Empire Resources Confirms Multi-Commodity Mineralisation at Yuinmery in June Drilling

Gold and PGE Mineralisation Confirmed at Key Prospects

Empire Resources Limited (ASX:ERL) has unveiled encouraging preliminary results from its June 2026 reverse circulation (RC) drilling program at the Yuinmery Copper-Gold Project in Western Australia. The campaign, comprising 23 holes for 2,558 metres, has reinforced the presence of significant gold mineralisation at Microbe Well, anomalous palladium-platinum group elements (PGE) at Hillside North and Hillside, and wide copper sulphide zones at the Lorne prospect.

At Microbe Well, the standout intercept was drill hole YRC26-49, which returned 16 metres at 0.54 grams per tonne (g/t) gold from 100 metres, effectively confirming and extending mineralisation beneath a previous hole (YRC26-35) that yielded a similar grade over 17 metres. This scissor hole result allows Empire to refine its geological model and better target potential higher-grade shoots within the porphyry system.

Palladium-Platinum Anomalies Highlighted at Hillside North and Hillside

The June program also confirmed anomalous PGE mineralisation at Hillside North, with drill hole YRC26-27 returning 7 metres at 1.82 g/t palladium-platinum from 16 metres, nested within a broader 55-metre zone averaging 0.74 g/t. Follow-up holes YRC26-50 and YRC26-51 recorded similar PGE grades, extending the mineralised footprint. Notably, the saprolitic clays at Hillside North show elevated palladium concentrations, suggesting a supergene enrichment process typical of Western Australian PGE deposits.

At the adjacent Hillside prospect, drill hole YRC26-54 intersected 20 metres at 0.67 g/t Pd-Pt from surface alongside native copper and chalcopyrite mineralisation at depth. This unusual mineral association, including 32 metres at 0.13% copper with palladium, indicates complex mineralisation and warrants further investigation.

Semi-Massive Sulphides and Copper Grades at Lorne

The Lorne prospect, located approximately 700 metres north of the A-Zone resource, revealed significant widths of semi-massive sulphides. Single metre assays from April drill hole YRC26-37 returned 1 metre at 1.23% copper and 0.25 g/t gold, and 4 metres at 0.58% copper. June drilling extended these zones with YRC26-52 recording 16 metres at 0.40% copper and 5.34% sulphur from 20 metres, and YRC26-53 returning 12 metres at 0.27% copper and 1.24% sulphur. These results confirm a consistent sulphide horizon striking northwest-southeast and dipping gently northeast, with the potential for a larger mineralised system than previously understood.

Resource Expansion at Just Desserts and Other Prospects

Empire also progressed resource expansion drilling at its flagship Just Desserts deposit, which hosts a JORC 2012 resource of 3.59 million tonnes at 1.25% copper and 0.46 g/t gold. Five RC holes totaling 602 metres tested the southern half of the deposit, with notable intercepts including 16 metres at 0.67% copper and 0.19 g/t gold (YRC26-16A) and 8 metres at 1.86% copper (YRC26-43). Metallurgical testing is underway to assess copper and gold recoveries from the oxide zone, with a resource update anticipated once all assays are received.

Additional drilling at Smiths Well and Lady Agnes prospects yielded encouraging results, including 8 metres at 0.40% copper and 122 ppb gold at Smiths Well (YRC26-38) and multiple low-grade gold intercepts at Lady Agnes, where strong quartz-sulphide veining was observed despite subdued grades.

Next Steps Focus on Assay Completion and Target Refinement

Empire plans to submit all remaining single metre samples for analysis and undertake geological and geophysical reviews of key targets, including the Hillside-Constantine mafic-ultramafic system, Lorne sulphides, and Microbe Well magnetics. The company’s Non-Executive Chairman, Michael Ruane, emphasised that the drilling has delivered valuable insights across multiple prospects, setting the stage for targeted follow-up programs aimed at delineating higher-grade mineralisation and expanding the resource base.

With 6,959 metres of RC and 1,631 metres of aircore drilling completed at Yuinmery this year, Empire is steadily advancing its understanding of this complex copper-gold system, which sits within the Youanmi greenstone belt approximately 470 kilometres northeast of Perth.