SONORO GOLD REPORTS HIGH GRADE INTERCEPTS AT CERRO CALICHE INCLUDING 9.14 METERS AVERAGING 9.577 GRAMS OF GOLD PER TONNE

VANCOUVER, Canada, May 17, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sonoro Gold Corp. (TSXV: SGO | OTCQB: SMOFF | FRA: 23SP) (“Sonoro” or the “Company”) is pleased to report assay results from an additional seven drill holes completed at its Cerro Caliche gold project in Sonora, Mexico. Results reflect recent drilling activity conducted at two of the property’s gold mineralized zones, El Colorado and El Rincón, with the reported intercepts situated outside of the pit shells used to calculate the mineral resource estimate announced in September 2021 as part of a Preliminary Economic Assessment (“PEA”) for a proposed heap leach mining operation.

Highlights are as follows:

• SCR-305 intercepted 36.5m averaging 0.54 g/t Au; including 1.53m averaging 3.59 g/t Au; including 1.53m averaging 3.32 g/t Au.
• SCR-307 intercepted 9.14m averaging 9.58 g/t Au; including 6.09m averaging 14.17 g/t Au; including 1.52m averaging 38.3 g/t Au.
• SCR-309 intercepted 6.10m averaging 1.37 g/t Au; including 1.53 averaging 3.97 g/t Au.
  
  

The map below illustrates the location of the drill holes.

Figure 1: New Drill Holes

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The drilling campaign at Cerro Caliche is now complete with final assays expected to be announced in June. New geological data from over 7,200 meters and 63 drill holes will be included in a further updated resource estimate scheduled to be released in the fall of 2022. The updated technical report will also assess the potential economic impact of the new drilling data on the proposed heap leach mining operation.

Mel Herdrick, Sonoro’s VP Exploration, commented, "We continue to report good gold bearing intervals of mineralization as well as higher-grades intercepts that continue to add to potential mineralized material. Results from another 15 drill holes are still pending and we are working to determine the structural controls of the new higher-grade zones."

Kenneth MacLeod, Sonoro’s President and CEO, commented, “Our continued success with demonstrating high-grade intercepts at the Colorado zone suggests the potential for an increase in both the grade and size of the gold resource at El Colorado. Additional success at the Rincon zone through infill drilling has also achieved our objective of identifying continuous mineralization between two pit shells located 400 meters apart, suggesting the potential for coalescing the pit shells into one larger pit shell.”

John Darch, Sonoro's Chairman, noted, “The expansion of the El Colorado and El Rincón gold mineralized zones, along with the multiple higher-grade intercepts we have announced during the Phase IV drilling program, adds to our optimism that this new geological data may potentially increase both the size and gold grade of the resource. If confirmed, an expanded resource may also improve the project’s potential economics and extend the mine life of the proposed mining operation.”

El Colorado Gold Mineralized Zone
Continued expansion of El Colorado was confirmed with four drill holes completed along the western side of the zone. The shallow, high-grade intercepts of drill hole SCR-307 returned 9.14 meters averaging 9.577 grams of gold per tonne (“g/t Au”) including 6.09 meters averaging 14.167 g/t Au and 1.52 meters averaging 38.3 g/t Au. SCR-307 does not correlate with any known projected vein and may be part of a series of high-grade ore shoots connected to deeper high-grade occurrences in the footwall of the Guadalupe vein structure, believed to be a continuation of El Colorado vein system as discussed in the Company’s News Release dated March 1, 2022.

The Company is also investigating a possible physical connection of SCR-307 to SCR-036 which, as previously announced, intercepted 1.52 meters averaging 11.45 g/t Au. These structures which appear near horizontal in attitude, contain higher gold grades with low silver levels and lead levels exceeding one percent. It is believed that the ore shoots are a repeating series of veins developed in a reverse fault episode which opened horizontal structures in the footwall of the Guadalupe Vein zone allowing higher-grade fluids to deposit gold and lead. Assay results from five holes at El Colorado are pending.

The geology of the El Colorado mineralized zone is complex with a mixture of silicified meta-sedimentary units intruded by a silicified and argillic altered quartz porphyry igneous body and, in deeper parts, granodiorite with dioritic to andesitic dikes. The mineralized structures trending north 10 west and dipping northeasterly cross the zone extending southerly from the Cabeza Blanca quartz veins. As many as five high-grade ore shoots intersect the Guadalupe footwall and the zone contains numerous additional veins and veinlets that are situated apart from the above-described vein zones.

Figure 2: Drill holes at El Colorado

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Figure 3: Interpretive Cross Section at El Colorado

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El Rincón
Approximately two kilometers north of El Colorado, six drill holes were completed along the northwest trending El Rincón structure between two separate pit shells used to calculate the September 2021 mineral resource estimate. These pit shells are approximately 400 meters apart with continuation of mineralization between the pit shells confirmed by a total of 16 drill holes, over approximately one kilometer of strike length. Drill holes SCR-301 through SCR-306 were infill drilling completed during the current program.

Results from drill holes SCR-301, SRC-302 and SCR-303 were announced on April 21, 2022, and drill holes SCR-304, SCR-305 and SCR-306 are detailed in the table below. Highlights include drill hole SCR-304 which intercepted 1.52 meters averaging 2.49 g/t Au and drill hole SCR-305 which intercepted 36.5 meters, averaging 0.535 g/t Au, including 1.53 meters averaging 3.59 g/t Au and 1.53 meters averaging 3.32 g/t Au.

The structure's trend is azimuth 310 with dip of 85 northwest to vertical. This vein structure cuts both rhyolitic dikes and sills and bedded meta-sedimentary rocks with gold silver mineralization occurring in both rock types. The El Rincón vein zones are generally parallel to, or along, the rhyolite dike margins.

