- Initial results from four holes infill and extend mineralization in the North Pit Extension Zone
- Results support drilling toward the west to improve geological and grade continuity
- Drilling is ongoing with one drill rig turning, and the program now expected to total approximately 12,000 metres in about 40 holes
TORONTO, Oct. 07, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NorthWest Copper Corp. (“NorthWest” or the “Company”) (TSX-V: NWST) is pleased to report initial drill results from its 2026 exploration program at the Company’s 100% owned Kwanika project in British Columbia. The first four holes reported from the approximately 40-hole program were drilled along a section at the southern end of the North Pit Extension Zone and focused on infill drilling and extending mineralization.
The four holes achieved their objectives by infilling and extending mineralization along the section, highlighted by hole K-26-303, which intersected 41.7 metres grading 1.13% copper equivalent (“CuEq”) at a shallow depth. The results support drilling toward the west as an effective approach to improving geological and grade continuity. The results also show a higher gold to copper metal ratio, generally above one, in this area, underscoring the importance of gold as a potential economic driver. The broader 2026 program is designed to upgrade and potentially expand mineral resources in the Pit, North Pit Extension and Western Zones.
| Drill Hole Highlights: |
| K-26-303 |
|
| North Pit Ext: |
41.7 metres of 0.40% Cu and 0.67 g/t Au (1.13% CuEq) from 72.6 metres |
| K-26-304 |
|
| North Pit Ext: |
16.0 metres of 0.31% Cu and 0.17 g/t Au (0.50% CuEq) from 82.0 metres |
| K-26-312 |
|
| North Pit Ext: |
27.2 metres of 0.20% Cu and 0.64 g/t Au (0.90% CuEq) from 122.9 metres |
| K-26-340 |
|
| North Pit Ext: |
47.4 metres of 0.30% Cu and 0.44 g/t Au (0.78% CuEq) from 169.6 metres |
Paul Olmsted, CEO of NorthWest, stated: “These initial results are an encouraging start to our 2026 drill program and reinforce our strategy of improving the quality and confidence of the mineral resource. With a substantial amount of drilling still to be reported, we expect the program to continue building our geological understanding of the mineral resource.
Our work on the Kwanika-Stardust Preliminary Economic Assessment (“PEA”) has taken longer than originally anticipated as certain elements related to the varied and distinct mining areas being evaluated have required additional analysis. The Company and its consultants have made significant progress, and that work has identified a number of opportunities to optimize alternative mine sequencing and processing approaches to further inform and optimize the PEA. In parallel, we will continue to review results from the 2026 drill program as they become available, including today’s results, to assess their potential positive impact on the optimization work being undertaken as part of the PEA.”
2026 Kwanika Exploration Program
The 2026 exploration program includes approximately 40 drill holes totalling approximately 12,000 metres at the Kwanika Central deposit, with collar locations and reported section line shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Kwanika Central 2026 drill hole location map
The objective of the 2026 drill program is to upgrade and expand mineral resources through shallow drilling in the North Pit Extension Zone and deeper drilling in the Western Zone. Drilling in the Western Zone is intended to upgrade and expand current mineral resources in support of an updated mineral resource estimate.
Geoff Chinn, VP Business Development and Exploration, added: “Earlier this year, we identified opportunities to expand and upgrade mineral resources, particularly in the North Pit Extension Zone, where shallow drilling could extend mineralization within the current open pit mining shape. The relatively high gold to copper ratio we are seeing in the Pit Zone and North Pit Extension Zone is shifting some of our thinking on low-grade mineral processing. We are pleased to begin reporting drill results from this east-west fence of holes along the southern end of the North Pit Extension Zone and look forward to additional results from this area, along with drill results from the Western and Pit Zones, in the coming weeks and months.”
Kwanika Exploration Drill Hole Summaries
Results for four drill holes are presented on cross-section 6156400 N (Figure 2) with mineralized intersections listed in Table 1 and collar locations provided in Table 2. The cross-section is located at the southern end of the North Pit Extension Zone. The holes were designed to improve confidence in the mineralization by reducing drill hole spacing to approximately 50 metres, test up-dip and down-dip extensions, and evaluate whether drilling toward the west improves geological and grade continuity.
