Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 20, 2026) - Barksdale Resources Corp. (TSXV: BRO) (OTCQB: BRKCF) (FSE: 2NZ) ("Barksdale" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on the 2026 reverse circulation drill program and results along with an integrated exploration update on its flagship Sunnyside copper-gold-silver project in the Patagonia Mountains of Southern Arizona.

The Company is currently drilling SUN26-023R and is less than 1,500 feet from completing the 25,000 feet footage requirement to increase ownership of the Sunnyside Project to 67.5%. The Company expects to finish the program by the end of July. The Company has received the assay results from an additional 10 holes of its 2026 reverse circulation drilling program at Sunnyside; results are listed in Table 1.

Following the strong results from SUN26-001R through SUN26-004R, the Company continued to utilize the pre-planned, United States Forest Service-approved drill sites to test for shallow hypogene copper extensions to the northeast, northwest, east-southeast, and to the southeast of these holes, where drilling is currently underway (Figure 1). Most sites are located approximately 600 to 650 metres laterally from the initial drill pad used for SUN26-001R through SUN26-004R. As such, these large step-outs were not intended to replicate the exceptional grades of SUN26-001R through SUN26-004R.

The newly released results indicate that copper grades decrease to the east, transitioning into a zone of lower copper and higher zinc grades, which may suggest movement away from the high-grade copper-mineralized shell. Holes drilled to the northwest show declining copper grades with increasing silver, lead, zinc, and manganese credits, suggesting this area may reflect higher heat flow. (please see Table 1 for results and Figure 1 for location). Holes SUN26-017R to SUN26-021R drilled 400m to the southeast of holes 001R to 004R are still awaiting assays. Hole 021R was lost at 810 ft and was redrilled as 022R to the 1,100 ft target depth. Holes SUN26-022R to SUN26-024R are currently being drilled and are located over 600m south/southeast of the initial four high-grade copper intercepts. These holes include one vertical and two angle holes also pointed toward the four high grade intercepts.

The Company has engaged VRIFY Technology to refine and identify new mineralized targets on its Arizona properties using AI analysis and expects to release a preliminary target model from that work in early August. Further, Ellis Geophysical Consulting has been retained to review all geophysical surveys in-hand and oversee an airborne ZTEM survey with possible follow-up targeted IP surveys on the Company's Arizona properties. We expect these survey results before the 2026 fall drill program begins.

Barksdale CEO William Wulftange commented, "Assay results from the first four holes of the Spring 2026 drill campaign reported two 61-metre-thick stacked zones of 0.9% and 0.93%Cu. Since then, Barksdale has completed and received assays from 10 step-out holes, SUN26-005R to 014R, 200 m to 650 m away from the first four holes. Assay results from the recent holes define an outward zonation pattern from the high-grade copper of proximal Cu-Ag mineralization, to a transition zone of Cu-(Zn-Ag) mineralization to a distal zone of Mn-Ag-(Zn-Pb) mineralization, mirroring zonation patterns found in Large Copper Porphyry systems throughout the world.

"The Fall 2026 diamond drill program will focus on extending the high-grade copper mineralization to depth utilizing historical and newly acquired geochemical and geophysical data to optimize drill hole placement and design."

2026 Drill Program Update

Barksdale's 2026 program goals are three-fold. First, to follow-up recommended drill testing of the Bucket Breccia (BB) holes drilled in 1972 by ASARCO that reported high-grade copper results, test targets supported by geochemical and geophysical information, and test for extensions of past producing mine, such as the World's Fair mine and Josephine vein extension. The program drill locations were approved on-site by representatives of the U.S. Forest Service.

The second, underlying goal is to complete the 25,000 feet required under the Phase II earn-in agreement with Great Basin Metals, to permanently increase Barksdale's ownership interest in Sunnyside to 67.5%. Once the program is completed, Barksdale will issue 4.9 million common shares in its capital to Great Basin Metals and a cash payment of C$550,000. Completion is expected by the end of July.

