Sonoro Gold Completes Phase 3 Drill Program and Moves Towards an Updated N1 43-101 Technical Report and New PEA for Cerro Caliche VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sonoro Gold Corp. (TSXV: SGO | OTCQB: SMOFF | FRA: 23SP) (“Sonoro” or the “Company”) is pleased to report assay results from the final nine RC drill holes, completing Phase Three of its drilling program at the Cerro Caliche gold project, located in Sonora State, Mexico. As noted in news releases, dated April 5, 2021, and April 26, 2021, the Company extended drilling activities to investigate the potential merging of the Japoneses and Buena Suerte zones into a single body of shallow, oxide gold mineralization. Recent results indicate a coalescence of the two zones over a minimum length of 400 meters which may prove to have significant and positive economic implications for the Company’s proposed Heap Leach Mining Operation (HLMO). The following map shows the location of the nine RC drill holes as well as the merging of the northern extents of the Japoneses and Buena Suerte zones. https://sonorogold.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/20210601-Map.png A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/809af3db-65f4-4881-92a1-be91dc3086ab Two independent NI 43-101 technical reports, scheduled to be filed in July 2021, will provide valuable information as to whether the identified mineralization is sufficient to support a proposed HLMO with an initial operating capacity of up to 15,000 tons per day (tpd). As previously announced, the Company engaged D.E.N.M. Engineering Ltd. to prepare a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) and Micon International Ltd. to prepare a mineral resource estimate. The mineral resource estimate will include all prior and current exploration data up to April 2021. To date, the Company has drilled and assayed results from over 34,500 meters of drilling, including over 25,000 meters of new drilling since September 2020. When combined with historical data, total exploration at Cerro Caliche totals over 47,500 meters, 433 drill holes and 9,365 surface samples. Drilling activities on the concession are currently paused to provide the exploration team time to ensure all data and assistance is available to the independent consultants, and to implement any recommendations set forth in the anticipated technical reports. Subject to the terms of project financing, drilling is scheduled to resume by the end of the third quarter of 2021 to continue expanding mineralization and investigating potential high-grade targets. Potential Coalescence of Japoneses and Buena Suerte Gold Zones The final nine drill holes were completed along the narrowing gap between the northwest extension of the Japoneses zone, known as the Buena Vista fault vein zone, and the east flank of the Buena Suerte zone. Four of the drill holes cut the east side of Buena Suerte with drill hole SCR-264 intercepting 15.24 meters averaging 0.764 grams of gold per tonne (“g/t Au”), including 1.52 meters averaging 2.402 g/t Au. Drill hole SCR-261 encountered continuous mineralization from surface but intercepted an artisanal mine working at 19.81 meters. The rig was moved 6 meters and the hole was re-drilled as SCR-261B, which intercepted a total of 35 meters of gold mineralization, including 1.5 meters averaging 1.23 g/t Au. In the northern extent, roughly at the center of the 150-meter gap separating Japoneses and Buena Suerte, drill hole SCR-262 cut multiple intervals of gold mineralization totaling 52 meters from surface including 1.53 meters averaging 2.171 g/t Au. While this area was previously considered to be outside of the mineralized gold zones, drilling results confirm the material presence of gold mineralization and further support the development of a single pit to mine gold mineralization from both the Japoneses and Buena Suerte zones. These final drilling results mark the conclusion of a highly successful and intense drilling program. As noted above, management expects two independent 43-101 compliant reports to update the resource size and classification and determine whether it is sufficient to support the Company’s proposed HLMO with a