Figure 2: Cross-Section 6156400 N showing 2026 drill results
North Pit Extension:
Hole K-26-303 was drilled with NQ core and sampled on 2-metre intervals from half sawn core and drilled on 270° azimuth at a -50° dip to a depth of 125 metres.
After 45 metres of overburden the hole intersected beige mineralized potassic altered and fractured monzonite characteristic of higher grades at Kwanika to 114 metres (Comp 1, 2). The interval was overprinted by green propylitic alteration starting at 100 metres and a late monzonite porphyritic dyke was encountered between 114 and 120 metres. The hole ended in green propylitic altered monzonite mineralization (comp 3). The hole successfully extended higher-grade mineralization to the north and up-dip, returning a 42 metre intersection correlated to unit 10.
Hole K-26-304 was drilled with NQ core and sampled on 2-metre intervals from half sawn core and drilled on 270° azimuth at a -55° dip to a depth of 126 metres.
After 39 metres of overburden the hole intersected a grey late porphyritic dyke. A grey and pink weakly mineralized monzodiorite was then encountered between 43 and 70 metres (Comp 4) followed by a weakly mineralized green propylitic altered dyke crosscut by planer quartz-anhydrite veins associated with pyrite and magnetite (Comp 5). The hole intersected 16 metres of near-surface copper dominant low-grade mineralization that can be correlated to adjacent sections, thereby extending mineralization.
Hole K-26-312 was drilled with NQ core and sampled on 2-metre intervals from half sawn core and drilled on 270° azimuth at a -50° dip to a depth of 150 metres. The hole deviated immediately to -37° and then reverted to its planned dip, which is under review.
After 45 metres of overburden the hole intersected pink and green propylitic altered monzodiorite and at 53 metres green propylitic altered andesite, including a no core recovery between 66 and 69 metres. At 76 metres, the hole encountered pink potassic altered monzonite to 84 metres, green diorite to 92 metres and orange and green monzodiorite to 110 metres. A pink weakly mineralized potassic altered monzonite was intersected between 110 and 117 metres (Comp 6) followed by an unmineralized brown andesite to 120 metres. Low-grade mineralization in beige potassic altered monzonite containing irregular quartz veins was intersected between 120 and 141 metres, followed by unmineralized monzodiorite interval to 145 metres, then back in to mineralized potassic altered monzonite to the end of hole (Comp 7). The hole successfully infilled higher-grade gold dominant mineralization correlated with Unit 10 by returning a 27 metres intersection. The hole, however, downgraded mineralization above this unit.
Hole K-26-340 was drilled with NQ core and sampled on 2-metre intervals from half sawn core and drilled on 270° azimuth at a -50° dip to a depth of 324 metres.
After 42 metres of overburden the hole intersected fractured green propylitic altered monzonite crosscut by thick white quartz veins. A major fault is encountered between 78 and 85 metres followed by alternating intervals of fractured green and orange propylitic altered monzonite and a related tectonic breccia. Between 164 and 176 metres green and orange monzodiorite is intersected followed by a tectonic breccia hosting low-grade copper-gold mineralization to 196 metres (Comp 8). Mineralization continues in beige potassic altered monzonite porphyry crosscut by quartz-tourmaline veins to 218 metres (Comp 8) and then an orange and green monzodiorite interval to 292 metres, including weak gold mineralization between 242 and 258 metres (Comp 9). A late dyke crosscuts this unit between 292 and 301 metres with mineralized beige potassic altered monzonite encountered thereafter to the end of hole at 324 metres (Comp 10). The hole did not intersect Unit 10 suggesting a fault termination immediately to the west of it. The hole, however, confirms deep low-grade gold dominant mineralization under Unit 10 by returning a 47 metre intersection.
Overall, drilling on Section 6156400 N are consistent with east dipping mineralized trends supporting drilling the deposit with towards the west with moderately dipping holes.
