Empire Resources Uncovers New Copper-Gold Zones at Yuinmery in April Drilling

Hillside Emerges as a Significant Copper-Gold Target

Empire Resources (ASX:ERL) has unveiled compelling preliminary results from its April 2026 reverse circulation (RC) drilling at the Yuinmery Copper-Gold Project in Western Australia. The standout discovery is the Hillside prospect, where drill hole YRC26-26 returned a notable 8 metres at 1.24% copper and 1.13 grams per tonne gold from 80 metres, including a higher-grade 4 metres at 2.10% copper and 2.22 g/t gold. Another hole, YRC26-21, recorded 24 metres at 0.52% copper, confirming a substantial copper-gold system at Hillside.

Interestingly, Hillside was initially flagged as an early-stage gold prospect, but recent drilling revealed extensive native copper and chalcopyrite mineralisation, with visible copper nuggets recovered during drilling. The adjacent Hillside North area also shows promise as a platinum group metals (PGM) and iron prospect, with YRC26-27 intersecting 40 metres at 233 parts per billion palladium, 166 ppb platinum, and 24.2% iron. This PGM mineralisation differs from the historic low-grade PGM mineralisation at the nearby Constantine prospect, suggesting a more complex and larger mineralised system.

Microbe Well Gold Discovery Highlights New Porphyry Target

Microbe Well has emerged as a fresh gold discovery within the Yuinmery tenure. Drill hole YRC26-35 reported 17 metres at 0.54 g/t gold from 24 metres, including 4 metres at 1.14 g/t gold, hosted within a thick (over 100 metres) porphyry intrusive containing disseminated pyrite. This style of mineralisation is a first for Yuinmery, indicating a new exploration vector related to the regional Yuinmery shear zone. The discovery sheds light on over 5 kilometres of previously unexplored terrain under cover, expanding the project's geological complexity. Six follow-up RC holes were completed in June, with assay results still awaited.

Just Desserts Transition Zone Delivers High-Grade Copper

The flagship Just Desserts VMS deposit continues to show encouraging mineralisation. Notably, hole YRC26-11 intersected 8 metres at 8.34% copper and 1.07 g/t gold from 72 metres, within a broader 12-metre interval grading 3.69% copper and 0.38 g/t gold. This confirms continuity of high-grade sulphide mineralisation in the transition zone and supports further drilling to extend and upgrade the resource. Additional holes drilled in June are pending assay results.

Broader Prospectivity and Follow-Up Plans

Other prospects such as Lorne, Lady Agnes, Miss Maud, Magnetic Hill, YT01, YT19, and YT02 were also tested, with varying degrees of low to moderate copper and gold mineralisation. For instance, Magnetic Hill confirmed copper mineralisation with up to 0.34% copper over 15 metres, while YT01 and YT19 showed consistent but low-grade copper-gold mineralisation over strike lengths exceeding 2.8 kilometres.

Empire's Non-Executive Chairman Michael Ruane emphasised that the April program was designed to sift through multiple targets to identify the most prospective zones for advancement. The company is now focused on interpreting the complex Hillside-Constantine mafic-ultramafic system and awaits results from the June drilling campaigns, which include follow-up holes at Hillside, Microbe Well, and Just Desserts.

Empire's strategic expansion into PGM and porphyry-related gold targets alongside its established VMS copper-gold systems reflects a diversified approach to unlocking value at Yuinmery. The company’s ongoing work includes collecting remaining samples for analysis and integrating geological and geophysical data to refine exploration targets.