Imperial Metals Reports Strong Gold Intercepts at Porcher Island
News related to:Imperial Metals Corporation · 3 min read
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 28, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- Imperial Metals Corporation has announced the results of its spring 2026 diamond drilling program at the Porcher Island property, located 35 kilometres south-southwest of Prince Rupert, British Columbia. The company completed ten drill holes totaling 1,380 metres from four helicopter-supported drill pads, all of which intersected gold and silver mineralization.
Significant intervals from the 2026 program include:
- Drill hole PI-26-10 in the Christmas Tree zone tested the zone’s northern extension and intersected 45.5 metres grading 1.24 grams per tonne (g/t) gold, including 17.0 metres grading 2.25 g/t gold and 5.0 metres grading 5.51 g/t gold.
- Drill hole PI-26-02 yielded 4.5 metres grading 4.77 g/t gold from 75.5 metres.
- Drill hole PI-26-08 returned 2.3 metres grading 3.63 g/t gold from 12.0 metres.
The Porcher Island property, 100% owned by Imperial, is situated on the northwest corner of Porcher Island on the northern coast of British Columbia. It hosts two past-producing gold mines, Edye Pass and Surf Point, which operated from 1919 to 1939 when the last operating mill burned down. Historic production is estimated at 77,952 tons grading 0.29 ounces per ton (oz/ton) gold from both mines.
Gold mineralization is hosted in shear zones and quartz veins within a quartz diorite stock. Gold is associated with pyrite occurring as disseminations, stringers, and semi-massive accumulations, with trace chalcopyrite and molybdenum, and elevated tellurium. In 2007, nine angled drill holes completed from three south-dipping drill fans intersected multiple intervals grading more than 2.0 g/t gold, outlining a cluster of near-surface gold mineralization known as the Christmas Tree zone.
The strongest gold intercept from the 2026 program was returned from the Christmas Tree zone. Drill hole PI-26-10 tested the zone’s northern extension and intersected 45.5 metres grading 1.24 g/t gold, including 17.0 metres grading 2.25 g/t gold and 5.0 metres grading 5.51 g/t gold.
The three other drill pads used during the 2026 program were positioned along structures north and west of the Christmas Tree zone and tested the down-dip extensions of gold-bearing quartz veins sampled in historical underground workings. Significant intercepts include 4.5 metres grading 4.77 g/t gold from 75.5 metres in drill hole PI-26-02 and 2.3 metres grading 3.63 g/t gold from 12.0 metres in drill hole PI-26-08.
The 2026 drill results will be integrated into the existing project database and interpreted to support planning for additional exploration at the Porcher Island property. In the current strong gold price environment, Imperial will continue to pursue options to reveal value at Porcher Island, including completing ore sorting test work to consider the potential for direct ore shipping. This concept is highly attractive for a project like Porcher Island since it sits at tide water for ease of ocean transportation options and also would eliminate the need for a processing plant or tailings storage. This would significantly reduce capital requirements and environmental footprint of a potential mining operation.
The Porcher Island samples reported were analyzed at Activation Laboratories Ltd. located in Kamloops. A full QA/QC program using blanks, standards, and duplicates was completed for all diamond drilling samples submitted to the labs. Reported assay intervals represent apparent widths of mineralization. Insufficient geological information is available to confirm the geological model and true width of the mineralized intervals.
Imperial also holds the Mount Polley mine (100%), the Huckleberry mine (100%), and the Red Chris mine (30%). The company maintains a portfolio of 21 exploration properties in British Columbia.