Coppermine Project Surface Sampling Yields 49.2% Cu and 127 g/t Ag Assays

Outstanding Surface Sampling Results

Somerset Minerals Limited (ASX, SMM) has announced a series of impressive assay results from its recent surface sampling program at the Coppermine Project in Nunavut, Canada. The results include copper grades as high as 49.2% and silver concentrations reaching 127 grams per tonne, underscoring the project's significant mineral potential. These samples were collected across multiple districts; Laphroaig, Jura, Nor, and Oban; spanning an extensive 110-kilometre strike length.

District Highlights and Geological Insights

At the Laphroaig district, standout samples from the Larry and Lars prospects returned grades up to 49.2% copper with accompanying silver values exceeding 88 g/t. The mineralisation here is structurally controlled, hosted predominantly in basalt flows with visible chalcocite veins. Similarly, the Jura district revealed a continuous 7-kilometre mineralised trend with surface samples up to 22% copper and recent drilling intercepts confirming substantial widths of mineralisation, including 42.7 metres at 2.69% copper.

The Nor prospect yielded remarkable native copper mineralisation aligned with a north-south fault, with samples grading up to 31.6% copper and 127 g/t silver. Meanwhile, the Oban district’s Coronation target, though less explored historically, returned encouraging surface grades up to 16.65% copper, supporting plans for further investigation.

Strategic Exploration and Upcoming Drilling

Somerset’s Managing Director, Chris Hansen, emphasised the rapid progress from acquisition to drilling, highlighting the company's strategy to maintain momentum. The company is awaiting assay results from seven recent drill holes across Jura, Laphroaig, and Coronation, expected within the next one to two weeks. To facilitate swift follow-up, Somerset has arranged for its reverse circulation drill rig to remain on standby in Kugluktuk for up to six weeks, allowing for rapid redeployment as targets are refined.

The forthcoming Phase-2 exploration program is poised to be significantly larger, incorporating expanded drilling, geophysical surveys, and soil sampling. This approach aims to refine resource definition at advanced prospects while unlocking new discoveries across Somerset’s dominant 1,665 km² tenure in the Coppermine region.

Regional Context and Future Potential

The Coppermine Project lies within the Copper Creek Formation basalts, a geological setting analogous to the prolific Keweenaw Peninsula copper deposits in Michigan. The region’s mineralisation styles include fault-hosted sulphides, basalt flow-top replacements, and sediment-hosted copper, all of which Somerset is actively exploring. Despite limited historical exploration since the 1960s, Somerset’s extensive landholding and modern exploration techniques position it well to make tier-1 discoveries.

Integration of geological, geochemical, and geophysical data is guiding target prioritisation, with particular focus on magnetic lows and haematitic alteration zones indicative of hydrothermal fluid activity. The company is also advancing till and soil geochemical sampling to generate coincident anomalies for future drill targeting.