Anchorage Alaska, Jan. 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Nova Minerals Limited (“Nova” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: NVA) (ASX: NVA) (FRA: QM3) ) is pleased to announce further drill results from the RPM Valley deposit with the 2025 closely spaced infill results returning multiple broad intercepts >1 g/t Au, and visible gold observed in an Estelle Project record intercept of 0.5 m @ 364 g/t Au, within the Company’s flagship Estelle Gold and Critical Minerals Project, located in the prolific Tintina Gold Belt in Alaska.
Highlights
Drill results include the highest-grade intercept drilled at RPM – and over the greater Estelle Project – to date of 0.5m @ 364 g/t Au from 101m, with visible gold observed in the drill core (Table 1, and Figures 2 to 4).Broad gold intersections continue at RPM Valley with the 2025 closely spaced infill results expected to support a maiden Measured and Indicated Mineral Resource at the valley deposit, in support of the Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS). Mineralization remains wide open with numerous holes extending below the current pit shells. Significant results include (Table 1, and Figures 2 to 7):RPM-081 65m @ 3.6 g/t Au from 83m including;36m @ 5.5 g/t Au from 91m 0.5m @ 364.0 g/t Au at 101mRPM-069 155m @ 0.9 g/t Au from 71m including; 94m @ 1.3 g/t Au from 126m 18m @ 2.8 g/t Au from 196mRPM-072172m @ 0.8 g/t Au from 352m including; 60m @ 1.2 g/t Au from 424m and 26m @ 1.4 g/t Au from 495mAlso 101m @ 0.5 g/t Au from 6m at RPM NorthRPM-075 152m @ 0.9 g/t Au from 82m including; 25m @ 1.9 g/t Au from 174RPM-082 289m @ 0.7 g/t Au from 62m including; 40m @ 1.2 g/t Au from 152m, and 82m @ 1.0 g/t Au from 266mRPM-084 101m @ 0.8 g/t Au from 225m including; 53m @ 1.2 g/t Au from 273m, and RPMRC-009 33m @ 0.3 g/t Au from surface in the glacial tillThe new results follow-up and now confirm continuity of mineralization at RPM Valley, where previous drilling included (ASX Announcements: 4 October and 21 December 2022, and 10 January 2024):RPM-063: 9m @ 3.1 g/t Au from 83 and 70m @ 1.1 g/t Au from 205mRPM-060: 54m @ 2.1 g/t Au from 260m, including 17m @ 5.3 g/t Au from 273mRPM-048: 54m @ 1.2 g/t Au from 244m, including 16m @ 2.4 g/t Au from 255mRPM-037: 268m @ 0.7 g/t from 282m including 103m @ 1.0 g/t Au, including 30m @ 1.9 g/t Au, 21m @ 2.5 g/t Au from 325m, and 79m @ 1.0 g/t Au from 471m, including 30m @ 2.0 g/t Au from 501mRPM-025: 76m @ 1.2 g/t Au from 440m, including 43m @ 1.5 g/t Au from 474m, and 30m @ 1.7 g/t Au from 486m10 RC holes were completed in the RPM glacial till using Nova’s in-house rig as a preliminary, cost-effective test, returning a notable intercept of 33 m @ 0.3 g/t Au from surface (RPMRC-009). Results indicate the essentially drilled and blasted till material may be at least 30m thick over ~330,000 m², and this area remains a high-priority target, with future work to focus on improved sampling methods and thickness verification (Table 3 and Figure 8).To view a commentary video from Nova’s CEO, Christopher Gerteisen, discussing the significance of these latest drill results, please click here.All results from RPM have now been reported. Further drill results will be released once received and validated under Nova’s QA/QC procedures, after which an updated Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) will incorporate results from the 2023-2025 drill programs.PFS-level studies are ongoing, with METS Engineering undertaking additional metallurgical test work to build on the high gold recoveries achieved at RPM to date (ASX Announcement: 5 August 2025), Rough Stock Mining is conducting mining studies, and Whittle Consulting is completing optimization studies.Results from the extensive soil and rock chip surface samples taken from across the project area in 2025 will also be reported once received and processed.Nova CEO, Mr Christopher Gerteisen, commented:
“These results represent a significant advancement for RPM Valley and further validate the scale and quality of the gold system identified to date. The high-grade intercept of 0.5 m @ 364 g/t Au confirms the presence of discrete high-grade zones within a broader, mineralised system, which remains wide open in multiple directions and at depth.
“The consistency of mineralization over long intervals and across hundreds of metres reinforces our view that RPM Valley has the continuity and scale required to underpin a potentially significant mining operation, with additional upside to be assessed through further drilling. With all assays now received from the 2025 RPM infill and step-out drilling program, we expect these results to positively inform the next mineral resource update.
“While the maiden glacial till RC drilling was impacted by low sample recovery due to the unconsolidated nature of the material, the results indicate the glacial till mineralized zone is at least 30m thick. Combined with a previously identified > 1 g/t Au surface anomaly of approximately 1.7km long and 200m wide, this area remains a priority target. The till material is already crushed up, free dig material, which could be very amendable to heap leach recovery. Nova plans follow-up work with improved sampling methods.
“As pre-feasibility level studies progress across metallurgy, mining and optimisation, the Company remains focused on advancing RPM toward development while continuing to grow the resource base. With a number of near-term milestones ahead and a strong pipeline of exploration targets across the broader project area, RPM Valley continues to demonstrate its potential as a key growth asset for Nova.”
