Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 19, 2026) - Great Pacific Gold Corp. (TSXV: GPAC) (OTCQX: GPGCF) (FSE: V3H) ("Great Pacific Gold," "GPAC," or the "Company") announces the discovery of a new high-grade epithermal gold-copper vein at its flagship Wild Dog Project in Papua New Guinea, further supporting the Company's interpretation of repeated high-grade polymetallic mineralization along the 15-kilometre-long Wild Dog Structural Corridor.

The newly identified Magiabe West Vein, located 100 metres west of the advanced Magiabe Vein target and approximately 700 metres southwest of the Sinivit deposit, has returned rock-chip¹ grades of:

• WDG250197 123 g/t Au, 4.01% Cu, 66 g/t Ag
• WDG250202 137 g/t Au, 3.97% Cu, 76 g/t Ag
• WDG250239 113 g/t Au, 2.47% Cu, 71 g/t Ag

These results represent some of the highest surface grades returned to date from the southern sector of the Wild Dog corridor. The Magiabe West discovery lies within the same northeast-trending structural framework that hosts the high-grade Northern Sulphide Shoot at Sinivit. Surface mapping, structural analysis, and geophysical interpretation indicate that multiple parallel vein structures are developing within a 100-200-metre-wide structural corridor. The recognition of repeated high-grade polymetallic veins over kilometre-scale strike reinforces the interpretation that Wild Dog represents a district-scale, structurally controlled epithermal gold-copper system rather than an isolated vein occurrence.

The Company has completed 18 diamond drill holes at Sinivit, delineating two high-grade shoots. Drilling has shifted 1 km north to test the Kavasuki target, where the first hole (KVH-01) intersected strong silica flooding, multi-phase quartz veining, and sulphide mineralization consistent with a robust hydrothermal system.

A second drill rig has arrived on site and will shortly commence drilling at Kasie Ridge, a 1.5-2.0 km long advanced argillic lithocap target interpreted as a potential high-sulphidation epithermal system at the northern end of the corridor. With two rigs active and drilling distributed along the corridor, the Company is systematically testing the full strike extent of the Wild Dog Structural Corridor.

"These results further validate the strength and continuity of the Wild Dog Structural Corridor and highlight the potential of its underexplored southern sector," said Callum Spink, VP Exploration. "The identification of high-grade epithermal gold-copper mineralization supports our interpretation of repeated mineralizing events along this 15-kilometre corridor. With our field team on the ground, systematic mapping and sampling continue to expand our pipeline of high-priority targets and advance them toward drill readiness."

Magiabe Vein Prospect

The Magiabe Vein is a high-priority exploration target located approximately 700 metres southwest of the Wild Dog Deposit within the Wild Dog Structural Corridor (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Pipeline of epithermal gold-copper targets on the Wild Dog Structural Corridor and the location of the Magiabe Vein advanced target.

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Previous exploration, including systematic geochemical sampling and first-pass drilling, has confirmed high-grade gold, silver, and copper mineralization hosted within northeast-striking, steeply east-dipping quartz-sulphide polymetallic veins typical of an epithermal Au-Ag-Cu system (Table 1).

Integrated geological mapping, geochemistry, drilling, and structural interpretation indicate that the Magiabe Vein and similarly oriented mineralized structures south of Wild Dog occur within the same structural framework and are interpreted to represent the southern continuation of the Wild Dog vein system.

Table 1. Magiabe Vein - Historic Assay Results^1,2

Magiabe West Vein Discovery

Recent rock-chip sampling within the Magiabe prospect area has returned exceptionally high-grade results (Table 2) and led to the identification of the Magiabe West Vein, located approximately 100 metres west of the main Magiabe Vein (Figure 2).

Sampling was conducted along a tributary of Kamorok Creek, where brecciated quartz-sulphide mineralization is exposed. Observed sulphides include chalcopyrite, bornite, pyrite, and minor dark sulphides interpreted as possible tellurides.

Mineralization occurs within steeply dipping quartz-sulphide veins approximately 1 metre thick, hosted within broader silicified and mineralized envelopes up to approximately 10 metres wide.

The sulphide assemblage and metal tenor closely resemble polymetallic mineralization from the Northern Sulphide Zone at Sinivit.

Additional systematic trenching, channel sampling, and structural mapping are underway to define strike extent and true width of the vein set.

Table 2. Magiabe Vein West - Key Rock-Chip¹ Sampling Results

Figure 2: Map showing the position of the Magiabe Vein, historic drill holes, and the location of the Magiabe West Vein discovery with reported rock-chip samples.

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Mineralization Style and Comparison

The Magiabe West Vein represents high-grade epithermal Au-Ag-Cu mineralization characterised by quartz-sulphide veins containing abundant copper sulphides (Photos 1 and 2).

Sulphide assemblages and grades closely match those observed in high-grade veins from the Northern Sulphide Zone at Wild Dog (Photo 3), where gold is associated with chalcopyrite- and bornite-rich polymetallic veins.

Ore petrology studies by N.J.W. Croxford (1990) indicate that the mineralogy of the Magiabe veins closely matches that of the Wild Dog vein system. Earlier geological mapping by Dr. David Lindley interpreted the Magiabe Vein as the southern continuation of the western Wild Dog vein structure. Fluid inclusion studies (Leach, 1991) demonstrate highly saline fluids with elevated homogenisation temperatures consistent with hydrothermal conditions recognised throughout the corridor.

