Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 19, 2026) - Aquitaine Metals Corp. (the "Company" or "Aquitaine") today reported additional results from the Company's ongoing 8,800 metre Phase 1 drill program at its Limousin gold and critical metals project ("Limousin" or the "Project") in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France.

Highlights:

• 10 drill holes completed in 3 drill fans across 1,500 metres of the Laurieras structure have all intersected gold mineralization typically with polymetallic sulphides. Wide mineralized envelopes surround the high-grade veins, similar to those reported by Aquitaine on October 6, 2025 with its first seven drill holes. Figures 1 and 2.

• Two drill holes successfully tested the unexploited hydrothermal envelope around the westernmost historical working at Laurieras Centre, 70 metres above and 80 metres below past operations. Figure 3. Table 1.

  • The upper hole, CMA028A, intersected 350.83 g/t gold over 1.50 metres, within a broad interval averaging 34.80 g/t gold over 15.50 metres starting at 170 metres vertical depth;

  • Assays are pending for the lower hole, CMA029, which also intersected extensive hydrothermal alteration over approximately 34 metres starting at 270 metres vertical depth including visible gold mineralization over approximately six metres.

• Regional drilling of the first of over 900 additional Gallic-era open pit mines was also successful. The "Gabillou" target consists of a cluster of large (up to 100+ metres in length) ancient exploitation pits and was not mined by COGEMA in the 1990's.

  • The drilling occurred at a 650 metre step-out to the south-west from the prolific Pierrepinet West COGEMA workings, along the same gold-bearing and associated polymetallic mineralization structure;

  • All three holes intersected multiple shallow intervals of gold and associated polymetallic mineralization. The best intercept was in drill hole CMA001B which assayed 31.40 g/t gold over 1.00 metre, within a broad interval averaging 2.01 g/t gold over 25.10 metres, starting at less than 80 metres vertical depth. Figure 5.

• Approximately half-way between the Gabillou Gallic pits and Laurieras Centre, an additional fan of drill holes also intersected significant mineralization, supporting continuity across the 650+ metre intervening distance in the Pierrepinet West area, and also within the hydrothermal envelope surrounding COGEMA mining in this area. The best interval was in drill hole CMA012 which assayed 4.21 g/t gold over 16.45 metres, within a broader interval of 2.34 g/t gold over 36.53 metres, starting at bedrock surface. Figure 4.

• The total extent of the high-grade mineralization within the Laurieras structure drilled by Aquitaine is now approximately 1,500 metres along strike and down to 320m at depth.

• Once full results are received from the planned 8,800 metre Phase 1 drill program, details of a Phase 2 program will be announced. Aquitaine currently has over C$15 million in its treasury and is fully-funded to continue drilling with two rigs through 2026.

Chris Taylor, CEO of Aquitaine, said, "We are very pleased to see our thesis about widespread mineralization around COGEMA's workings being consistently validated. Also of note, regional exploration is off to a strong start. With more than 900 Gallic-era mining pits identified by LiDAR within our area of exclusivity, we are delighted that our first tests confirm the genius of the ancient Gauls. Our results at Gabillou represent a 650 metre step-out from the area of the Laurieras mine, and support our thesis that multiple high-grade zones exist within these district-scale structures. I would like to also preview that we are currently undertaking additional analyses on some of our associated polymetallic and critical metal drill core samples, and expect to issue information on these findings in the near future."

Mr. Taylor continued, "Our drill success reflects the rigorous application of industry best-practices, technical excellence and responsible exploration methodologies by our French and Canadian teams and partners. Our French team continues to operate to the highest environmental, social and governance standards, ensuring that exploration activities are conducted responsibly, transparently and in close collaboration with local stakeholders."

Details of Results

Drill holes CMA001, CMA001B and CMA002 tested the lateral and down dip extension of the historical Pierrepinet West site. This area was previously shallowly drilled but remained unmined by COGEMA in the 1990s, and hosts an extension of the main mineralized Laurieras structure into what is referred to as the Gabillou target. A large Gallic mining complex consisting of several open pits ranging from tens of metres to over 100 metres in length are present in this area. Aquitaine's drilling confirms that the area hosts an extension of the Laurieras mineralization, including high-grade gold associated with polymetallic ore minerals, within a broader envelope of lower grade mineralization.

