Imperial Drilling Intersects 162.5 Metres Grading 0.33% Copper and 1.64 g/t Silver at Whiting Creek

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Imperial Metals Corporation (“Imperial” or the “Company”) (TSX:III) reports drill results of the final four holes of the 2,031 metres diamond drilling program at Whiting Creek. The drill results include an intercept of 162.5 metres grading 0.33% copper and 1.64 g/t silver in hole CW-23-3B. Ongoing surface exploration and this year’s results have extended the Creek Zone mineralization 450 metres to the west. The mineralization remains open and there is clearly potential for further discovery in this underexplored area and throughout the Whiting Creek intrusive complex and adjacent volcanics.

Brian Kynoch, President of Imperial, stated, “Ongoing exploration at Whiting Creek continues to expand the potential of the various mineralized zones located less than 10 kilometres from the Huckleberry milling facilities. The results of the drilling in the Creek Zone West, in volcanic rocks, is important as the highest grades and the majority of production at the Huckleberry mine came from altered volcanic rocks.”

The Whiting Creek prospect forms part of the Huckleberry property and is located approximately 8.5 km north of the Huckleberry mill. The target is a calc-alkalic porphyry mineralization associated with the Bulkley plutonic suite, like the Huckleberry deposit. Veining and strong hydrothermal alteration are prevalent throughout the area, along with a pyritic halo approximately 6 km by 3 km in plan dimension. The dominant intrusive is the Whiting Creek Stock, which is a body of biotite rich quartz diorite to granodiorite, approximately 3 km by 4 km in surface dimension.

Over the past two years, Imperial has conducted a program of geological mapping, geochemical surveys, whole rock trace element studies, and airborne and surface geophysical surveys over the Whiting Creek area. From these recent surveys numerous drill targets were identified and in July to August of 2023, Imperial completed 2,031metres of diamond drilling in five holes on the Whiting Creek prospect.

Hole CW-23-03B was drilled at 225° azimuth and a dip of -50° to a final depth of 438 metres and was collared approximately 75 metres north northwest from previously reported drillhole CW-23-01 (September 18, 2023). The first 165 metres of the hole were Whiting Creek Stock intrusive rocks. The hole then passed through the intrusive to volcanic contact and intersected veined and altered andesite volcanic rocks to the bottom of the hole. Copper grades increased as the hole passed into the volcanics below the intrusive rocks, and the highest concentration of copper and silver mineralization was hosted in the veined volcanic rocks. Numerous mafic to intermediate post mineral dykes crosscut all lithologies in a northwest to southeast trend following a prominent structural trend on the property.