Investor Insight
Copper Quest Exploration controls more than 40,000 hectares of copper porphyry projects across tier one jurisdictions in Canada and the United States, offering investors diversified exposure to drill ready targets and multiple near term discovery catalysts.
Overview
Copper Quest Exploration (CSE:CQX,OTCQB:IMIMF,FRA:3MX) is a North American mineral exploration company focused on discovering and advancing copper porphyry systems in established mining jurisdictions. Its portfolio spans more than 40,000 hectares across projects in British Columbia and Idaho, including several district scale land packages within proven copper belts.
Copper Quest holds a diversified portfolio of exploration assets, including 100 percent interests in the Stars, Stellar, Thane, and Kitimat projects, and the option to earn up to 80 percent in the Rip project. The company has rapidly expanded its portfolio and identified multiple high-priority exploration targets through strategic acquisitions, targeted drilling, and geophysical surveys.
In late 2025 and early 2026, Copper Quest significantly extended its presence with the acquisition of two key gold assets: the past-producing Alpine Gold Property in British Columbia’s West Kootenay region—a 4,611-hectare project with historical high-grade gold resources and existing underground workings—and an option to acquire the drill-permitted Auxer Gold Property in Bonner County, Idaho, a road-accessible, high-grade orogenic gold asset.
Copper Quest is focused on advancing its assets through systematic exploration including induced polarization surveys, mapping, sampling and drilling. Its strategy is to build value through discovery while leveraging partnerships or joint ventures to accelerate development where appropriate.
Company Highlights
- Large Tier One Land Position: More than 40,000 hectares across British Columbia and Idaho, coveringmultiple porphyry belts.
- Flagship Discovery atStars: Drill interceptsincluding 0.466 percent copper over 195.07 m confirm a fertile coppermolybdenum system.
- District Scale Portfolio: Core projects Stars, Stellar, Rip and Thanecollectively span 19,853 hectares within the Bulkley porphyry district alone.
- US Expansion Strategy: Acquisition of the Nekash copper gold project inLemhi County adds exposure to the Idaho Montana porphyry belt.
- Strategic Acquisitionsin British Columbia: Agreements to acquirethe Kitimat Copper Gold Project and the Alpine Gold Property expand regionalfootprint.
- Multiple UntestedTargets: Large geophysicalanomalies and historic showings across several properties remain undrilled.
- Strong Technical Bench: Leadership and advisors include former seniorexecutives from major mining companies with global discovery and developmenttrack records.
- Clear ExplorationPipeline: Planned drilling,geophysics and target testing across multiple projects with multiple plannedexploration catalysts.
Key Projects
Stars Project — British Columbia
The Stars project is a 9,694 hectare road accessible copper molybdenum property in the Bulkley porphyry belt. The project hosts a 5 by 2.5-kilometre annular magnetic anomaly coincident with a mineralized monzonite intrusion. Historic and modern drilling has confirmed widespread mineralization, including 0.466 percent copper over 195.07 m from 23 m and 0.2 percent copper over 396.67 m from 28.37 m.
Drilling indicates a productive porphyry environment characterized by strong alteration, multi phase veining and elevated copper values ranging from 10 times to 400 times background levels. Only one location along the intrusion contact has been drill tested, suggesting significant discovery potential across more than 30 km of untested contacts. Planned work includes step out drilling at the Tana Zone, IP surveys and testing of additional targets such as the Big Dipper anomaly.
Rip Project — British Columbia
The Rip project covers 4,770 hectares located about 60 km south of Houston. A 2024 airborne magnetic survey and 3D DCIP program identified two concentric chargeability anomalies surrounding separate magnetic highs, classic signatures of porphyry systems.
Two diamond drill holes totaling 1,033 m completed in 2024 intersected multi phase porphyry intrusions with quartz, pyrite, chalcopyrite, molybdenite veining and long intervals of anomalous copper above 0.1 percent. The southern anomaly remains untested and represents the highest priority target. Copper Quest can earn up to 80 percent ownership by spending $1 million by the end of 2025.
Stellar Project — British Columbia
The 5,389-hectare Stellar property lies immediately north of Stars and consolidates multiple historic showings into a single geological framework. The project hosts several priority targets including the Cassiopeia anomaly, a 2.5-kilometre-diameter magnetic bullseye with an 800 m magnetic low core consistent with porphyry models.
The Jewelry Box area hosts eight documented showings across a 15 sq km zone with historical samples returning grades up to 36.7 percent copper, 31.2 percent copper, 22.6 percent copper with 4,860 g/t silver and gold values up to 42 g/t. Additional targets include the Galena Zone and Northwest showings. Planned work includes IP surveys, mapping, sampling and drill targeting across the property.