Table 1: Limousin project assay results

*Intervals widths are down-hole depths. For most of the drillholes, true widths of mineralization are estimated to be approximately 65-95% of the down-hole interval based on preliminary results, structural observations and historical data. All are diamond drill holes. Vein structures vary in strike between 60 to 70 degrees and dip between 60 to 65 degrees to the northwest. All drillholes intersect both high grade and bulk tonnage domains and often intersect multiple domains within the same drillhole.

Around the centre of activity of COGEMA's operations (between 1988 and 2002) at Laurieras Centre, new results continue to confirm that high-grade gold mineralization occurs within a broad hydrothermal envelope containing stockwork veins ranging from centimetre to metre scale with bulk-tonnage potential. Drill hole CMA029, for which assays are pending, intersected a thick quartz vein with visible gold at a depth of 80 metres below the historic mining workings. Paired with drill hole CMA028A, which tested 70 metres above the COGEMA working and intersected 350.83 g/t gold over 1.50 metres, within a broad interval averaging 34.80 g/t gold over 15.50 metres, Aquitaine's view that historical mining occurred within a much larger mineralized envelope continues to be supported by our Phase 1 drill program.

Drill holes CMA012, 13, 14 and 14B in the Pierrepinet West target area support continuity of gold grades along this 650 metre segment of the Laurieras structure between the Gabillou and Laurieras Centre targets. New results include 4.21 g/t gold over 16.45 metres, within a broader interval of 2.34 g/t gold over 36.53 metres, starting at bedrock surface in drill hole CMA012. These results are significant because they represent a 100 metre step-out from drill hole CMA011B, which was a highlight of the October 6, 2025 news release, and assayed 16.45 g/t gold over 20.00 metres.

Of note, drill results to-date confirm that high-grade mineralization appears to plunge at shallow angles within the tested host structures, as is common within orogenic gold systems. Hence, on cross sections like Figure 2 in this release, grades would not typically be expected to persist vertically within one section, but would rather exhibit continuity from section to section along strike. This pattern of shallowly-plunging ore shoots can be observed in past mine workings at the Limousin Project and is being tested at several cross-section locations during Phase 1 drilling. In addition to testing lateral continuity along strike, one of Aquitaine's primary goals of the current drill program is to determine whether there exists repetition of shallowly-plunging mineralized zones vertically within the host structures.

About the Drill Program

The current drill program is focused on the Gabillou, Pierrepinet West, Pierrepinet East, Laurieras Centre and Puits-Roux targets located along the Laurieras structure. The Phase 1 program consists of 44 planed drill holes totalling 8,800 metres, of which 35 holes totalling 8,102 metres have been completed to date. In total, 36 drill holes totalling 7,320 metres will target mineralized zones along the Laurieras structure along a strike length of over 2 kilometres. Drilling began in February 2025 and will continue into 2026. For most of the drill sites, two to three drill holes are aligned in a fan pattern targeting the same gold and critical metal bearing structures, veins, breccias and stockworks at varying depths.

The main objectives of the program are to confirm the historical datasets acquired by Aquitaine from COGEMA and to test the extensions of ore zones both along strike and down dip from the historical mining. Regionally, more than 900 historical Gallic mining sites also exist and will be prioritized for exploration drilling, with the Gabillou target being the first.

Gold mineralization is mainly composed of coarse grains of visible gold and electrum (mm to cm), with pyrite, arsenopyrite, galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, tetrahedrite and stibnite. Gold mineralization shows a systematic geochemical signature with an antimony, silver, bismuth, lead and zinc enrichment.

Once results are received from Phase 1 drilling, details of a Phase 2 program will be announced. Aquitaine currently has over C$15 million in its treasury and is fully-funded to continue drilling with two rigs through 2026.

More drill results are expected to be released during March 2026.

