Imperial Metals Corporation has announced highly encouraging results from its 2025 diamond drilling program at the company's wholly-owned Huckleberry mine site in west-central British Columbia.
Successful Exploration Program
The Vancouver-based mining company reported that all nine drillholes completed this year, totaling 1,743 metres of drilling, successfully intersected mineralization containing copper, molybdenum, silver, and gold. The program specifically targeted an underexplored area southwest of the Main Zone pit, focusing on the contact between the Main Zone intrusive stock and surrounding volcanic host rock.
Notably, drillhole MZ-25-1 intersected an elevated gold interval measuring 22.6 metres of 0.23 grams per tonne gold from 73.7 to 96.3 metres depth. This discovery is particularly significant as historical drilling at Huckleberry, conducted prior to 2020, was not assayed for gold or silver, despite both metals being present at payable levels in all copper concentrate previously produced at the mine.
Significant Mineral Intervals
The 2025 drilling campaign has successfully expanded and infilled the Main Zone mineral resource to the southwest, encountering higher-grade mineralization at relatively shallow depths. Among the most promising results were holes MZ-25-7A, which intersected 258.0 metres of 0.22% copper, and MZ-25-4, which hit 89.5 metres of 0.37% copper.
The program revealed that most mineralization occurs in the volcanic rock surrounding the Main Zone stock, though some mineralization, particularly molybdenum, extended into the stock itself. The company plans to incorporate gold and silver assay results from both the 2025 drilling and resampling of 18 historic holes into the block model for the Main Zone deposit, enabling these precious metals to be integrated into future mine planning.
Future Exploration Plans
Imperial Metals is now considering additional drilling for 2026, building on this year's successful program. The Huckleberry mine, which operated from 1997 to 2016, was placed on care and maintenance due to low copper prices. While currently inactive, the property remains a key exploration target for the company.
The positive results from the 2025 program demonstrate the continued potential of the Huckleberry property and provide valuable data that could influence future development decisions. The integration of gold and silver values into resource modeling represents a significant step forward in fully understanding the property's economic potential.
