Nighthawk Defines Initial Underground Resource At Colomac And Converts 82% To Indicated Resources Establishing A Strong Foundation For Future Growth

Toronto, Ontario, July 28, 2020 – Nighthawk Gold Corp. (“Nighthawk” or the “Company”) (TSX: NHK; OTCQX: MIMZF) is pleased to report an updated Mineral Resource Estimate on the 100% owned Indin Lake Gold Property (“2020 MRE”), Northwest Territories, Canada, which includes an updated resource estimate for the Colomac Gold Project (“Colomac”, the “2020 Colomac MRE”), as well as an initial Mineral Resource Estimate on the Damoti Lake Gold Project (“Damoti”, the “Damoti MRE”), based on a gold price of US$1,425 (Figures 1 and 4). The 2020 Colomac MRE incorporates 924 drill holes totaling 177,598 metres that defines open pit and underground resources and outlines 25.89 million tonnes (“Mt”) at an average grade of 2.01 grams per tonne gold (“gpt”, “Au”) for 1.67 million ounces (“Moz”) of Indicated Resources and 5.71 Mt at an average grade of 2.03 gpt Au for 0.37 Moz of Inferred Resources (Table 1).  The Damoti MRE is based on 266 drill holes totaling 33,433 metres and outlines 0.74 Mt at an average grade of 4.97 gpt Au for 0.12 Moz of Inferred Resources (Table 2). The 2020 MRE was prepared by InnovExplo Inc. (“InnovExplo”), an independent firm based in Val-d’Or, Québec, in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 (“NI 43-101”).

An Exploration Target for Colomac suggests anywhere from 18 Mt to 23 Mt at grades ranging from 1.80 gpt Au to 2.00 gpt Au for a total of between 1.0 Moz upwards to 1.5 Moz Au could be added to the current resource by continuing to drill the projected extensions of currently defined mineralized zones. The Exploration Target is based on the limited extension of known zones to depth and laterally as defined by the current drill density. The potential quantity and grade is conceptual in nature, and the Exploration Target is not a mineral resource and there remains uncertainty if a mineral resource would be delineated. However, this target illustrates a clear path forward for resource expansion opportunities proximal to the currently defined resource in the near term. Outside of this Exploration Target, there remains a large portion of the host quartz diorite (mineralized portion of the sill) that remains untested, and therefore a focus for continued exploration.

Conference Call Details – Nighthawk Gold 2020 Resource Update

Management will host a conference call and webcast to discuss the updated resource estimate today, July 28, 2020 at 8:30am ET. To access the webcast and for further details, please see details listed at the end of this release or visit the Company website at nighthawkgold.com.

Callers should dial in 5-10 min prior to the scheduled start time.

NA Toll-free: 1-800-319-4610; Toronto: +1-416-915-3239; International: +1-604-638-5340

To access the Webcast please follow this link. 

Dr. Michael Byron, President & CEO commented, “This latest resource estimate is the most refined, and accurate representation to-date, and for the first time includes constrained open pit and underground Indicated Resources at Colomac with an average grade of 2.01 gpt Au. Constraining of resources has resulted in a substantial upgrade to the quality and level of confidence in the 2020 Colomac MRE, resulting in greater perceived value given that 82% of the resource now falls within the Indicated category. With additional infill drilling, Indicated Resources have the possibility to be upgraded to Measured Resources or possibly Mineral Reserves if determined to be economic to extract.

“A newly defined Exploration Target for Colomac suggests that up to 1.5 Moz Au with grades between 1.8 gpt Au and 2.0 gpt Au could be added to the current resource. We believe this can be achieved with anywhere from 50,000 to 75,000 metres of additional drilling, of which we plan to complete upwards of 25,000 metres this year with drilling already well underway. Furthermore, with limited drilling information available with respect to the recently discovered widening of the mineralized portion of the Colomac Main sill and especially in light of the sill’s expansion to upwards of 155 metres in true width at approximately 750 metres depth at Zone 1.5, this tremendous prospect was not captured in the current resource estimate. There remains significant upside to build additional ounces, over and above the Exploration Target within the vastly unexplored portions of the host quartz diorite. Given these strategic prospects we anticipate rapid resource growth in addition to the outlined Exploration Target areas.

“We are confident that this latest resource represents a giant step forward in terms of increasing project robustness and value and provides a solid platform from which to rapidly add ounces and to develop Colomac quickly and efficiently. We look forward to discussing these highlights in a conference call later this morning, the details of which are mentioned above”

Highlights:

1. This Mineral Resource Estimate has been prepared using reasonable cut-off grades for pit constrained, bulk underground and selective underground extraction mining methods.
2. Specific extraction methods are used only to establish reasonable cut-off grades for various portions of the deposit. No Preliminary Economic Analysis, Pre-Feasibility Study or Feasibility Study has been completed to support economic viability and technical feasibility of exploiting any portion of the mineral resource, by any specific mining method.
3. The reader should be cautioned that this exploration target is not a mineral resource estimate and is conceptual in nature. There has been insufficient exploration to define this as a mineral resource, and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the exploration target being delineated as a mineral resource. As well, the estimate on metres drilled to achieve this target is based on the Company’s projections derived from its experience with metres drilled and ounces added through its previous drilling campaigns and the resulting mineral resource estimates.
4. An Indicated Mineral Resource is that part of a Mineral Resource for which quantity, grade or quality, densities, shape and physical characteristics are estimated with sufficient confidence to allow the application of Modifying Factors in sufficient detail to support mine planning and evaluation of the economic viability of the deposit. An Indicated Mineral Resource has a lower level of confidence than that applying to a Measured Mineral Resource and may only be converted to a Probable Mineral Reserve.

FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES AND NEXT STEPS:

Table 1. Colomac Gold Project, 2020 Updated Mineral Resource Estimate – 2020 Colomac MRE, effective at July 28, 2020 

(Broken down by deposits for combined open pit and underground bulk mining method scenarios)

Table 2. Damoti Mineral Resource Estimate – Damoti MRE, effective at July 28, 2020

(for an underground selective mining method scenario)

Notes to accompany the Mineral Resource Estimate:

1. The Independent and Qualified Persons for the Mineral Resource Estimate, as defined by NI 43-101, are Marina Lund P.Geo., and Carl Pelletier, P.Geo., both from InnovExplo Inc., and the effective date is July 28, 2020.
2. These mineral resources are not mineral reserves, as they do not have demonstrated economic viability.
3. The mineral resource estimate follows current CIM definitions and guidelines for mineral resources.
4. The results presented are undiluted and are considered to have reasonable prospects of economic viability.
5. The estimates encompass six (6) gold deposits (Colomac Main, 24, 27, Goldcrest, Grizzly Bear, and Damoti), subdivided into 52 zones (6 for Colomac Main, 1 for 24, 1 for 27, 3 for Goldcrest, and 3 for Grizzly Bear, and 38 for Damoti) each defined by individual wireframes with a minimum true thickness of 3.0 m for the Colomac Main, 24, 27, Goldcrest and Grizzly Bear deposits and a minimum true thickness of 2.0 m for the Damoti deposit, using the grade of the material when assayed or a value of zero when not assayed. One (1) low grade envelope was create using the quartz diorite geological solid for the Colomac deposit and four (4) low grade envelopes were created using the BIF geological solid for the Damoti deposit.  The resource was estimated using GEOVIA GEMS 6.8.2.
6. High-grade capping supported by statistical analysis was done on raw assay data before compositing and established on a per-zone basis. Colomac Main deposit: all zones were capped at 50 g/t, except for the low-grade 1.0 zone and the low-grade envelop which were capped at 15.00 g/t; 24 and 27 deposits: not capped; Goldcrest and Grizzly Bear deposits: all zones were capped at 30.00 g/t; Damoti deposit: all high grade zones were capped at 100.00 g/t, except zones 2000, 2100 and 2200 capped at 45.00 g/t and zone 4300 capped at 40.00 g/t. The low-grade envelopes were capped at 20.00 g/t.
7. Grade interpolation was performed with the ID3 method on 1.5 m composites for the Colomac Main, Goldcrest and Grizzly Bear deposits, with the ID2 method on 1.5 m composites for the 24 and 27 deposits and by Ordinary Kriging on 1.0 m composites for the Damoti deposit. The Colomac Main, 24 and 27, Goldcrest, Grizzly Bear block models have block size of 5.0 m by 10.0 m by 10.0 m and the Damoti block model has block size of 3.0 m by 3.0 m by 3.0 m.
8. Bedrock was assigned a density value of 3.20 g/cm3 for the Damoti deposit and a value of 2.70 g/cm3 for the Colomac Main, 24. 27, Goldcrest and Grizzly Bear deposits corresponding to the mean of SG measurements. A fixed density value of 2.00 g/cm3 was assigned to the overburden.
9. The Mineral Resource Estimate is classified as Indicated and Inferred. For the Colomac Main, 24 and 27, Goldcrest and Grizzly Bear deposits, the Inferred category is defined with a minimum of two (2) drill holes within the areas where the drill spacing is less than 75 m and shows reasonable geological and grade continuity. The Indicated mineral resource category is defined with a minimum of three (3) drill holes within the areas where the drill spacing is less than 50.0 m. For the Damoti deposit, the Inferred category is defined with a minimum of two (2) drill holes within the areas where the drill spacing is less than 60.0 m and shows reasonable geological and grade continuity. Clipping boundaries were used for classification based on those criteria.
10. The Mineral Resource Estimate is locally pit-constrained using GEOVIA Whittle™ with a bedrock slope angle of 50° and an overburden slope angle of 30°. It is reported at a rounded cut-off grade of 0.60 gpt Au (in pit), 1.30 gpt Au (bulk underground), and 2.00 gpt Au (selective underground). The cut-off grades were calculated using the following parameters: mining cost = 4.79 to CA$ 65.00; processing cost = 22.50 to CA$ 25.00; G&A = 8.00 to CA$ 18.00; refining and selling costs = CA$ 5.00; gold price = US$ 1,425.00/oz; US$:CA$ exchange rate = 1.33; and mill recovery = 97.0%. The cut-off grades should be re-evaluated in light of future prevailing market conditions (metal prices, exchange rates, mining costs etc.).
11. The number of metric tonnes was rounded to the nearest thousand, following the recommendations in NI 43-101 and any discrepancies in the totals are due to rounding effects. The metal contents are presented in troy ounces (tonnes x grade / 31.10348).
12. InnovExplo Inc. is not aware of any known environmental, permitting, legal, title-related, taxation, socio-political, or marketing issues, or any other relevant issue not reported in the Technical Report, that could materially affect the Mineral Resource Estimate.

Table 3. Colomac Mineral Resource Estimate Cut-Off Sensitivity Table (including the Colomac Main, Goldcrest, Grizzly Bear, 24 and 27 Deposits)

Note: The reader is cautioned that the figures in this table are not a Mineral Resource Statement. The figures are only presented to show the sensitivity of the block model estimates to the selection of cut-off grade.

Table 4. Colomac Mineral Resource Estimate Gold Price Sensitivity Table