Announcement • May 08
Arras Minerals Corp Commences Top-Of-Bedrock Drilling Program At Elemes Project
Arras Minerals Corp. announced the commencement of a top-of-bedrock ("KGK") drilling program at its Elemes Project in northeastern Kazakhstan, advancing what is emerging as a district-scale copper-gold system. Approximately 5,000 metres of drilling planned to evaluate the Berezski Trend. Approximately 1,000 metres of drilling planned to test the core of the 14 km Aimandai geochemical anomaly located approximately 7 km east of the Berezski Trend. Program designed to delineate the extent of known mineralization under shallow cover and test for additional porphyry centres. Late last year, the Company completed a 64-hole KGK program that expanded the footprint under shallow cover of copper-gold mineralization at Berezski Central and Berezski East to over 1,000 metres of strike length. Mineralization remains open to the north and south, highlighting the potential for significant expansion of mineralization along this highly prospective corridor. Burstroy Drilling has been engaged to conduct approximately 6,000m of KGK drilling that has been designed to rapidly evaluate the Berezski and Aimandai trends and prioritize targets for diamond drilling over the next few months. In December 2025, the Company announced results from a 64-hole KGK drilling program across Berezski Central and Berezski East, materially advancing the understanding of geology and Cu-Au mineralization beneath shallow cover. The program not only expanded the known footprint, but demonstrated that KGK drilling is a rapid, scalable method for vectoring along the 8.8 km Berezski Trend and for targeting additional mineralized centres. In 2026, approximately 200 KGK drill holes are planned along the Berezski Trend to unlock the broader potential of the system. Drilling will focus on: Evaluating the large, demagnetized corridor between Berezski Central and Berezski North, interpreted to reflect magnetite-destructive alteration associated with porphyry-style mineralization. Advancing exploration of the Berezski East gold zone, coincident with a linear magnetic high interpreted to represent stockwork magnetite–quartz–chalcopyrite veining associated with gold mineralization. Testing the footprint of gold mineralization identified during the 2025 KGK program within the magnetic low immediately east of the Berezski East target, to determine whether it is related to Berezski East mineralization or represents additional new gold zones. Expanding the Berezski Central target southward toward the Novii porphyry target. This program is designed to materially increase the scale and continuity of mineralization and generate high-priority diamond-drill targets. In 2024, the Company completed a property-wide soil sampling program that identified a large, previously unexplored 14 km by 3.2 km NE-SW trending copper ("Cu") and arsenic ("As") anomaly in the eastern portion of the property. The anomaly is interpreted as indicative of an intermediate- to high-sulphidation epithermal system, potentially overlying a preserved porphyry system. Field mapping and sampling confirmed the presence of coincident altered rocks characteristic of a porphyry alteration system. A 64.4 square-kilometre ground magnetic survey and a 7-line, 21.6 line-kilometre Induced Polarization (IP) survey over the Aimandai Target has subsequently been completed. The IP survey identified multiple chargeability anomalies that may be associated with disseminated sulphide mineralization. These anomalies are spatially coincident with resistivity lows, potentially indicating structurally controlled hydrothermal alteration zones. The anomalies exhibit consistent NNE–SSW and NW–SE structural trends. The ground magnetic survey identified several discrete magnetic highs interpreted to be associated with intrusive rocks. The results have enabled the Company to further refine the structural framework of the Aimandai Target and prioritize areas for follow-up exploration. The Company is plans to drill 50 KGK holes to systematically explore the core of the Aimandai anomaly. The program is designed to rapidly evaluate the anomaly, determine its origin, and define priority targets for follow-up diamond drilling. Four diamond drill rigs are currently operating at Elemes with nearly 7,000m drilled since activities recommenced in February. Two holes have been completed at Berezski East, 7 holes have been completed at Berezski North and a single hole on the K-Ozek target, which is testing a series of epithermal gold veins mapped and sampled over a 2 km strike length. Elemes Phase II Drill Program: Since June of last year, Arras Minerals has been advancing its 20,000m Phase II diamond drill program at the Elemes Project. Drilling was paused in late December for a scheduled winter break and recommenced in February. Nearly 10,000m were completed in 2025, and the strength of the results has prompted Arras to plan an expansion of the program to 30,000m, with completion targeted by the end of 2026. Elemes Project Overview: The Elemes Project comprises two exploration licenses covering 531 square kilometres in northeast Kazakhstan, located approximately 13 km southwest of Ekibastuz and just 20 km from Arras's operational base. The project benefits from exceptional infrastructure, with a paved highway crossing the licence, and access to 1,100 KVA power lines, heavy rail, and other utilities within a 15 km radius. Situated within the prolific Bozshakol-Chingiz metallogenic belt, Elemes lies near significant regional deposits, including the Beskauga porphyry copper-gold-silver deposit (~80 km east) and KAZ Minerals' Bozshakol copper-gold mine (~60 km northwest), which reported mined grades in First Quarter 2025 of 0.37% copper and 0.20 g/t gold. Geologically, the property is underlain by interbedded intermediate volcanic and sedimentary rocks intruded by multiple phases of diorite and monzodiorite porphyry. Copper-gold mineralization occurs in sheeted and stockwork quartz-chalcopyrite veins associated with these intrusions. In addition, high-grade low-sulphidation epithermal veins have been mapped on the property, representing a secondary exploration target. Property-wide soil sampling programs defined two extensive Cu-Mo-As geochemical anomalies: the Berezski and Aimandai Trends, both considered priority targets for follow-up exploration drilling. A Phase 1 drill program on the Berezski Trend in late 2024 returned high-grade porphyry/epithermal copper and gold mineralization in results announced in First Quarter 2025. A 20,000m Phase 2 drill program commenced in May 2025 which was expanded to 30,000 metres in January 2026 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. A series of epithermal quartz veins have been mapped and sampled over a 2km strike length at the K-Ozek target that is running along the eastern margin of the Berezski Trend.
