Empire Resources has reported encouraging preliminary assay results from its January 2026 aircore drilling program at the Yuinmery Copper-Gold Project, highlighting new gold and copper mineralisation across multiple prospects. The company plans follow-up deeper drilling to better define these targets.
- Preliminary assays from 45 aircore holes totaling 1,631m at Yuinmery
- Significant gold and copper intercepts at Smiths Well, YT19, and other prospects
- Quartz veins and sulphide mineralisation confirmed, extending known zones
- Plans to retrieve single metre samples and initiate deeper RC drilling
- Yuinmery hosts existing JORC resource with potential for expansion
Preliminary Drilling Results Signal New Opportunities
Empire Resources Limited (ASX: ERL) has released preliminary assay results from its recent aircore drilling campaign at the Yuinmery Copper-Gold Project in Western Australia. The January 2026 program comprised 45 holes for a total of 1,631 metres, targeting new zones of gold mineralisation across several prospects including YT01-YT19, Smiths Well, Battlers, YT12, YT14, Microbe Well, and Marcus.
The assays reveal encouraging gold and copper grades, with highlights such as an 8-metre interval grading 139 parts per billion (ppb) gold and 1,853 parts per million (ppm) copper from 12 metres depth at the YT19 prospect, and an 8-metre interval at Smiths Well returning 671 ppb gold from 28 metres. These results confirm the presence of quartz veins and sulphide mineralisation, extending known mineralised zones and identifying new targets for follow-up exploration.
Geological Context and Historical Exploration
The Yuinmery Project lies approximately 470 kilometres northeast of Perth within the Youanmi Greenstone Belt, a prolific geological setting for copper and gold deposits. The project hosts the Just Desserts and A-Zone volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits, which together hold a JORC 2012 resource of 3.59 million tonnes at 1.25% copper and 0.46 grams per tonne gold, using a 0.5% copper cut-off.
Empire’s recent drilling targeted areas highlighted by soil and rock chip sampling, aiming to test new gold mineralisation in proximity to existing copper-gold resources. The company’s Non-Executive Chairman, Michael Ruane, noted that the quartz vein structures observed in the drilling at Smiths Well appear to be associated with shallow, isolated gold-copper mineralisation, which warrants deeper, more effective reverse circulation (RC) drilling to better understand their extent and grade.
Encouraging Signs for Resource Growth
The drilling at YT19 has extended anomalous gold-copper mineralisation towards the YT01 prospect, suggesting a potential 1,600-metre strike length of mineralised shear zone. The presence of pyrite and other sulphide minerals within this zone provides a strong structural target for further exploration. Meanwhile, Smiths Well continues to show broad zones of low-grade gold and copper-nickel mineralisation, with quartz veining confirmed over widths of 2 to 5 metres.
Additional prospects such as YT12, Battlers, YT14, and Microbe Well also returned anomalous gold and copper values, reinforcing the potential for multiple mineralised zones within the project area. The company plans to retrieve single metre samples from anomalous composite intervals to refine assay results and develop a comprehensive RC drilling program to test these targets at depth.
Next Steps and Market Implications
Empire Resources is advancing its exploration strategy at Yuinmery by focusing on deeper drilling to confirm and expand the newly identified mineralised zones. The preliminary aircore results provide a solid foundation for this next phase, which could enhance the project’s resource base and add value for shareholders. Investors will be watching closely for the detailed single metre assay results and the outcomes of the upcoming RC drilling campaign.
Bottom Line?
Empire’s preliminary drilling at Yuinmery sets the stage for deeper exploration that could unlock significant new gold-copper resources.
Questions in the middle?
- Will the upcoming RC drilling confirm the continuity and grade of the newly identified quartz vein mineralisation?
- How might these preliminary results impact the existing JORC resource estimates at Yuinmery?
- What is the timeline for receiving single metre assay results and commencing the deeper drilling program?