Figure 4: Drill holes at El Rincón

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The following table provides the assay results for the complete list of reported drill holes:

Cerro Caliche Project, Holes Composites with Cut-off 0.15 g/t Au
Hole	Target		From	To	Interval	Au	Ag	AuEq
			meters			g/t	g/t	g/t
SCR-304	El Rincón		10.67	13.72	3.05	0.457	33.60	0.611
		and	19.81	24.38	4.57	0.273	11.30	0.324
		and	33.53	60.96	27.43	0.361	3.50	0.770
		including	41.15	42.67	1.52	2.490	12.00	2.545
		and	65.53	68.58	3.05	0.317	2.50	0.329
SCR-305	El Rincón		1.52	4.57	3.05	0.316	3.90	0.334
		and	24.38	60.96	36.58	0.535	23.10	0.641
		including	27.43	28.96	1.53	3.590	360.00	5.241
		including	35.05	36.58	1.53	3.320	8.50	3.359
SCR-306	El Rincón		13.72	22.86	9.14	0.262	0.40	0.264
		and	42.67	51.82	9.15	0.478	0.80	0.482
		and	60.96	85.34	24.38	0.342	10.70	0.390
SCR-307	El Colorado		4.57	9.14	4.57	0.782	1.10	0.787
		including	6.10	7.62	1.52	1.145	1.10	1.150
		and	16.76	22.86	6.10	0.414	0.50	0.416
		and	28.96	38.10	9.14	9.577	1.40	9.583
		including	28.96	35.05	6.09	14.167	1.60	14.174
		including	28.96	30.48	1.52	38.300	3.00	38.314
SCR-308	El Colorado		41.15	54.86	13.71	0.321	1.20	0.327
		including	47.24	48.77	1.53	1.060	0.70	1.063
		and	77.72	79.25	1.53	1.075	1.10	1.080
		and	86.87	88.39	1.52	2.760	0.20	2.761
SCR-309	El Colorado		19.81	25.91	6.10	1.373	10.70	1.422
		including	19.81	21.34	1.53	3.970	16.40	4.045
		and	65.53	82.30	16.77	0.213	2.10	0.223
SCR-310	El Colorado		18.29	21.34	3.05	0.350	4.10	0.369
		and	24.38	27.43	3.05	0.765	2.30	0.775
		and	79.25	83.82	4.57	0.427	0.80	0.431

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-304	El Rincón	536,697	3,366,277	1,390	76.2	-45	55
SCR-305	El Rincón	536,701	3,366,254	1,397	85.35	-45	55
SCR-306	El Rincón	536,787	3,366,187	1,411	103.63	-45	55
SCR-307	El Colorado	536,045	3,364,535	1,294	79.25	-45	270
SCR-308	El Colorado	536,083	3,364,515	1,299	91.44	-45	270
SCR-309	El Colorado	536,113	3,364,515	1,299	161.54	-58	213
SCR-310	El Colorado	536,116	3,364,459	1,260	112.78	-77	263

Quality Assurance/Quality Control (“QA/QC”) Measures and Analytical Procedures

Drill samples are collected with an airstream cyclone and passed into a splitter that divides each sample into quarters. The quartered samples are then bagged and sealed with identification. The sample group has blanks, standards and duplicates inserted into the sample stream.

ALS-Chemex collects the samples and transports them directly to the preparation laboratory in Hermosillo, Sonora. At the laboratory, part of each sample is reduced through crushing, splitting and pulverization from which 200 grams is sent to the ALS-Chemex assay laboratory in Vancouver. Thirty grams undergoes fire assay for gold with the resulting concentrated button of material produced is dissolved in acids and the gold is determined by atomic absorption. Another quantity of the sample is dissolved in four acids for an ICP multi-element analysis.

No QA/QC issues were noted with the results received from the laboratory.

Geologic Description
Cerro Caliche is located 45 kilometers east southeast of Magdalena de Kino in the Cucurpe-Sonora Mega-district of Sonora, Mexico. Multiple historic 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 Mega-district include variants of epithermal low sulfidation veins and related mineralized dikes and associated volcanic domes. Local altered and mineralized felsic dikes cut the mineralized meta-sedimentary rock units and may be associated with mineralization both in the dikes and meta-sedimentary rocks.

Qualified Person Statement
Stephen Kenwood, P.Geo., a Director of Sonoro, is a Qualified Person within the context of National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) and has read and approved this news release. Readers are cautioned that the presence of mineralization on historic mines adjacent to or on Cerro Caliche is not necessarily indicative of economic gold mineralization in the concessions held by the Company.

About Sonoro Gold Corp.
Sonoro Gold Corp. is a publicly listed exploration and development company with a portfolio of exploration-stage precious metal properties in Sonora State, Mexico. The Company has highly experienced operational and management teams with proven track records for the discovery and development of natural resource deposits.

On behalf of the Board of Sonoro Gold Corp.
Per:        “Kenneth MacLeod”
         Kenneth MacLeod
         President & CEO

For further information, please contact:
Sonoro Gold Corp. - Tel: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

This press release may contain "forward-looking information" as defined in applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Cerro Caliche project, and future plans and objectives of the Company, constitute forward looking information that involve various risks and uncertainties. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable based on current circumstances, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts; they are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "aims", "potential", "goal", "objective", "prospective" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "can”, "could" or "should" occur, or are those statements, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions that forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made and they involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including the possibility of unfavorable exploration and test results, the lack of sufficient future financing to carry out exploration and development plans and unanticipated changes in the legal, regulatory and permitting requirements for the Company’s exploration programs. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law or the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange. Readers are encouraged to review the Company’s complete public disclosure record on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.