Announcement • Jun 24
Star Copper Corp Extends Copper Creek Drill Hole Beyond Planned Depth After Intersecting Mineralized System
Star Copper Corp. provided shareholders with an exploration update from its flagship Star Project in northwestern British Columbia, where ongoing drilling continues to reinforce management's confidence in the district-scale copper-gold potential of the property. The first follow-up drill hole of the 2026 project campaign at the Copper Creek location successfully intersected targeted geophysical features which resulted in the technical team at Hardline Exploration subsequently electing to extend drilling beyond the original planned depth after encountering continued alteration, sulphide mineralization, and favourable host rocks below the intended target horizon. Star Copper’s management believes this development represents an important validation of the Company's exploration model and further supports the potential for Copper Creek to host a substantial copper-gold mineralized system. The decision to deepen the hole was made based on observations encountered during drilling and reflects the growing confidence of the technical team in the scale potential of the target. DDH CC-26-002 (341941E, 6456452N; azimuth 045°, dip -65°; target depth 200 m; drilled depth 279 m) is the first follow-up hole completed in 2026 at the Copper Creek target, located approximately 2.5 km southeast of Star Main on the south side of the Copper Creek gully. The hole tested a strong IP chargeability anomaly coincident with elevated copper and gold in soil and rock samples identified during the 2025 program, within a structurally complex setting of fractured volcanic rocks intruded by several porphyritic units. Drilling intersected a mixed package of andesite ash tuff, lithic tuff, plagioclase porphyry, and several intervals of crowded pink K-feldspar porphyry (CKP), including a notable intrusive interval from approximately 99.0–108.0 m, with additional CKP dykes at 217.2–218.7 m and 260.3–267.3 m. The presence of CKP is significant as it points to a fertile intrusive component within the Copper Creek system and strengthens the interpretation that the target is preserving the intrusive-volcanic relationships typical of porphyry-style mineralization elsewhere on the Star Project. Alteration in CC-26-002 is dominated by broad epidote-sericite ± chlorite assemblages with local phyllic overprints and several clear potassic (K-feldspar, magnetite) intervals, most notably from approximately 106.5–132.0 m and again near 138.0–142.2 m, where K-feldspar occurs with silica, chlorite stringers, and locally intensified brecciation and stockwork development. Chalcopyrite was identified in several discrete zones, including 14.1–16.5 m, 83.2–84.0 m, 140.5–151.0 m, 152.0–156.0 m, 157.9–163.1 m, 168.0–168.8 m, 208.5–209.0 m, and 231.0–232.0 m, occurring as fine disseminations, stringers, veinlets, and locally semi-massive sulphide within strongly altered and fractured rock. Several of the better chalcopyrite-bearing zones are spatially associated with potassic alteration, brecciation, and intrusive contacts, which is encouraging in the context of vectoring toward a larger porphyry center. As with the first Copper Creek hole in 2025, CC-26-002 provides valuable geological information on the architecture and mineralizing controls of the target and continues to support follow-up drilling on both sides of the Copper Creek gully in the 2026 program. Copper Creek has rapidly evolved into one of Star Copper's most compelling exploration targets outside of Star Main. The target is characterized by multiple coincident induced polarization chargeability anomalies, elevated copper and gold soil geochemistry, widespread hydrothermal alteration, and structurally controlled mineralization hosted within volcanic rocks and quartz monzodiorite dike swarms. The current drill hole was designed to test a robust chargeability anomaly associated with coincident copper and gold soil anomalies identified through the integration of geological mapping, geophysics, geochemistry and historical exploration data. The hole successfully intersected the targeted geological environment and continued to encounter encouraging mineralization beyond the originally planned depth, prompting the technical team to deepen the hole in order to fully evaluate the mineralized system. Detailed geological logging is ongoing; however, visual observations indicate the presence of alteration and sulphide mineralization consistent with the Company's exploration model and previous drilling completed within the Copper Creek corridor. Copper Creek was originally explored during the 1970s by operators including Skyline Explorations and United Cambridge Mines. Historic drilling intersected broad intervals of copper mineralization, including drill hole G-2, which returned 35.5 metres grading 0.485% copper along with localized higher-grade gold values. More recently, Star Copper completed extensive geological mapping, prospecting, and geochemical surveys across the target area. During the 2025 exploration season, the Company confirmed widespread copper-gold mineralization associated with strong hydrothermal alteration and identified multiple untested chargeability anomalies extending along both sides of the Copper Creek drainage. The Company's first modern drill hole into Copper Creek, CC-25-001, further validated the target by intersecting 111.0 metres grading 0.348% CuEq (0.178% Cu and 0.167 g/t Au) from 40 metres, confirming the presence of a large mineralized system and providing important vectors for follow-up drilling. The current hole was specifically designed to build upon that success by targeting additional geophysical anomalies and testing the scale potential of the broader mineralized corridor. Copper Creek forms an important component of Star Copper's emerging district-scale exploration model. The target shares several geological characteristics with other mineralized features across the Star Project and is interpreted to represent either a standalone copper-gold porphyry centre or part of a broader cluster of related mineralized intrusions. Results from the ongoing drill program, combined with planned 3D induced polarization and magnetotelluric surveys, are expected to significantly enhance the Company's understanding of the controls on mineralization and assist in prioritizing future drilling across the district.
