Exploration

2025 Exploration

In early March 2025, the Company launched an aggressive two-year exploration program designed to accomplish the following:

1. Test Mine Trend Extensions: Deep directional surface drilling to test the down-plunge extension of the Mine Trend one kilometre beyond historical surface drilling (11,000 metres).
2. Replace and Expand Underground Resources: Underground drilling for reserve, resource, and inventory definition to support production and growth (38,000 metres).
3. Identify Satellite Deposits: Near-mine surface drilling to evaluate targets for potential shallow open-pit satellite deposits within a 10 km-radius of the mill (6,500 metres).

The 2025 program is approximately 65% complete, with drilling continuing through year-end using four surface and four underground diamond rigs. The program is focused on defining  the extent and continuity of mineralization across key target areas, especially along the Mine Trend extension. The goal is to build sufficient geological confidence to support potential opportunities for increasing annual gold production.

Mine Trend Extension

Orla’s 2025 deep directional drilling program at Musselwhite commenced in late May with three drill rigs, targeting the northwest extension of the Mine Trend within an iron formation. Each mother hole will support two drill sections, spaced at 200 and 400 metres in 2025, moving to uniform 200-metre spacing in 2026. Each drill section will include at least five daughter holes, with about 50 metres of vertical separation in one section. 

To date, 8,000 of the planned 11,000 metres have been drilled, with results reported here from the first four holes of an approximate 30‑hole program:

Mother-Hole #1: Musselwhite Mine Trend Intersected

• Hole 25-NSD01-001: 0.7 metres at 8.04 g/t Au and 0.3 metres at 12.6 g/t Au.

Daughter-Hole #1: Mine Trend Intersected

• Hole 25-NSD01-002W: 1.2 metres at 4.18 g/t Au, including 0.7 metres at 5.22 g/t Au. 

Mother-Hole #2: Mine Trend Intersected, High Grade (Visible Gold) Encountered

• Hole 25-NSD02-001: 4.1 metres at 15.1 g/t Au (from 2096.8 to 2100.9 m), including 0.3 metres at 21.0 g/t Au, 0.3 metres at 20.4 g/t Au, 0.4 metres at 19.3 g/t Au, and 0.5 metres at 19.0 g/t Au

Mother-Hole #3: Favourable Mine Trend Geology Intersected

• 25-NSD03-001: intersected the Mine Trend geology, including the target zone iron formation, over a 7.9 metre core length, from 2,296 to 2,304 metres (approximately 2,080 metres from surface). Assays are pending.

Expand Underground Resources

The underground drilling program, initiated in March 2025 has drilled 19,100 metres across 76 holes. Assay results have been received for 37 holes, from the Redwings, Lynx, and PQE zones. High-grade intercepts confirm geological continuity and identify potential extensions. These results support ongoing efforts to replace and expand resources and reserves,highlighting the potential for continued growth and mine life extension.

Notable Intercepts include:

Redwings Zone 

• 15.7 metres at 6.89 g/t Au (11.7 m true width) (25-RDW-027)
• 6.2 metres at 12.2 g/t Au (4.1 m true width) (25-RDW-024)
• 15.1 metres at 6.68 g/t Au (13.2 m true width) (25-RDW-025)
• 16.0 metres at 6.3 g/t Au (11.8 true width) (25-RDW-037)

Lynx Zone

• 13.0 metres at 15.8 g/t Au (13.0 m true width) (25-LNX-002)
• 10.1 metres at 27.2 g/t Au (6.7 m true width) (25-LNX-003)
• 7.4 metres at 9.87 g/t Au (7.3 m true width) (25-LNX-004)

PQE Zone 

• 2.9 metres at 14.0 g/t Au (2.1 m true width) (25-PQE-009)
• 1.0 metre at 67.8 g/t Au (0.9 metres true width) (25-PQE-011)

Near-Mine Exploration

Near-mine surface exploration was previously focused on the Camp Bay and Karl Zeemal zones, which were identified as having open-pit potential. Evaluations are ongoing to potentially advance these zones into resource categories. Orla’s 2025 drilling program, started in June, is targeting extensions of these zones and is testing  other mineralized intercepts near the operation.

To date, 5,500 metres have been drilled from surface across the Camp Bay, Bottenfield, Karl Zeemal, and Midwaytargets, all located within a 10-kilometre radius of the Musselwhite mine and mill.

Notable intercepts received to date include:

Camp Bay:

• 2.7 metres at 2.59 g/t incl. 0.6 m at 6.07 g/t Au at 9.20 metres downhole (25-CMP-001)
• 14.7 metres at 0.74 g/t Au incl. 0.3 m at 7.11 g/t Au and 0.3 m @ 6.59 g/t Au at 18.7 metres downhole (25-CMP-002)

True width of Camp Bay intercepts is uncertain due to insufficient geological control on orientation of gold mineralization. 

Bottenfield:

• 14.6 metres at 0.58 g/t Au at 150.7 metres downhole (25-BOT-001)
• 12.0 metres at 0.46 g/t Au (true width ~11.1 metres) at 223 metres downhole (25-BOT-003)

True width of 25-BOT-001 intercept uncertain due to insufficient geological control on orientation of gold mineralization. 

Karl Zeemal:

• 4.4 metres at 1.37 g/t Au at 26.7 metres downhole and 1.4 metres at 2.44 g/t Au at 52.4 metres downhole (25-KAZ-003)

True width of Karl Zeemal intercept uncertain due to insufficient geological control on orientation of gold mineralization.

Next Steps and Outlook

Remaining 2025 Program: Additional daughter holes from existing mother holes are expected to reach target zones by year-end, with assay results anticipated in the fourth quarter 2025 and the first quarter 2026.

2026 Planning: The program is expected to include infill drilling at 200-metre spacing to establish high-confidence inventory and test potential extensions up to three kilometres from current resources.

Maps and Sections

Drill Results