Atenas Zone. The structures are characterized by milky white to translucent quartz veins that form as fault-fill veins up to 8.55 m wide and with a true thickness of 6.05 m. Intervals of stockwork zones 10 cm to 30 cm thick are also common in the structures. The stockwork zones are interpreted as linking structures between the fault-fill veins. The uUAV vein has a strike length of 175 m and is open to the north-northwest. The dip extent has been established for 30 m down-dip and is currently open up-dip.
Historical drill holes down-dip of the uUAV appear to close off the dip extent of the vein. However, a review of core photos and core from a hole immediately down-dip of the UATDDH-26-011 revealed a 10 m interval containing 5-15 cm quartz veins with pyrite, sphalerite, and galena that had not been sampled. This interval of sulphide-bearing veins is at the correct depth to be the downhole extension of the uUAV vein, and the hole is currently being re-sampled. Core photos for the remaining historical holes will be reviewed to identify other potentially unsampled intervals. Although this is not conclusive evidence of gold mineralization, the style of veining in the interval is similar to the mineralized stockwork zones observed in the UATDDH-26-011.
Figure 3 presents a cross-section of the Atenas Zone to highlight the geometry of the Atenas veins. The assay composites are shown on the drill traces to indicate where the current drilling phase is focused. The new uUAV vein is also highlighted structurally above the main Atenas Vein. Long sections for each vein are presented in Figures 4 (upper Upper Atenas Vein) and 5 (lower Upper Atenas Vein). Pierce points from the current drilling highlight the strike extent of the veins and the extension of the vein system to the north-northwest. The sections also highlight the proximity of the uUAV discovery to the Cordero Mine.
The Cordero Deposit is hosted in the El Carmen Stock, which consists of coarse-grained tonalite, diorite, and gabbroic phases. The quartz veins form as laminated fault-fill veins within a sinistral, brittle-ductile shear zone. They are interpreted as conjugate shears within a steeply dipping, north-striking regional shear zone. The controlling shear zone also hosts the Los Mangos Deposit, located 2.8 kilometres to the north. The quartz veins in the Cordero Deposit form a series of en echelon segments that consistently step to the right along strike. The veins have been repeatedly reactivated and exhibit three distinct phases of development: early barren quartz veins, sphalerite + galena + pyrite + gold mineralization controlled by microfractures, and brittle fracturing along the margins of the veins filled with quartz + pyrite + tellurides + gold. Gold mineralization occurs during the latter two phases of vein development. The final stage of brittle fracturing and micro-breccia is commonly associated with the deposition of high gold grades. Subsequently, the veins are crosscut by aphanitic mafic dykes and numerous brittle faults. The brittle faults are generally dextral and offset the quartz veins by <1.0 m to tens of metres. The late brittle faults commonly dismember the mineralized veins into short strike-length segments, the continuity of which is difficult to discern from drill data. The Cordero Deposit is informally divided into five main zones: Atenas, Cordero, Venus, Venus Gap, and Victoria Ramp zones.
The Company continues to actively explore across its Colombian tenement package. At the Cordero Deposit, one surface drill rig is testing exploration targets down-dip of the Cordero, Atenas, and Cordero Viejo zones, while an underground drill rig in the Cordero Mine is focused on infill drilling to support mine planning and operations. The Company's second surface drill rig continues to drill at the Escondida Project. Regional exploration teams are also conducting surface geochemistry sampling programs at the El Bagre and Machuca projects.
QA/QC Statement
Drill Core and Underground Channel Samples
All drill core samples are sawn or split in half, with one half returned to the core box for storage. The second half-core is placed in a labelled plastic bag with a tag, documented, and sealed for shipment. Underground channel samples are placed in a labelled plastic bag with a tag, documented and sealed for shipment with the drill core samples. Batches of samples are shipped to Actlabs Colombia SAS (Actlabs) in Rio Negro with security tags and a documented chain of custody.
Pulps of each sample are prepared at the Actlabs Medellín preparation lab in Rio Negro, Colombia. Fire assay analysis for gold and silver is completed by Actlabs in Rio Negro. Thirty-gram aliquots of each sample are analyzed for gold using a standard fire assay with an atomic absorption finish, package 1A2. Overlimit samples undergo an additional fire assay with a gravimetric finish (package 1A3-30) to determine gold concentration. Pulp samples are then shipped to Actlabs Canada in Ancaster, Ontario for multi-element analysis. All samples are analyzed using package 1E3, an ICP-MS analysis that provides the concentration of 51 elements.
A comprehensive QA/QC program has been implemented to monitor the reliability of assay data collected during exploration programs. The program includes the regular insertion of certified blanks, duplicates, and certified OREAS standards. The database automatically compares QA/QC sample assays to the certified value and standard deviations.
Qualified Person Statement
Mr. Chris Buchanan, P.Geo., is Soma's Vice-President of Exploration and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Buchanan has reviewed and approved the technical information disclosed in this press release.
ABOUT SOMA GOLD
Soma Gold Corp. (TSXV: SOMA) is a mining company focused on gold production and exploration. The Company owns two adjacent mining properties in Antioquia, Colombia with a combined milling capacity of 675 tpd (permitted for 1,400 tpd). The El Bagre Mill is currently operating and producing. Internally generated funds are being used to finance a regional exploration program.
With a solid commitment to sustainability and community engagement, Soma Gold Corp. is dedicated to achieving excellence in all aspects of its operations.
The Company also owns an exploration property near Tucumã, Pará State, Brazil that is currently under option to Ero Copper Corp.
On behalf of the Board of Directors
"Geoff Hampson"
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
All statements, analysis and other information contained in this press release about anticipated future events or results constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect" and "intend" and statements that an event or result "may", "will", "should", "could" or "might" occur or be achieved and other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are subject to business and economic risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results of operations to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and opinions of management at the date the statements are made. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements even if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by applicable laws. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.
SOURCE Soma Gold Corp.