2025 RPM Valley Drilling Summary
A total of 10 holes were drilled at RPM Valley in 2025, designed to:
Conduct infill drilling at the RPM Valley deposit to increase the confidence of the resource.Continue to expand the RPM resource in the valley to the west by targeting the hornfels/intrusive contact.Test the connection between RPM North and RPM Valley. The latest diamond core drill results continue to increase resource confidence at the RPM Valley deposit. All holes encountered mineralization at the base of the ice, which averaged 60m to 70m down hole. The holes drilled from Pads 23-14 and 25-2 all encountered granodiorite at the base of ice, except for RPM-071, which was drilled to the east and encountered hornfels bedrock at approximately 65m. Drilling in the valley has been relatively sparse compared to RPM North, and this season’s efforts aimed to increase resource confidence and delineate what is shaping up to be a much larger mineralized intrusive unit. Drilling access is difficult here due to the nature of moraines, and difficulties were encountered coring through ice on the shallower dipping holes. Figure 1 below shows the drill setup on pad 25-2.
Figure 1. RPM Valley Pad25-2
While the high-grade zones intersected at RPM Valley thus far may not be as broad as those at RPM North, the mineralized intrusive is larger, and the boundary remains open to the south, southeast, and at depth. Mineralization occurs within sheeted quartz and quartz-tourmaline veins. Arsenopyrite remains the dominant gold bearing sulfide, but some holes exhibited very-fine visible gold, as well as molybdenite, pyrite, and the telluride altaite. The highest grade intercept drilled at RPM – and over the greater Estelle Project – to date is shown below in Figure 2, where 0.5m @ 364 g/t Au was encountered.
Figure 2. RPM Valley holeRPM-081 0.5m @ 364.0 g/t Au at 101m, with visible gold observed in the assayed core
Holes RPM-071 and RPM-072 were designed to test the connection between RPM North and RPM Valley. RPM-071 was collared on the glacial moraine. It was set at a 040 degree azimuth and a -60 degree dip and missed the valley intrusion, but intersected the bottom of the RPM North granodiorite. While RPM-071 didn’t report any significant intercepts, a broad, albeit low-grade, intercept of 154m @ 0.2 g/t Au from 304m using a 0.1 g/t cut-off was reported. RPM-072 was collared on the ridge at RPM North and angled back towards RPM Valley at a 220 degree azimuth and -50 degree dip. Two notable zones of mineralization were encountered, including 101m @ 0.5 g/t Au from 6m in the RPM North granodiorite and 172m @ 0.8 g/t Au from 352m in the RPM Valley granodiorite. The hornfels sedimentary rock separating these two intrusive bodies does not contain any notable mineralization. Hole RPM-084, shown on the same section (See Figure 6), was designed to test the southwestern extent of the intrusive; however, due to drilling complications and impending freezing conditions, the hole was abandoned at 327m before reaching the southern contact with the hornfels. Hole RPM-084 (Figure 6) intercepted 101m @ 0.8 g/t Au from 225m to the final depth of 327m, this included 53m @ 1.6 g/t Au from 273m, meaning the hole had improved mineralization at depth. This mineralized zone remains open to the south and at depth. RPM-082 ran parallel to RPM-084 from the northern pad 25-3 (Figure 3), and due to drilling complications, was terminated at 354m. This hole intercepted 289m @ 0.7 g/t Au, with mineralization remaining open to the southwest and at depth.
Holes RPM-069, -073, -075, -077, -081, and -082 (Figures 3, 4, 5, and 7) were designed to test the northern and northeastern contacts of the granodiorite with the hornfels – testing the hypothesis that the contact zone could be similar geologically to the high-grade core of RPM North which also occurs at the northern contact of the granodiorite and the hornfels. The northern contact at RPM Valley does not appear to confine the mineralization has tightly as that found at RPM North, however, some significant broad zones of mineralization were encountered with three of the holes having over 100m at ≥0.7 g/t Au, and of course the high-grade zone discussed in hole RPM-081 with 0.5m @ 364 g/t Au.
Figure 3: RPM plan view with all drill holes to date – Black drill traces represent the 2025 drill holes
Figure 4. RPM ValleyRPM-081 (92 azi)
Figure 5: RPM Valley Section RPM-069 and RPM-073 (127.5 azi)
Figure 6. RPM Valleyand North RPM-0-71, RPM-072, and RPM-084 (32 azi)
Figure 7:RPM Valley RPM-082 (15 azi)
Table :1 Significant intercepts
Hole_IDFrom (m)To (m)Interval (m)Au g/tRPM-069712261550.9Including126220941.3 196214182.8RPM-0723525251720.8Including424484601.2 495521261.4And*61071010.5Including*4670241.0RPM-07388175860.5RPM-075822351520.9Including129155271.3 171231601.0 174199251.9RPM-08183148653.6Including91128365.5 100.8101.30.5364.0RPM-082623512890.7Including152192401.2 266348821.0 266300341.7RPM-0842253271010.8Including80159790.5 273327531.2
Table 2: Drill hole details
Hole_IDEastingNorthingElev
(m)
EOH
(m)
AziDipZoneAssay ResultsRPM-06950186468486461681321310-70RPM ValleyASX: 13/01/25RPM-0715018656848647168046640-60Valley/NorthASX: 13/01/25RPM-07250199268488041769568220-50Valley/NorthASX: 13/01/25RPM-07350186568486461680280320-70RPM ValleyASX: 13/01/25RPM-07550186668486441680308290-70RPM ValleyASX: 13/01/25RPM-07750185268486871675191260-50RPM ValleyASX: 13/01/25RPM-07950182568487461654185180-60RPM ValleyASX: 13/01/25RPM-08150185368486861675275270-70RPM ValleyASX: 13/01/25RPM-08250182468487461654354195