Table 1: Drill Results in this News Release1 2
| Comp |
Hole |
From |
To |
Length |
Area |
Cu |
Au |
Ag |
Pd |
CuEq |
True
Width |
Mineralized |
| # |
|
(m) |
(m) |
(m) |
|
(%) |
(g/t) |
(g/t) |
(g/t) |
(%) |
Est. (m) |
Unit |
| 1 |
K-26-303 |
49.0 |
63.8 |
14.8 |
Pit |
0.24 |
0.70 |
1.17 |
0.03 |
1.01 |
14.3 |
Higher-Grade Au 10 |
| 2 |
K-26-303 |
72.6 |
114.3 |
41.7 |
Pit |
0.40 |
0.67 |
1.65 |
0.02 |
1.13 |
40.2 |
Higher-Grade Au 10 |
| 3 |
K-26-303 |
120.3 |
125.0 |
4.7 |
Pit |
0.63 |
0.42 |
2.29 |
0.00 |
1.11 |
4.5 |
Lower-Grade Cu 8 |
| 4 |
K-26-304 |
65.2 |
69.5 |
4.3 |
Pit |
0.34 |
0.11 |
0.25 |
0.00 |
0.46 |
4.1 |
Lower-Grade Cu 8 |
| 5 |
K-26-304 |
82.0 |
98.0 |
16.0 |
Pit |
0.31 |
0.17 |
0.33 |
0.01 |
0.50 |
15.0 |
Lower-Grade Cu 8 |
| 6 |
K-26-312 |
110.4 |
114.2 |
3.8 |
Pit |
0.19 |
0.67 |
0.99 |
0.03 |
0.93 |
3.6 |
Lower-Grade Cu 8 |
| 7 |
K-26-312 |
122.9 |
150.0 |
27.2 |
Pit |
0.20 |
0.64 |
0.98 |
0.02 |
0.90 |
26.2 |
Lower-Grade Cu 8 |
| 8 |
K-26-340 |
169.6 |
217.0 |
47.4 |
Pit |
0.30 |
0.44 |
1.23 |
0.02 |
0.78 |
45.8 |
Lower-Grade Cu 8 |
| 9 |
K-26-340 |
242.0 |
258.0 |
16.0 |
Pit |
0.14 |
0.38 |
0.76 |
0.04 |
0.56 |
15.5 |
Lower-Grade Cu 8 |
| 10 |
K-26-340 |
318.0 |
324.0 |
6.0 |
Pit |
0.29 |
0.30 |
0.93 |
0.00 |
0.62 |
5.8 |
Lower-Grade Cu 8 |
Table 2: Drill Collar Information3
| Hole |
Collar X |
Collar Y |
Collar Z |
Collar Azimuth |
Collar Dip |
Final Length |
Core Size |
| K-26-303 |
351598 |
6156407 |
1007 |
270 |
-50 |
125 |
NQ |
| K-26-304 |
351512 |
6156412 |
1012 |
270 |
-55 |
126 |
NQ |
| K-26-312 |
351650 |
6156400 |
1005 |
270 |
-50 |
150 |
NQ |
| K-26-340 |
351698 |
6156401 |
1010 |
270 |
-50 |
324 |
NQ |
Quality Assurance / Quality Control
Drilling at Kwanika in 2026 was designed and supervised by NorthWest and implemented by InData Geoscience with assay QA/QC checks by Explore Geosolutions. Samples were collected, tracked and an external QA/QC program was implemented using coarse blanks and certified prepared blanks and standards to monitor analytical accuracy and precision. The samples were sealed on site and shipped to Activation Laboratories Ltd. (“Actlabs”) in Kamloops, BC. The laboratory’s internal quality control system complies with global certifications for quality ISO 17025. Drill core samples were analyzed using a combination of Actlabs multi-element 1F2 analysis for low level concentrations (4-Acid Digestion, ICP-OES) and the 8-4 Acid ICP-OES analysis for higher level concentrations (4-Acid Digestion, ICP-OES with automatic over limits for base metals and silver). Gold, platinum and palladium assaying was completed with 1C-OES method, using a 30-gram fire assay with ICP finish analysis. In addition, about 5% of the sample pulps are re-assayed at a secondary laboratory to confirm reproducibility and check for bias.
