Mr. Kenneth MacLeod reports

SONORO LAUNCHES METALLURGICAL TESTING AT CERRO CALICHE

Sonoro Gold Corp. has retained McClelland Laboratories Inc. of Sparks, Nev., to conduct independent metallurgical testing of the gold mineralization at the Cerro Caliche gold project in Sonora state, Mexico. As part of the company's strategy to fast-track the development of a heap leach mining operation at Cerro Caliche, over 5,500 kilograms of mineralized material from 10 85-millimetre-diameter PQ core holes are being shipped to the laboratory for metallurgical testing. With continuing success from the continuing drilling program, Sonoro's management has expanded its development plans from the previously announced pilot-level project to assess the economic viability of a proposed 8,000-ton-per-day mining operation.

The metallurgical testing program is focused on determining the heap leach characteristics of the oxide mineralization at Cerro Caliche and will provide quantified estimates of gold and silver recovery from the various mineralized zones near surface and at depth, in addition to providing recommendations for crushing sizes and associated process flowsheet development. The testing will incorporate the following components:

• Heap leach testing, including variability composite testing, drill core composite testing, bottle roll testing and column leach testing.
• Material characterization testing, including comminution testing, mineralogy, load/permeability testing, crushing work index, abrasiveness index and ore density.

Preliminary column leach testing of at-surface mineralized material sampled from the Japoneses zone was carried out at a dedicated facility near Cerro Caliche by Sonoro during 2019. These tests demonstrated the material to be amendable to cyanide leaching, which will now be confirmed by an independent laboratory.

The current testing program will take into consideration the gold mineralization's characteristics, which are divided into two distinct metallurgical domains, as follows:

• Hydrothermal vein quartz structures of variable thicknesses, from 0.1 metre to five metres, and with variable textures, from massive quartz with some vuggy quartz zones to grey quartz. The vein structures are mostly related to fault zones with resulting breccias and silicified zones in the host rocks.
• Veinlet/stockwork mineralization with relatively lower-than-average gold grades. These are zones with erratic and irregular quartz veinlets that are 0.01 m to 0.2 m in width, sometimes with breccia and shatter textures. These veins, veinlets and stockworks are usually in silicified and oxidized zones in the host rock and are frequently associated with similarly altered rhyolite dikes.

Drilling at Cerro Caliche has shown that the mineralization throughout the various zones is oxidized to the full extent of all the drill holes. Observation of the drill cuttings suggests that the near-surface, oxidized mineralization characteristics are similar to the deeper oxidized mineralization.

The current exploration work is part of the company's targeted fast-track development schedule for the Cerro Caliche project, with the aspirational goal of commencing gold production by the end of 2021. However, a successful realization of this goal remains subject to several material conditions, most notably including: the satisfactory completion of metallurgical testing; securing required environmental permitting; a favourable preliminary economic assessment; and the availability of project financing.

Jorge Diaz, Sonoro's vice-president of operations, stated, "It is worth noting that current exploration results are confirming Sonoro's expectations regarding Cerro Caliche's potential to become another important heap leach mining operation in Sonora state."

Kenneth MacLeod, Sonoro's chief executive officer, commented: "Launching the metallurgical testing program represents an important advancement in the development of Cerro Caliche. We are also pleased to have engaged the services of McClelland Laboratories, a widely respected metallurgical testing firm with significant expertise in the successful planning of similar open-pit heap leach mining operations in Sonora state."

John Darch, Sonoro's chairman, commented, "The engagement of McClelland Laboratories to independently conduct metallurgical testing at Cerro Caliche is a clear and decisive milestone on Sonoro's fast-track development schedule for commencing gold production by the end of 2021."

Geologic description

Cerro Caliche is located 45 kilometres east-southeast of Magdalena de Kino in the Cucurpe-Sonora megadistrict of Sonora, Mexico. Multiple historical small underground mines were developed in the concession, including: Cabeza Blanca, Los Cuervos, Japoneses, Las Abejas, Boluditos, El Colorado, Veta de Oro and Espanola. Mineralization types of the Cucurpe-Sonora megadistrict include epithermal low-sulphidation veins, related mineralized rhyolitic dikes and associated volcanic domes.

Qualified person statement

Stephen Kenwood, PGeo, a director of Sonoro, a qualified person within the context of National Instrument 43-101, has read and approved this news release. Readers are cautioned that the presence of mineralization in historical mines adjacent to or on Cerro Caliche is not necessarily indicative of gold mineralization in the concessions held by the company.

About Sonoro Gold Corp.

Sonoro Gold is an exploration and development company that is fast-tracking plans to develop a heap leach gold mine at its flagship Cerro Caliche property in the mining-friendly jurisdiction of Sonora, Mexico. Sonoro's management team consists of expert mining, business and finance professionals with multidecade records of gold and copper deposit discovery and development, and, ultimately, gold production.

We seek Safe Harbor.