Somerset Minerals Hits 36.6m at 1.62% Copper in First-Ever Talisker Drill Test
Key Takeaways
- Both holes from Somerset Minerals' maiden RC drill program at Talisker confirmed a new copper-silver discovery, with TARC0003 returning 36.6m @ 1.62% Cu & 11.8 g/t Ag and TARC0008 returning 38.1m @ 1.27% Cu & 7.4 g/t Ag — the first two holes ever drilled on this corridor.
- Peak assays reached 9.09% Cu & 64.6 g/t Ag in TARC0003 and 6.86% Cu & 48.5 g/t Ag in TARC0008, with high-grade silver association consistent throughout all mineralised zones in both holes.
- Assays for the remaining 12 holes of the 14-hole maiden programme are pending on a rolling basis, with Somerset holding permits for up to 100 holes to follow up the discovery immediately.
- Only a central ~2km of the ~17km Talisker corridor has been tested to date — the broader anomaly, which spans a 300m-wide geophysical signature along a 30km fault zone, remains almost entirely untested.
- The Talisker discovery validates Somerset's systematic targeting methodology, which the company intends to apply across approximately 20 other analogous targets across its 1,677km² Coppermine Project tenure.
Talisker delivers — high-grade copper-silver hit in first two holes ever drilled
Somerset Minerals (ASX: SMM) has confirmed a new copper-silver discovery at its Talisker target within the Coppermine Project in Nunavut, Canada, with both holes from the maiden reverse circulation (RC) drill program intersecting thick, high-grade zones. TARC0003 returned 36.6m @ 1.62% Cu & 11.8 g/t Ag from 22.9m, including 9.1m @ 4.39% Cu & 28.8 g/t Ag, while TARC0008, drilled 80 metres away on a separate section line, returned 38.1m @ 1.27% Cu & 7.4 g/t Ag from 41.1m plus a further 35.1m @ 1.01% Cu & 4.7 g/t Ag from surface, mineralised over a ~79m downhole envelope.
These are the first two assay results from a 14-hole maiden program — and the first-ever drill testing of the Talisker corridor. Peak assays reached 9.09% Cu & 64.6 g/t Ag in TARC0003 and 6.86% Cu & 48.5 g/t Ag in TARC0008.
Chris Hansen, Managing Director
“These are phenomenal results. Two of the first holes ever drilled at Talisker have both intersected thick zones of high-grade copper-silver mineralisation… On any measure this is an outstanding start to a maiden drill program, and it confirms a new copper discovery at Talisker.”
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Drill results in detail — what the assays show
The significant intercepts from both holes are presented below, drawn directly from Table 1 of the announcement.
| Hole ID | Interval (m) | Width (m) | Cu (%) | Ag (g/t) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TARC0003 | 22.9–59.4 | 36.6 | 1.62 | 11.80 |
| TARC0003 (incl.) | 36.6–45.7 | 9.1 | 4.39 | 28.82 |
| TARC0003 (incl.) | 44.2–45.7 | 1.5 | 9.09 | 64.60 |
| TARC0003 | 70.1–76.2 | 6.1 | 1.29 | 2.68 |
| TARC0008 | 0.0–35.1 | 35.1 | 1.01 | 4.67 |
| TARC0008 (incl.) | 24.4–30.5 | 6.1 | 4.50 | 21.35 |
| TARC0008 (incl.) | 27.4–30.5 | 3.0 | 5.96 | 29.75 |
| TARC0008 | 41.1–79.2 | 38.1 | 1.27 | 7.43 |
| TARC0008 (incl.) | 57.9–77.7 | 19.8 | 2.33 | 13.83 |
| TARC0008 (incl.) | 74.7–77.7 | 3.0 | 6.32 | 42.70 |
Several individual sub-intercepts stand out as particularly high-grade:
- 1.52m @ 9.09% Cu & 64.6 g/t Ag from 44.2m (TARC0003 — peak individual assay)
- 3.05m @ 5.96% Cu & 29.8 g/t Ag from 27.43m (TARC0008)
- 3.05m @ 6.32% Cu & 42.7 g/t Ag from 74.68m (TARC0008)
- Consistent silver association throughout all mineralised zones in both holes
Reported intervals are downhole lengths; true widths are not yet known.
