Belo Horizonte, Brazil - Newsfile Corp. - July 21, 2026 - Atlas Critical Minerals Corporation (NASDAQ: ATCX) ("Atlas Critical Minerals" or the "Company"), a diversified critical minerals exploration company, today announced strong initial results from the maiden diamond drilling program at its 100%-owned Graphite Project (the "Project") in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Drilling at the first of the Project's three mineral tenements has now been completed, with all 20 drill holes intersecting graphite mineralization – a 100% success rate. Independent laboratory assays, conducted by SGS Geosol, have confirmed multiple wide, high-grade intervals of graphitic carbon ("Cg"). Key Highlights

• 100% Graphite Intercept Success: All20 completed drill holes completed (totaling ~2,300 meters) intersected graphite mineralization, confirming continuity both along strike and at depth.
• Outstanding High-Grade Intercepts: 33.78 meters at 7.97% Cg (drill hole MPDDH-0009) 22.66 m at 8.27% Cg in (MPDDH-0007) 11.00 m at 8.03% Cg (MPDDH-0002) 6.00 m at 9.55% Cg and 19.36 m at 6.09% Cg (MPDDH-0006)
• Extensive Geophysical Trend Identified: Geophysical data indicates a potential 11-kilometer (~6.8-mile) mineralized trend, providing a robust pipeline for ongoing drill targeting.
• Near-Surface High-Grade Mineralization: Many of the strongest intercepts occur close to surface, suggesting potential for low-cost open-pit mining.
• Progressing Toward a Maiden Resource Estimate: SGS, a leading independent mineral evaluation company, has been retained to prepare a Maiden Mineral Resource Estimate ("MRE"), expected in Q4 2026.
• Rapidly Growing Market: The global graphite market is forecast to reach USD 36.4 billion by 2030, growing at a 15.1% CAGR, driven by surging demand for energy storage and electric vehicle. Benchmark Mineral Intelligence estimates that 97 new graphite mines will be needed by 2035 to meet global demand.

Drilling Program and Geophysical Targeting Atlas Critical Minerals designed its 2026 diamond drill program based on the results of prior exploration work, including geological mapping, grab sampling, and a ground geophysical survey. The full 2026 program totals approximately 6,000 meters distributed across the Project's three tenements. The Company has now completed 20 drill holes for approximately 2,300 meters at the first tenement, all intersecting graphite mineralization. Prior to drilling, the Company completed 27.5 kilometers of ground geophysical data acquisition. Strong anomalies – characterized by high chargeability and low resistivity, typical of graphite mineralization – were identified along the entire 11-kilometer strike length, confirming substantial exploration potential. The Company's exploration activities at the Project are conducted in accordance with Item 1300 of Regulation S-K ("Regulation S-K 1300"), the U.S. standard for mineral property disclosure. All technical work is supervised by Marc-Antoine Laporte, a recognized critical minerals geologist with SGS Canada Inc. ("SGS") who serves as a Qualified Person for graphite under Regulation S-K 1300. Mr. Laporte authored the Technical Report Summary ("TRS") for the Project, which was last filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on November 12, 2025. The TRS includes results from initial metallurgical testwork conducted at a specialized graphite laboratory in the United States, demonstrating that material derived from Project samples achieved both battery-grade and nuclear-grade qualification standards, providing an early and positive indication of the Project's potential to produce high-purity, high-performance graphite materials. Figure 1 – Completed drill hole collars in first tenement and induced-polarization (IP) geophysical anomalies along the interpreted graphite trend. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6728/305786_dc1a6508c4384a58_002full.jpgHigh-Grade Assay Results Initial assays (approximately 940 samples) returned several outstanding results. Highlights include:

Hole ID	Depth From (m)	Depth To (m)	Length (m)	Assay (%Cg)
MPDDH-0009	23.22	57.00	33.78	7.97
MPDDH-0007	26.91	39.00	12.09	4.48
MPDDH-0007	55.75	78.41	22.66	8.27

Table 1 – Principal high-grade graphite interceptions at first tenement. Figure 2 – Cross-section through the first tenement illustrating graphite interceptions in drill holes MPDDH-0007 and MPDDH-0009. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6728/305786_dc1a6508c4384a58_003full.jpg Numerous additional wide, high-grade intersections were returned across the first tenement, highlighting the continuity and scale of the mineralized system. Selected results include:

Hole ID	Depth From (m)	Depth To (m)	Length (m)	Assay (%Cg)
MPDDH-0002	10.50	2...