Thane Project — British Columbia
The 20,658 hectare Thane project is located in the Toodoggone District within the Quesnel Terrane. The property contains a 14 by 6 kilometre alteration footprint hosting at least ten mineralized centres including Cirque, Fairway, Bananas, Gail and Aten.
Historic exploration totaling more than $5 million identified strong copper and gold mineralization, with rock samples returning copper values exceeding 9,000 ppm and gold values up to 12.8 g/t. Only 12 short drill holes have been completed, all in one area, leaving much of the system untested. New high resolution geophysics is expected to help vector future drilling. Copper Quest is evaluating potential joint venture opportunities to advance the project.
Nekash Project — Idaho
The Nekash project consists of 70 unpatented federal lode claims covering about 585 hectares in Lemhi County along the Idaho Montana porphyry belt. Historic sampling confirmed high grade surface mineralization including up to 3.8 percent copper, 0.9 g/t gold and 25 g/t silver over 6.4 m, as well as porphyry style veins grading up to 6.6 percent copper.
The property is fully road accessible and was acquired for 4.25 million shares with no cash payment or royalties. The project adds US exposure and early stage discovery potential supported by geophysical, geochemical and drilling programs.
Kitimat Copper-Gold Project — British Columbia
Copper Quest has acquired a 100 percent interest in the Kitimat copper-gold project, located approximately 10 km northwest of the deep-water port of Kitimat. Covering nearly 2,954 hectares, the project offers year-round road access, proximity to rail, hydroelectric infrastructure, and is situated within a prolific copper-gold belt, strengthening the company’s strategic presence in western Canada.
Alpine Gold Property — British Columbia
The Alpine Gold Property is a road-accessible, 4,611.49-hectare project featuring a 2018 historical inferred resource of 142,000 ounces of gold (Au) from 268,000 tonnes at an average grade of 16.52 g/t Au, estimated using a 5.0 g/t gold cut-off grade. The current resource is based on only about 300 meters of the roughly two-kilometer-long vein system, indicating substantial potential to expand the resource along strike and to depth.
The property includes 1,650 meters of clean underground workings and a mineralized stockpile estimated at 24,000 tonnes on the surface, which could offer near-term cash flow. Additionally, the property hosts at least four other relatively unexplored vein systems—Black Prince, Cold Blow, Gold Crown, and past-producing King Solomon—all with historic high-grade gold values, suggesting multiple avenues for future exploration and resource growth.
Auxer Gold Project — Idaho
The Auxer Gold Property is a road-accessible, high-grade orogenic gold opportunity located in Bonner County, Idaho. Under an option agreement signed in 2026, Copper Quest has the right to earn up to 75 percent interest in the project by funding exploration, advancing a drill-ready gold target within a favorable mining jurisdiction. The property is strategically situated near existing infrastructure and historic gold workings, enhancing access and permitting potential.
Gold mineralization at Auxer has been identified through surface sampling and historic data, with notable results including significant gold in soils and rock samples, supporting multiple structural targets. The addition of Auxer diversifies Copper Quest’s portfolio beyond copper porphyries into a precious metals domain, providing near term exploration catalysts that complement its existing projects. Planned work includes systematic mapping, sampling and drill permitting to define high-priority targets for follow up drilling.
Management Team
Brian Thurston — President, CEO and Director
Brian Thurston is a professional geologist with over 32 years of experience specializing in porphyry deposits in British Columbia, the Yukon and Peru. Thurston has more than 20 years of corporate leadership experience and has founded several public companies, serving as director, officer and committee member across multiple resource ventures.
Dong Shim — Chief Financial Officer
Dong Shim is a chartered professional accountant with extensive experience in public company auditing and financial reporting in both the United States and Canada. Shim has helped numerous startups achieve listings on the TSX Venture Exchange, CSE and OTC Markets and is a CPA registered in Illinois and a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia.
Dr. Mark Cruise — Director
Dr. Mark Cruise has more than 25 years of experience in mine discovery, development and operations across Europe, South America, Canada and Africa. Cruise is the founder of Trevali Mining, which he built into a top ten global zinc producer, and previously worked as a senior geologist at Anglo American.
Jason Nickel — Director
Jason Nickel is a mining engineer with over 25 years of experience in operations, feasibility and development projects. Nickel has served as mine manager for major copper and gold producers and has led underground and open pit operations across British Columbia, Alaska and the Arctic.
Cameron MacDonald — Director
Cameron MacDonald has more than 18 years of capital markets experience as founder and CEO of the Macam Group of Companies. MacDonald has helped raise over $300 million in equity and more than $650 million in debt financings and has invested in startup companies since 2002.
Joshua White – Technical Advisor
Joshua White is an exploration geologist with more than 13 years of experience and is principal of Aqua Terra Geoscientists LLC. White previously worked for Kinross Gold as a project generation geologist supporting exploration programs across four continents.