The final stated goal is to begin to gather additional data surrounding the Bucket Breccia drilling that could support a formal National Instrument 43-101 compliant resource estimation. Demonstrating Sunnyside has a stated resource will allow the Company to apply and likely be accepted into the FAST-41 USDA program that helps companies navigate and gain Federal regulatory approvals in an expedited fashion. Modeling work will commence once all drill results are received.

Recent Copper and Silver Highlights:

• 0.3% Cu over 77.7 m from 187.5 m hole depth, including 1.93% Cu over 7.6 m from 187.5 m in SUN26-013R
• 0.32% Cu over 12.2 m from 228.6 m hole depth in SUN26-010R
• 0.3% Cu over 4.6 m from 620 ft hole depth in SUN26-011R
• 2.0 g/t Ag over 182.88 m from 5 m hole depth in SUN26-007R
• 4.59 g/t Ag over 91.44 m from a depth of 15.2, including 36.58 m grading 8.77 g/t Ag from a depth of 18.3 m in SUN26-012R
• 1.62 g/t Ag and 0.058 g/t Au over 111.25 m from 189 m hole depth in SUN26-009R

Sunnyside: An Analog to a Past Producing Mine

A comparison of the Sunnyside porphyry geochemical zonation pattern to the Berkeley porphyry in Montana reveals strikingly similar metal zonation. The Spring 2026 drill program assay results have contributed a great deal of geochemical knowledge to the Company, both in confirming the presence of high-grade copper mineralization continuous to at least 1,000 metres depth but also providing geochemical data that will aid in future drill hole placement. (https://api.newsfilecorp.com/redirect/qpnkKfMV3Z).

Figure 1. Drill hole location map with annotated metal presence based on 2026 assay results. Assay results from the final 10 holes will amend and adjust the existing contours.

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Figure 1 above is a plan-view map showing drill-hole locations and the predominant metals identified in the completed drill holes, including Au, Ag, Cu, and Zn in the upper-left group of holes. These metal groupings reflect sulfide mineralogy that can change laterally from the high-grade copper (Cu (Ag) deposits to the Cu-Zn-Ag adjacent moderate-grade shell to the distal manganese rich Ag (Zn-Pb) polymetallic shell. 

Figure 2 below provides a real-world example of the metal zonation that can develop around a copper porphyry system. The plan-view map depicts actual mineral zonation patterns at the Berkeley Pit (1,600 m x 800 m) in Montana. Near the system centre, Cu (Ag) mineralization transitions outward to lower-grade Cu (Zn-Ag), then to Zn-Pb-MnCO3 (Au), and finally to distal MnCO3-Ag (Zn-Pb) mineralization. Applying this real-world geochemical zonation framework helps Barksdale vector toward the next high-grade target.

Figure 2. Plan view map of Berkeley Pit (Butte, Montana) copper porphyry metal zonation. (USGS Scientific Investigation Report 2010-54070-B).

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Table 1: Highlighted Results, DH's SUN26-005R to SUN26-014R

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Previously reported high grade copper intercepts in SUN26-001R to 003R were not duplicated in the subsequent holes reported in this news release as had been hoped. Pre-approved drill platforms ~600-650 metres from the initial holes may have overshot the extent of mineralization or there may be an NNW-SSE structural component offsetting the mineral body. Follow-up drilling to the SSW in holes SUN26-021R and 022R should shed light on the lateral continuity question.

This remains an early, exploratory phase at Sunnyside with roughly two dozen holes completed. The program's first four holes returned the highest-grade copper before stepping out significantly by 600 to 650 metres. Encountering high-grade copper so early in a system of this scale points to how much of the property is still to be tested. The path forward is to continue to integrate the geochemical and geophysical data to refine drill targets to test more favourable zones, including those identified to the south.

