Hercules Metals enlarges copper porphyry discovery at Southern Flats Zone, Hercules Project, Idaho

Hercules Metals Corp. [TSXV: BIG; OTCQB: BADEF] reported that 200-metre step-out drill hole HER-26-01 has extended mineralization west of the Southern Flats discovery hole HER-25-25. The Southern Flats zone represents the second copper porphyry centre discovered at the company’s Hercules Project in western Idaho since 2023, when the Leviathan copper porphyry system was initially discovered.

HER-26-01 encountered transitional phyllic to outer potassic alteration, hosting a unique style of porphyry copper mineralization grading 287 metres of 0.58% CuEq (0.43% Cu, 158 ppm Mo, 4.0 g/t Ag, 0.03 g/t Au), including 66 metres of 0.80% CuEq (0.61% Cu, 89 ppm Mo, 11.3 g/t Ag, 0.04 g/t Au).

Unlike at the Leviathan centre porphyry intrusions in HER-26-01 appear steeply dipping to subvertical. The hole ended in a lower grade late-stage porphyry intrusion interpreted to be steeply dipping.

Both Southern Flats and Leviathan are interpreted to have been emplaced along a major regional fault structure. MT geophysics shows potential for the same copper porphyry mineralization to continue further along the same structure, into the largely untested Pegasus target.

Geological mapping and drilling indicate that Southern Flats may be located within a “down-dropped” fault block, resulting in increased cover thickness. However, 3D modelling also indicates that cover thickness decreases again to the south, and mineralization may occur closer to surface within the Pegasus Zone.

Ongoing drilling has two rigs focused on the high-priority Leviathan copper porphyry system at 200-metre drill spacing. Leviathan’s mineralization has currently been traced to over 1.35 km in strike, up to 750 metres in width, and approximately 500 metres vertical extent. Mineralization remains open to the north, south, and at depth. Assays are now pending for drill hole HER-26-04, while two in-progress drill holes, HER-26-05 and HER-26-06, are expanding Leviathan to the south, infilling a large 1-kilometer gap in drilling between Leviathan and Southern Flats.

An extensive higher-grade copper hypogene enrichment blanket, containing secondary bornite, occurs within the shallowest portions of the Leviathan system. Drilling will continue to prioritize expansion of this high-priority target at Leviathan.

Chris Paul, SVP Exploration for Hercules Metals, commented, “Modern systematic exploration has led to two significant porphyry copper discoveries at Hercules since 2023, and, importantly, has provided us with a repeatable methodology for identifying and vectoring toward new porphyry centres across the district. Our approach begins with district-scale MT surveys at progressively tighter-spacing, followed by deep-penetrating IP surveys to refine discrete targets and, ultimately drill, vectoring toward the centres of new porphyry systems using well-established alteration zoning patterns within the Hercules Project porphyry district.

“The Southern Flats discovery provides a proof of concept which can now be applied at other high-priority targets on the property, including Hook and Pegasus. The first reconnaissance drill hole at the Hook target has already intersected key alteration and geological features consistent with the periphery of a porphyry system. With the anomaly beginning 100 metres from surface, Hook has emerged as our new highest-priority exploration target outside of Leviathan.

“To date, systematic exploration has only been applied to approximately 20% of our 100,000-acre land position, leaving substantially more opportunities to continue identifying additional porphyry centres across the broader 73 km Olympus copper belt while drilling at Leviathan continues to aggressively expand our flagship discovery on 200-metre centres.”

The company has completed its second C$2.0 million anniversary payment to Barrick Mining Corp. [NYSE: B; TSX: ABX] under the option agreement. This is the second of four payments made by Hercules to complete the ownership of a 73-km belt of claims known as the Olympus Project. Upon the final $2 million payment in 2028, the company will own over 100,000 acres in America’s newest copper porphyry belt. At the Company’s election, the payment was made entirely in cash rather than common shares.

Hercules Metals is focused on developing America’s newest porphyry copper district, in Idaho. The 100%-owned Hercules Project, located northwest of Cambridge, hosts the Leviathan porphyry copper system, one of the most important new discoveries in the country to date. The Company is well positioned for growth through continued drilling, supported by a strategic investment from Barrick Mining Corp.