conceptual operation of up to 15,000 tpd. Mel Herdrick, Sonoro’s VP of Exploration noted, “I am pleased that these latest drill holes show the area between the two gold bearing zones, which was previously considered barren, does in fact carry gold mineralization. It is a very encouraging ending for what has been a very effective drill program. There remains much more potential in the areas we plan to drill later this year and next and I expect that this drilling will continue to define and materially expand and categorize the project’s oxide gold mineralization.” Kenneth MacLeod, Sonoro’s President and CEO added, “We have reached a watershed juncture in the development of Sonoro, as we are now making the transition from an exploration company to our aspirational goal of becoming a gold producer in early 2022. We are grateful for the support of our shareholders over the past three years as we strive to make Cerro Caliche the next mining success story in Mexico.” John Darch Sonoro’s Chairman commented, “These final drill results reinforce the potential for the Japoneses-Buena Vista and Buena Suerte zones to be assessed as a single pit with all of the attendant cost savings that a single pit may make possible. They also mark the conclusion of an exceptional year, where Sonoro has been transformed from an exploration junior to a development stage company with a goal of achieving production early next year. Our strategy of exploring and developing Cerro Caliche’s extensive shallow oxide gold mineralization while advancing towards becoming a gold producer is advancing as we had hoped. We anticipate this will be confirmed with the filing of the Micon International’s 43-101 technical report on an updated resource estimate, as well as with the filling of the anticipated PEA regarding the proposed project’s economics.” Assay Results Cerro Caliche Project, holes composites with cutoff 0.10 Au g/t Hole Target From To Interval Au Ag AuEq meters g/t g/t g/t SCR-257 BUENA SUERTE 0.00 27.43 27.43 0.242 2.4 0.277 SCR-258 BUENA SUERTE 10.67 16.76 6.09 0.130 2.3 0.163 SCR-259 BUENA SUERTE 4.57 7.62 3.05 0.117 1.2 0.134 and 35.05 38.10 3.05 0.138 3.1 0.182 SCR-260 BUENA SUERTE 35.05 39.62 4.57 0.097 0.6 0.106 and 80.77 86.87 6.1 0.454 2.6 0.491 SCR-261 BUENA SUERTE 0.00 19.81 19.81 0.257 2.3 0.290 SCR-261B BUENA SUERTE 10.67 32.00 21.33 0.337 4.8 0.405 and 36.58 50.29 13.71 0.225 0.8 0.238 SCR-262 BUENA SUERTE 3.05 33.53 30.48 0.241 2.0 0.270 and 48.77 70.10 21.33 0.375 0.6 0.383 includes 62.48 64.01 1.53 2.171 1.8 2.197 SCR-263 BUENA SUERTE 0.00 13.72 13.72 0.127 1.3 0.145 SCR-264 BUENA SUERTE 0.00 21.34 21.34 0.295 12.5 0.474 includes 4.57 6.10 1.53 1.588 135 3.517 and 102.11 105.16 3.05 0.355 0.3 0.360 and 138.68 153.92 15.24 0.764 7.5 0.871 includes 140.21 141.73 1.52 2.402 1.7 2.426 Drill collar locations, azimuths and dips for the drill holes included are provided in the table below. Drill Collar Locations (NAD 1927 UTM Zone 12N) Drill Hole Zone Easting Northing Elevation Depth (m) Dip Azimuth SCR-257 Buena Suerte 536684 3365055 1354 82.3 -45 236 SCR-258 Buena Suerte 536630 3365029 1358 91.44 -45 232 SCR-259 Buena Suerte 536582 3365144 1340 82.3 -45 235 SCR-260 Buena Suerte 536534 3365113 1341 88.39 -45 236 SCR-261 Buena Suerte 536491 3365087 1341 19.81 -45 235 SCR-261B Buena Suerte 536495 3365089 1341 82.3 -45 234 SCR-262 Buena Suerte 536572 3365214 1336 91.44 -45 234 SCR-263 Buena Suerte 536628 3365095 1347 82.3 -45 235 SCR-264 Buena Suerte 536586 3365073 1355 163.07 -45 234 All reported intervals in this news report are 45-degree inclined drill holes cutting an assumed 60–90-degree dipping vein zone toward the drill hole, thus the intercept is considered to be approximately 20 degrees or less from having a perpendicular intersection. The true widths of reported drill widths are anticipated to be about 75 percent or more of intercept widths reported. Company Name Year of Exploration Drill Type Holes Drilled Meters Drilled Rock Samples Soil Samples Cambior Exploration 1997-1998 RC 15 2,244.85 1,627 Sidney Res. Circa 2000 0 0.00 177 Corex Gold 2007 RC 74 6,509.02 1,874 Corex Gold 2008 RC 12 1,216.15 Paget Southern 2011 Core 13 2,172.75 1,627 1,250 Paget Southern