2026 Drilling Extends Rae Copper Footprint Over 5.4km with Multiple High-Grade Intervals

District-Scale Copper System Confirmed at Rae

White Cliff Minerals (ASX:WCN) has delivered compelling early assay results from its 2026 reverse circulation drilling program at the Rae Copper Project in Nunavut, Canada, confirming a district-scale copper system with mineralisation extending over 1.5km of strike in the newly tested area. Visible copper sulphides were encountered in every hole drilled along a 2.6km segment of the Teshierpi Fault Zone, a major structural corridor hosting copper mineralisation.

The campaign has expanded the known mineralised footprint at Danvers 2 to more than 5.4km when combined with the Danvers 1 area, significantly enlarging the project's scale. Notably, hole DAN25019, which previously returned 30.5m at 2.49% Cu, now anchors a zone with mineralisation identified 404m northeast and 170m below, highlighting the system's vertical and lateral continuity.

High-Grade Intervals and Continuity Across Fault Zone

Assay highlights include multiple intervals such as 15.24m at 1.51% Cu from 225.55m in DAN26004, which also contained a high-grade 1.52m section grading 5.18% Cu and 41.8g/t Ag. Other holes like DAN26003 ended in mineralisation with 1.34% Cu over 3.05m from 246.89m, while DAN26005, despite ending prematurely, returned intervals up to 1.91% Cu over 3.05m. DAN26002 revealed broad zones open at depth, including 39.62m at 0.42% Cu from 82.3m downhole.

Visual observations underscore the strength of the system, with DAN26012 intersecting the program's strongest mineralisation to date, showing up to 15% visible chalcocite from 154m downhole. This hole, along with DAN26008, targeted a significant geophysical anomaly in the middle of the fault zone, suggesting a potential high-grade core area. The consistent presence of copper sulphides in every hole drilled into the main structure attests to the mineralisation's robust continuity and the fault zone's prospectivity.

Drilling Strategy and Upcoming Work

The 2026 drilling campaign employs wide spacing, averaging 348m between holes, with gaps up to 583m, particularly between DAN26005 and DAN26008, indicating substantial upside for discovering additional mineralisation. To date, over 2,600m have been drilled this year, with plans to drill an additional ~6,000m along the Teshierpi Fault and ~4,000m northeast of Danvers 1. Diamond drilling is set to commence in early June, aiming to provide core samples that will enable more precise geological modelling, vectoring towards high-grade zones, and depth testing where mineralisation remains open.

These efforts build on the company's recent success in securing a CAD$250,000 exploration grant to support the expanded drilling campaign, reinforcing Nunavut’s backing of the project and enabling systematic resource definition along the 12km strike of the Teshierpi Fault Zone. The ongoing metallurgical testwork, previously reported to achieve copper recoveries exceeding 95%, complements the exploration progress by confirming the amenability of the mineralisation to conventional processing methods.

Historic Resource and Geological Context

The Rae Copper Project hosts a historic resource estimate at Danvers of 4.16 million tons grading 2.96% Cu, though this estimate is not JORC compliant and requires verification through modern drilling and evaluation. The mineralisation style includes epigenetic fault breccia, flow top replacements in basalts, and sediment-hosted stratiform copper, akin to deposits in the Central African Copperbelt. The project's geological setting within the north-dipping Coppermine Homocline and the presence of major structures like the Teshierpi Fault Zone provide a strong framework for continued exploration success.

White Cliff Minerals’ Managing Director Troy Whittaker emphasised that the assays validate the scale opportunity at Rae, with copper sulphides strengthening towards major conductivity anomalies to the northeast, areas yet untested by drilling. The company’s systematic northward rig progression maximises operational efficiency as it approaches the southern edge of the core prospective zone.

This announcement follows White Cliff’s recent CAD$250,000 grant support and builds on the visual confirmation of copper mineralisation over 1.8 km strike length earlier this year, underscoring the project's expanding footprint and potential.