Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 6, 2026) - Carolina Rush Corporation (TSXV: RUSH) (OTCQB: PUCCF) (the "Company") announced today that it has expanded its 100%-controlled Jefferson Gold Project by executing a new mineral lease agreement on a 44-acre property two kilometers northeast of its 100%-controlled Brewer Gold-Copper Project in Chesterfield County, South Carolina, USA.

The newly secured property incorporates the historically explored A1 Anomaly ("A1"), an area previously held and drilled by the Company when it operated as Pancontinental Gold Corporation ("Pancon"). The property has been the subject of multiple historical exploration programs and contains documented gold mineralization that remains incompletely tested.

Layton Croft, President and CEO, said: "This is a strategic piece of ground we know well. Our previous drilling at A1 returned encouraging gold mineralization, and bringing it back into the Jefferson land package strengthens our control of the broader Brewer-Jefferson geologic system. A1 fits directly into our two-track strategy: expanding the existing near-surface gold resource while continuing to advance the deeper copper-gold porphyry opportunity. We will now reassess drill testing at A1 using a much stronger geological framework and expanded dataset."

Highlights:

• Strategic Land Addition: Secured approximately 44 acres containing the A1 gold prospect, further consolidating the Brewer-Jefferson land package.
• Historic Drill Results: Pancon, Carolina Rush's predecessor company, completed six holes totalling 912 meters, with five of the six intersecting anomalous gold mineralization, including 22.8 meters at 1.3 g/t Au from 100.6 meters (JEF-108) and 6.8 meters at 2.13 g/t Au from 69.2 meters (JEF-109).
• Open Exploration Upside: Mineralization remains open in several directions and incompletely tested along strike and at depth.
• Existing Data Advantage: Historical drilling, geological and exploration data can be integrated directly into the broader Brewer-Jefferson geological model.

Figure 1: Location Map of Brewer-Jefferson Project, Including the Newly Acquired 44-Acre Land

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5156/317483_31b2e9b3e42d2b71_003full.jpg

A1 Anomaly - Historical Exploration

A1 has a long exploration history. Historical records compiled by Carolina Rush indicate that at least four previous operators conducted drilling in and around the anomaly, including Inter-Rock Gold, Viking Resources, Firebird Resources and Pancon.

Historical drilling has identified a structurally controlled zone of gold mineralization hosted primarily within sheared felsic volcanic rocks with variable quartz veining. Carolina Rush's current interpretation indicates that the principal gold-bearing structural zone dips steeply north-northwest.

Historical drilling has been concentrated within a relatively limited area and has not systematically tested the mineralized system along strike or at depth. The Company's compilation indicates significant gold mineralization over approximately 100 metres of strike and to approximately 140 meters vertical depth, with mineralization remaining open for expansion in several directions.

Earlier drilling by previous operators also returned significant gold mineralization at A1. When Pancon acquired Jefferson in 2016, the most recent historical drilling included four holes completed in 2011, all of which encountered gold mineralization and are summarized in Table 1.

Table 1. A1 Target - Summary of Significant Drill Intersections drilled by Firebird (2011)

*The reported intervals represent core lengths and true widths were not determined.

Pancon acquired the Jefferson Project in 2016 and commenced drilling A1 in November of that year. Between November 2016 and March 2017, Pancon completed six diamond drill holes, JEF-104 through JEF-109, totalling 912 meters. A summary of significant drill intersections from this program is provided in Table 2.

Table 2. A1 Target - Summary of Significant Drill Intersections drilled by Pancon (2016-2017)

*The reported intervals represent core lengths and true widths were not determined.

Carolina Rush intends to integrate the historical A1 drilling with its current geological, geophysical and structural datasets to assess the target in the context of the broader Brewer-Jefferson mineralized system.

Strategic Expansion of Jefferson

Carolina Rush has entered into a mineral lease agreement covering approximately 44 acres containing the historically mineralized A1 area. The property expands the Company's Jefferson Project to a total of 11 private mineral leases covering 2,612 acres, further consolidating its strategic land position surrounding the Brewer Gold-Copper Project (see Figure 1).

The new 12-year agreement provides Carolina Rush with exclusive mineral exploration and property purchase rights, and includes an annual lease payment and future production royalty. With this addition, the combined Brewer-Jefferson land position now covers 3,524 acres.

Corporate Update

Carolina Rush also announces that Dr. Laurie Curtis is stepping down from the Board of Directors and resuming his role as Senior Advisor to the Company.

Dr. Curtis has played an important role in supporting the Company's recent Board transition and will continue to provide technical and strategic guidance to Carolina Rush, working closely with Vice President of Exploration Patrick Quigley and the exploration team.

"Laurie has been an important contributor to Carolina Rush, both at the Board level and as a technical advisor. We are pleased that he will continue to support Patrick and our exploration team as Senior Advisor," said Layton Croft, President and CEO.

Qualified Person
The scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Patrick Quigley, MSc, CPG, Vice President of Exploration for Carolina Rush and a "Qualified Person" as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

Historical drill results reported herein were completed by previous operators and/or by the Company under its former corporate name.

Historical information relating to the former Jefferson Project has been compiled from the Company's records and previous public disclosure. The Qualified Person has reviewed the available historical information but has not independently verified all historical data through current fieldwork.

The historical information is considered relevant for exploration planning. It should not be relied upon as evidence that mineralization identified at Brewer extends onto Jefferson.

About Carolina Rush
Carolina Rush Corporation (TSXV: RUSH) (OTCQB: PUCCF) is a mineral exploration company focused on gold and copper exploration in the southeastern United States. The Company controls the Brewer Gold-Copper Project and the adjacent Jefferson Project, in Chesterfield County, South Carolina, comprising an approximately 3,524-acre contiguous land position. Brewer hosts an NI 43-101 mineral resource and a large hydrothermal system being evaluated for both near-surface gold-copper resource growth and deeper porphyry copper-gold potential. Brewer is located approximately 13 km from OceanaGold's producing Haile Gold Mine. Information from nearby properties is not necessarily indicative of the mineralization at Brewer.

For additional information please visit our website at http://www.TheCarolinaRush.com/ and our X feed: https://twitter.com/TheCarolinaRush.

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.

This news release contains forward-looking information that is not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking information may include statements regarding the strategic importance and exploration potential of the Jefferson Project; the possible continuation of geological, structural, alteration or mineralized trends from Brewer onto Jefferson; the integration of Jefferson into the Company's geological interpretation; future exploration activities; and the advancement of the Brewer and Jefferson projects. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those expressed or implied. These factors include changes in equity and debt markets, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in obtaining required regulatory or governmental approvals, the speculative nature of mineral exploration, uncertainty regarding geological interpretations and other risks described in the Company's management's discussion and analysis filed under its profile at www.sedarplus.ca. Forward-looking information in this news release is based on the opinions and assumptions of management considered reasonable as of the date hereof, including that all necessary governmental and regulatory approvals will be received as and when expected. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, other than as required by applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/317483