During the current drill program, the World's Fair and January-Norton targets were drill tested with one reverse circulation hole per target. Both holes failed to reach their planned depth due to heavy water inflows flooding the hammer system. The past-producing World's Fair Mine, on the property's northern edge, is a historic silver-copper producer that yielded on the order of 13,000 tons of silver-lead-copper ore between the late 1800s and the 1950s, with historic production on the order of 58 oz/t silver (1,990 g/t Ag), 0.7% copper and 6.6% lead. These targets will be further tested with diamond drilling in the fall.

2026-2027 Target Generation - AI and Geophysics

VRIFY Technology Inc. is reviewing data from Barksdale's Sunnyside Property to refine and identify new mineralized targets on the Arizona properties. VRIFY is a Canadian technology company that pairs advanced artificial intelligence with deep geoscience expertise to accelerate mineral discovery. Its flagship platform, DORA, one of the mining industry's leading AI-assisted mineral discovery tools, analyzes large exploration datasets to generate a proprietary VRIFY Prospectivity Score that ranks and prioritizes high-potential drill targets. Additionally, it can confirm targets already identified by traditional geological methods. DORA's AI targeting has already supported results in the field, most notably Southern Cross Gold's high-grade gold discovery at its Sunday Creek project in Victoria, Australia, as well as AI-validated drill programs at RUA Gold and Canterra Minerals.

As part of this work, VRIFY will integrate and layer numerous independent geological, geochemical and geophysical datasets into its AI targeting model to refine known targets and generate new ones, one of the most important of these inputs is the Company's surface rock-fracture study. A previously completed surface rock-fracture sampling study returned coincident high-grade copper and gold (up to 15.75% Cu and 19.15 g/t Au), with the strongest anomalies overlapping at the past-producing Sunnyside Mine and a south-trending copper-gold corridor extending toward the Volcano Mine defining a pipeline of high-priority, drill-ready targets. These results vector toward favourable zones further to the south and the Company intends to follow up on these targets in future exploration and drill programs.

As an initial step, VRIFY has compiled historic drilling, Barksdale drilling and 2026 datasets together with regional data from South32's neighbouring Hermosa property to generate a preliminary model of the Sunnyside area.

Ellis Geophysical Consulting has compiled and reviewed much of the Company's historical geophysical data, including information collected by the Company and data available in the public domain. EGC is reprocessing these historical datasets using updated software to generate new targets with old data, saving both time and money versus running new surveys. The Company has also received a proposal for an airborne ZTEM survey and is currently soliciting bids for a targeted IP (induced polarization-resistivity) survey on the Sunnyside Property.

The airborne ZTEM survey will also be used to test the geology between the upper and lower Sunnyside porphyries — an area that remains largely unexplored. Historic ASARCO drilling, together with Barksdale's 2026 drilling, has already confirmed continuous copper mineralization and tested to more than 1,000 metres of vertical depth, demonstrating that the two porphyries are connected. The current reverse circulation drill program could not reach the deeper, more favourable parts of the system and will be tested with a diamond drill rig planned this fall; the ZTEM survey will sharpen the full extent of this geology and help refine those deeper targets ahead of the program.

The Company plans to integrate all of these geological datasets — historic ASARCO and Barksdale drilling, the previously reported surface copper-and-gold fracture geochemical study, the mapped geology, and the geophysics — to vector its targeting toward the most prospective parts of the Sunnyside porphyry system. Combined, these datasets help trace the alteration and metal-zonation patterns typical of a copper porphyry, refining targets on the higher-grade copper zones and the system's untested potassic core ahead of future drilling.

Fall 2026-Spring 2027 Core Drill Program

The Company is planning a 15,420-metre diamond drill program to begin in the Fall 2026. The program is designed to complete sixteen 920-metre exploration and confirmation holes surrounding the high-grade chalcocite intercepts in SUN26-001R to 003R, extend the porphyry system to the southwest towards the Sunnyside and Volcano mines, and complete additional holes at the World's Fair and Josephine targets.