Figure 1: Progress map of the Phase 1 drill program on the Laurieras fault structure. Gallic-era mining operations are shown in red outline.

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Figure 2: SW-NE long section showing the progress of the Phase 1 drill program on the Laurieras structure.

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Figure 3: Cross section of the fan CMA026-027-028A-029 at Laurieras Center target. Hydrothermal alteration zone outline shown in blue.

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Figure 4: Cross section of the fan CMA012-013-014-014B at Pierrepinet West target. Hydrothermal alteration zone outline shown in blue.

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Figure 5: Cross section of the fan CMA001-001B-002 at Gabillou target. Hydrothermal alteration zone outline shown in blue

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Table 2: Limousin project drillholes Location

*The coordinate reference system is Lambert 93 (EPSG 2154).

Figure 6: Drill core sample pictures from Phase 1 drill campaign

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1. White and grey multi-stage quartz vein with visible gold from drillhole CMA028A - 70m above the last underground development in Laurieras Center from 203.00 to 203.50m.
2. White and grey multi-stage quartz vein with visible gold from drillhole CMA001 - 650m in the south-west lateral extension of the last underground mined level at Pierrepinet West from 81.40 to 82.40m.

About the Limousin Project

The Limousin Project is located in the historic Limousin Mining District in the Region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwest France, approximately 40 kilometres south of the city of Limoges. The project currently consists of 40 square kilometres of exploration licenses, and an application for an additional 290 square kilometres is in the final stages of review by the French mining administration. In total, the project covers an area of 330 square kilometres and includes 23 past-producing gold mines that operated during the 20th and 21st centuries, as well as more than 900 ancient Gallic high-grade gold mining sites occurring along gold-bearing structures that extend for 200 kilometres of strike length.

Historical operations in the district were conducted by COGEMA, a French mining company that produced approximately one million ounces of gold between 1988 and 2002. Underground production averaged grades of 12 to 15 grams per tonne gold at a cutoff of 10 grams per tonne, with mining widths ranging from 3 to 10 metres, while open-pit production averaged 7 to 8 grams per tonne gold at a cutoff grade of 6 grams per tonne. Production and exploration records indicate that the historical data has an estimated replacement value of US$430 million.

Aquitaine's technical team has identified a number of critical accessory minerals that accompany the gold mineralization across the Limousin district, including silver, antimony, lead, copper, zinc and is analysing for additional elements. Results from ongoing exploration and characterization of these additional mineral endowments will be provided during 2026.

About Aquitaine Metals Corp.

Aquitaine Metals Corp. is a Vancouver-based gold and strategic metals exploration company focused on reviving world-class mining projects in France. Through its wholly owned French subsidiary, Compagnie des Mines Arédiennes (CMA), the Company is advancing the Limousin project in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, where a Phase 1 diamond drill program is underway to confirm historical datasets and test extensions of high-grade ore zones.

Aquitaine and CMA are committed to sustainable exploration that demonstrates responsible stewardship of the land, operational excellence and accountability.

Project information, work records, permitting timelines and environmental monitoring progress are available at CMA's website: minesarediennes.fr/.

Aquitaine is a proud member of Discovery Group: discoverygroup.ca/.

Quality Assurance and Control

All drilling recovers PQ and HQ core. For deep holes, the core size may be reduced to NQ at depth.

Drill core is logged and sampled in a secure core storage facility located in Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche, France. A geologist examines the drill core and marks out the intervals to be sampled and the cutting line. Sample lengths are mostly 0.5 meter in mineralized or hydrothermally altered zones and 1.0 meter outside. Samples are adjusted to respect lithological and/or mineralogical contacts and isolate narrow (<1.0m) veins or other structures that may yield higher grades. Technicians saw the core in half along the defined cutting line using an automatic diamond saw or a hand splitter for intersections with incompetent core. One-half of the core is kept as a witness sample and the other half is submitted for analysis. Individual sample bags are sealed and placed into rice bags, which are then sealed and marked with the contents.

Preparation and analytical work for drill samples is being carried out at the independent ALS Laboratories in Sevilla (Spain) and Loughrea (Ireland), a commercial certified laboratory under ISO/IEC 17025:2017.