Understanding the Talisker discovery — what makes this corridor significant
To appreciate why these results matter, it helps to understand what Talisker is and how the discovery was built.
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What is the Talisker corridor? Talisker is a corridor featuring an anomaly over 17km, sitting on a ~30km long north-south striking fault zone, with a strong geophysical signature interpreted to reflect intense hydrothermal alteration over widths of up to 300m along the fault. The current maiden program is testing only a central ~2km of that entire corridor, and to Somerset’s knowledge the Talisker fault had never been drill tested prior to this program.
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How was the target generated? The discovery is the product of a systematic, multi-disciplinary targeting process built over roughly 17 months, from project acquisition in April 2025 through to discovery in August 2026. That process included regional till geochemistry (2025), high-resolution magnetic geophysics (2025), detailed structural mapping (2026), interpretation of the demagnetised geophysical signature of the Talisker fault, and a 641-sample infill soil programme completed in June 2026, which outlined a highly anomalous copper corridor over a central 3.4km of strike.
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Why does a “blind” discovery matter? Mineralisation along the Talisker corridor is largely concealed beneath a thin layer of glacial cover, ranging from 1 to 10 metres deep. There is little to no surface outcrop in the most geochemically anomalous areas, meaning conventional surface-led exploration would likely have missed it. The systematic methodology is what found it.
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The Danvers connection. Talisker sits approximately ~4km from White Cliff Minerals’ (ASX: WCN) Danvers copper deposit, with the Talisker fault linking into the Teshierpi Fault Zone that hosts Danvers. The prospectivity of this structural setting was recently reinforced by WCN’s high-grade hit at Danvers, where drillhole DAN26012 returned 19.81m @ 6.64% Cu from 152.4m. Importantly, proximity to Danvers does not guarantee comparable results for Somerset — readers should refer to the Proximate Statement contained within the announcement.
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Surface rock chips. Field work across the corridor in June 2026 returned surface rock chip assays of up to 36.4% Cu & 214 g/t Ag, providing additional support for the subsurface discovery now confirmed by drilling.
What’s next — 12 holes still to assay, 100-hole permit, 15km of corridor untested
The two results announced represent only the beginning of what is shaping up to be a significant news flow runway.
- Assays for the remaining 12 holes of the 14-hole maiden programme are expected on a rolling basis in coming weeks
- The programme has completed approximately 2,200 metres to date across ~5 section lines
- Somerset holds permits in place for up to 100 holes, giving the company the immediate ability to follow up the discovery
- Only a central ~2km of the ~17km Talisker corridor has been tested — the broader corridor remains almost entirely untested
- Final laboratory assays from the 641-sample infill soil programme are pending and will be integrated with drill results to refine the geometry of the discovery and prioritise follow-up targets along the corridor
Beyond Talisker, Somerset holds three additional named high-priority districts across its 1,677km² Coppermine Project tenure: Jura, Laphroaig, and Ardbeg. The company has described the Talisker discovery as validating the targeting methodology it intends to apply across approximately 20 other analogous targets it holds across the district.
Jura North copper mineralisation represents one of the other high-priority districts Somerset is advancing across its Coppermine tenure, with the company applying the same systematic multi-disciplinary targeting methodology that generated the Talisker discovery.
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About Somerset Minerals and the Coppermine Project
Somerset Minerals Limited (ASX: SMM) is a copper exploration company focused on its flagship Coppermine Project in the Kitikmeot region of Nunavut, Canada. The project comprises 107 exploration licences plus one exclusive exploration right with Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI), covering 1,677km². The company is positioned as the largest holder of the Copper Creek Formation basalts in the region, with over 90% of its tenure comprising those basalts — the host for the high-grade copper mineralisation being targeted. Five high-priority targets have been identified across the project, including Talisker, Jura, Laphroaig, and Ardbeg.
Somerset’s dominant land position at Coppermine, covering 1,677km2 across 107 exploration licences plus an exclusive exploration right with Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, reflects a deliberate strategy to consolidate the Copper Creek Formation basalts before the district attracted broader attention.
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