Technical aspects of this news release have been reviewed, verified, and approved by Geoff Chinn, P.Geo., VP Business Development and Exploration for NorthWest, who is a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.
About NorthWest:
NorthWest is a copper-gold exploration and development company with a pipeline of advanced and early-stage projects in British Columbia, including Kwanika-Stardust, Lorraine-Top Cat and East Niv. With a robust portfolio in an established mining jurisdiction, NorthWest is well positioned to participate fully in strengthening global copper and gold markets. The Company is committed to responsible mineral exploration, working collaboratively with First Nations to help ensure future development incorporates stewardship best practices and respects traditional land use. Additional information can be found on the Company’s website at www.northwestcopper.ca.
On Behalf of NorthWest
“Paul Olmsted”
CEO, NorthWest Copper
For further information, please contact:
416-457-3333
info@northwestcopper.ca
Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information
This news release contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussion with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often, but not always using phrases such as “plans”, “expects”, “is expected”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “forecasts”, “intends”, “anticipates”, or “believes” or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will” be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. In this news release, forward-looking statements relate, among other things, to statements with respect to; plans and intentions of the Company; proposed exploration and development of NorthWest’s exploration property interests; the Company’s ability to finance future operations; mine plans; magnitude or quality of mineral deposits; the development, operational and economic results of current and future potential economic studies; adding the Lorraine resource to the Kwanika-Stardust Project; the Company’s current goals; geological interpretations; the estimation of Mineral Resources; anticipated advancement of mineral properties or programs; future exploration prospects; the completion and timing of technical reports; future growth potential of NorthWest; and future development plans.
All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, constitutes forward-looking information. Although NorthWest believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking information and/or information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking information since NorthWest can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information, including the risks, uncertainties and other factors identified in NorthWest’s periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators. Forward-looking information are subject to business and economic risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results of operations to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from NorthWest’s expectations include risks associated with the business of NorthWest; risks related to reliance on technical information provided by NorthWest; risks related to exploration and potential development of the Company’s mineral properties; business and economic conditions in the mining industry generally; fluctuations in commodity prices and currency exchange rates; uncertainties relating to interpretation of drill results and the geology, continuity and grade of mineral deposits; the need for cooperation of government agencies and First Nation groups in the exploration and development of properties and the issuance of required permits; the need to obtain additional financing to develop properties and uncertainty as to the availability and terms of future financing; the possibility of delay in exploration or development programs and uncertainty of meeting anticipated program milestones; uncertainty as to timely availability of permits and other governmental approvals; and other risk factors as detailed from time to time and additional risks identified in NorthWest’s filings with Canadian securities regulators on SEDAR+ in Canada (available at www.sedarplus.com).
Forward-looking information is based on estimates and opinions of management at the date the information is made. NorthWest does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking information except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information.
________________________________________
1 Estimated true widths based on collar azimuth and dip and the average dip of the mineralized zone
2 CuEq assumes metal prices of $3,100/oz gold, $4.50/lb copper, $36/oz silver and $1,100/oz palladium metal recoveries of 96% gold, 90% copper, 96% silver, 0% palladium and calculated as follows: Cu +100* ( (Au /31.1035 * Au Price * Au Rec) / (Cu Price * 2204.62 * Cu Rec) + (Ag /31.1035 * Ag Price * Ag Rec) / (Cu Price*2204.62 * Cu Rec) + (Pd /31.1035 * Pd Price * Pd Rec) / (Cu Price*2204.62 * Cu Rec) )
3 Collar coordinates reference UTM Zone 10N NAD83.
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/00a90380-a8ca-430c-b6e2-30fa790e0693
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/48fd42d4-0cf6-482e-9a01-7b0a6d16b923