At both Magiabe and Wild Dog, mineralization occurs within structurally controlled quartz veins and brecciated vein zones, consistent with development of an epithermal Au-Ag-Cu sulphide vein system within the same regional structural framework.

Photo 1: Sampled outcrop at the Magiabe West Vein high-grade location, showing brecciated quartz-sulphide mineralization within a silicified host. Visible sulphides occur along fracture surfaces and within the quartz matrix, consistent with a structurally controlled epithermal Au-Ag-Cu vein system. A geological hammer and pen provide scale.

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Photo 2: Cut hand specimens from the Magiabe West Vein discovery outcrop, displaying quartz-sulphide veining with visible semi massive chalcopyrite and bornite mineralization. Sulphides occur as disseminations and semi-massive patches within silicified quartz-rich host material. Scale bar shown in centimetres.

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Photo 3: WDG-08 drill core from Northern Sulphide Shoot at Sinivit: 8.4 m @ 50.12 g/t AuEq³ from 154.0 meters (46.46 g/t Au, 1.90% Cu, 59.63 g/t Ag)², showing a high-grade Au-Ag-Cu polymetallic quartz-sulphide vein intersection. Visible chalcopyrite and bornite occur as fracture fill and semi-massive patches along vein margins and fracture surfaces. Scribe shown for scale.

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On behalf of Great Pacific Gold:
Greg McCunn
Chief Executive Officer and Director

Notes

1. Rock-chip samples are selective by nature and may not represent underlying mineralization.
2. Drill highlights presented above are core lengths (true widths are not known at this time).
3. Gold equivalent (AuEq) exploration results are calculated using longer-term commodity prices with a copper price of US$4.50/lb, a silver price of US$27.50/oz and a gold price of US$2,000/oz. No metallurgical testing has been carried out on Wild Dog mineralized samples. For AuEq calculations, recovery assumptions of Au 92.6%, Ag 78.0%, and Cu 94.0% were used based on K92 Mining's stated recovery results in an Updated Definitive Feasibility Study for the Kainantu mine.

Qualified Person

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed, verified and approved by Callum Spink, the Company's Vice President, Exploration, who is a member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists, MAIG, and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Spink is responsible for the technical content of this news release. Mr. Spink is not independent of the Company.

Quality Assurance / Quality Control (QAQC)

The Company follows industry-standard Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) procedures. Diamond drill core (HQ and PQ diameter) was sawn in half, with one-half submitted to Intertek Minerals Ltd. in Lae, Papua New Guinea, an ISO 9001-certified independent analytical laboratory with internationally recognized quality standards.

Gold analyses were completed by fire assay, with copper and silver initially determined by aqua regia digestion and atomic absorption and subsequently updated using four-acid digestion (MS48) multi-element analysis.

Certified reference materials (standards) and blanks were inserted into the sample stream at industry-standard frequencies, including routine insertion of blanks following mineralized intervals. All assay batches received to date have passed QA/QC review and fall within acceptable tolerance limits.

Core recoveries were within acceptable ranges, and sampling procedures were carefully managed in areas of variable ground conditions.

About Great Pacific Gold

Great Pacific Gold's vision is to become the leading gold-copper development company in Papua New Guinea ("PNG"). The Company has a portfolio of exploration-stage projects in PNG, as follows:

• Wild Dog Project: the Company's flagship project is located in the East New Britain province of PNG. The project consists of a large-scale epithermal target, the Wild Dog structural corridor, stretching 15 km in strike length and potentially over 1,000 metres deep based on a recent MobileMT geophysics survey. The survey also highlighted the Magiabe porphyry target, adjacent to the epithermal target and potentially 1,000 metres in diameter and over 2,000 metres deep. Drilling of the epithermal structure on the Sinivit target has yielded high-grade results, including WDG-08 which intercepted 8.4 metres at 50 g/t AuEq from 154 metres. The current drilling program will extend into 2026 with second drill rig expecting to be operational in February 2026.
  
  
• Kesar Project: located in the Eastern Highlands province of PNG and contiguous with the mine tenements of K92 Mining Inc. ("K92"), the Kesar Project is a greenfield exploration project with several high-priority targets in close proximity to the property boundary with K92. Multiple epithermal veins at Kesar are on strike and have the same orientation as key K92 deposits, such as Kora. Exploration work to date by the Company at the Kesar Project has shown that these veins have high grades of gold present in outcrop and very elevated gold in soil grades, coincident with aeromagnetic highs. The Company conducted a diamond drill program on key target areas at the Kesar Project from November 2024 to May 2025 and have developed a follow-up Phase 2 program for 2026.

• Arau Project: also located in the Eastern Highlands province of PNG, the Arau Project is south of and contiguous to the mine tenements of K92. Arau contains the highly prospective Mt. Victor exploration target with potential for a high sulphidation epithermal gold-base metal deposit. A Phase 1 Reverse Circulation drilling program was completed at Mt. Victor in August 2024, with encouraging results. The Arau Project includes the Elandora licence, which also contains various epithermal and copper-gold porphyry targets.

The Company also holds the Tinga Valley Project in PNG.

Forward-Looking Statements

Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance. Great Pacific Gold cautions that all forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by many material factors, most of which are beyond their respective control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to Great Pacific Gold's limited operating history, its exploration and development activities on its mineral properties and the need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, Great Pacific Gold does not undertake to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.

Mineralization at the properties held by K92 Mining Inc. and at the Wafi-Golpu deposit is not necessarily indicative of mineralization at the Wild Dog Project.

Neither 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.

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