One of the key goals of the Fall 2026 diamond drill program is to establish the Propylitic-Phyllic-Potassic alteration halo of the deposit of the system and drill test the surrounding alteration halos for high-grade copper mineralization. To do so, Barksdale is remodeling existing geophysical data and may conduct new surveys as recommended by its consultant. Barksdale will also employ AI modeling software to vector exploration efforts based on all Company and public domain data available.

Table 2: Updated Drill Hole Collar, Location, Azimuth, Dip and Total Depth Data

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Sampling and QAQC

Reverse circulation chip samples are placed in bar coded samples bags at the drill rig; samples averaging 5kgs are collected from the drill site by Barksdale representatives and transported to a locked, gated compound where they are dried prior to shipping. Dried samples are then placed in large totes and transferred to a Skyline Assayers truck for transport to the assay laboratory in Tucson, Arizona. All samples for this drill program are submitted for multi-element and gold analysis at Skyline Assayers & Laboratories of Tucson, Arizona. Samples are primary crushed to >75% passing -10 mesh (2000 microns) and then pulverized to >95% passing -150 mesh (100 microns). Gold is then analyzed by fire assay AAS using a 30g charge. Multi-element analysis was conducted using Aqua Regia digestion with ICP-OES analysis for 31 elements. All pulps and coarse rejects are retained and returned to the Company for long-term storage.

Quality Assurance & Quality Control (QAQC) samples were inserted into the sample stream at a 6% overall ratio comprising 2% certified reference materials or standards, 2% blank material, and 2% field duplicates that are collected at the drill. Results from the QAQC program are reviewed by the Qualified Person (QP) for the Company to assure assay result accuracy and precision prior to any data being released to the market.

Qualified Person

Scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by William Wulftange, CEO of Barksdale, a Licensed Professional Geologist by the State of Utah (#5219574-2250) and an SME Founding Registered Member (#4037018RM) and is a "Qualified Person" as defined in National Instrument 43-101.

Barksdale Resources Corp., a 2023 OTCQX BEST 50 Company, is a base metal exploration company headquartered in Vancouver, B.C., that is focused on the acquisition, exploration and advancement of highly prospective base metal projects in North America. Barksdale is currently advancing the Sunnyside copper-zinc-lead-silver and San Antonio copper projects, both of which are in the Patagonia mining district of southern Arizona, as well as the San Javier copper-gold project in central Sonora, Mexico.

ON BEHALF OF BARKSDALE RESOURCES CORP.

William Wulftange
Chief Executive Officer and Director

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 news release.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "plans", "potential", "possible", and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or results "will", "may", "could", or "should" occur or be achieved.

Forward-looking statements in this news release include, without limitation, statements regarding the timing and results of the Company's ongoing and planned drill programs at Sunnyside, the anticipated increase in the Company's ownership interest in the Sunnyside Project, the timing and outcome of third-party geophysical and AI-based target-generation work, the Company's plans to pursue a National Instrument 43-101 compliant resource estimate, and the comparison of Sunnyside's metal zonation to other porphyry deposits.

These statements are based on material assumptions, including that drilling, assaying, and survey work will proceed on their anticipated timelines and yield results consistent with the Company's current geological interpretation, that the Company will have adequate capital and third-party contractor performance to complete its planned programs, and that historical and third-party data referenced herein are reasonably reliable for the limited contextual purposes for which they are used.

Actual results could differ materially due to known and unknown risks, including that pending or future assay and survey results may not confirm the Company's current interpretation of Sunnyside's geology, that planned drilling or earn-in milestones may be delayed or not completed, that third-party targeting methods may not prove predictive, and other risks relating to metal prices, capital markets, permitting, and mineral exploration generally, as described more fully in the Company's continuous disclosure record on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this news release. Except as required by applicable securities laws, Barksdale does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements.

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