Samples are transported by Fedex from CMA's core storage facility located in Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche to ALS lab in Sevilla, Spain, for sample preparation. Samples are logged in the tracking system, weighed, dried, crushed to 90% passing 2.00 mm screen, riffle split (1,000 g) and pulverized to 85% passing 75 µm. A quartz wash is systematically applied between every sample to reduce or eliminate any contamination during crushing and milling. Prepared samples are then transported to ALS lab in Loughrea, Ireland, by ALS for analysis. All samples are analyzed using a 50 g fire assay (50 g aliquot) with an Atomic Absorption (Au-AA26) finish and multi-element four acid digest ICP-AES/ICP-MS method (ME-MS61). For samples that return assay values over 5.0 g/t gold, another cut is taken from the original pulp (50 g sample) and fire assayed with a gravimetric finish (Au-GRA22). For samples with visible gold or which return assay values over 10 g/t gold, another cut is taken from the original pulp (1 kg sample) and assayed using a metallic screening fire assay (Au-SCR24). Certified gold and multi-element reference standards, blanks and field duplicates are routinely inserted into the sample sequence, as part of CMA quality control/quality assurance program (QAQC). A secure chain of custody is maintained in transporting and storing of all samples. No QAQC issues were noted with the results reported herein.

Drill program design, Quality Assurance/Quality Control, and interpretation of results are performed by qualified persons employing a rigorous Quality Assurance/Quality Control program consistent with industry best practices. Standards and blanks account for a minimum of 10% of the samples in addition to the laboratory's internal quality assurance programs.

Quality Control data are evaluated on receipt from the laboratories for failures. Appropriate action is taken if assay results for standards and blanks fall outside allowed tolerances. All results stated have passed CMA quality control protocols.

Mineralized interval calculations

Significant intervals reported in this news release are calculated as downhole length-weighted intercepts.

Main reported intervals are calculated at a 0.1 g/t gold cut-off grade with up to 2 metres of internal waste for delineating mineralized zones and gold grade*thickness no less than 2 g/t*m.

Included high-grade intervals are calculated a 1 g/t gold cut-off grade with up to 2 metres of internal waste and gold grade*thickness no less than 2 g/t*m.

Table 2 contains a list of all Laurieras holes reported in this release. For most of the drillholes, true widths are estimated to be 65-95% of the downhole widths. Vein structures vary in strike between 60 to 70 degrees and dip between 60 to 65 degrees to the northwest.

Qualified Person and NI 43-101 Disclosure

Mr. Andrew Wilkins, PGeo is the Responsible Officer for Lithos Geological and is the Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 responsible for the accuracy of technical information contained in this news release. Lithos Geological Inc. has a permit to practice number 1004267 with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia.

Note on Historical Data

All information related to COGEMA's mining and exploration activities is believed to be accurate but has not yet been verified by a Qualified Person according to the standards of National Instrument 43-101. Verification sampling and drilling are being undertaken at historical mine sites where exposures are available and included in the current ongoing Phase 1 drill program which started in February. Other historical production data is taken from public records, publications such as Bouchot et al., 2005, and past verification work by COGEMA. It is considered generally reliable for exploration purposes but cannot be verified. Information related to ancient gold production including estimates of historical production grades and total gold produced is taken from archaeological publications, particularly Cauuet et al., 2018, and Baron et al., 2019. Gallic gold mining sites are readily apparent on airborne LIDAR data, from which Aquitaine and CMA's geologists have reproduced locations and outlines of sites verified and interpreted by archaeologists, and by Aquitaine's field crews and past explorers at COGEMA.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, without limitation, statements regarding the use of proceeds from the Company's recently completed financings and the future or prospects of the Company. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect ", "is expected ", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to business, market, and economic risks, uncertainties, and contingencies that may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, other factors may cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Other factors which could materially affect such forward-looking information are described in the risk factors in the Company's most recent annual management discussion and analysis. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/284439

Source: Aquitaine Metals Corp.