Junior Launches 10,000 Meter Drill Program in America's Newest Cu Mining Belt

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Wednesday, June 24, 2026

The push to build out a domestic copper supply chain is reshaping where exploration dollars flow, and the U.S. has become ground zero. With copper demand projected to outrun supply for years to come, fueled by electrification, grid expansion, and the energy needs of AI data centers, junior explorers are racing to prove up the kind of large porphyry systems that can feed a generational appetite for the red metal on home soil.

Shares of IDEX Metals Corp. (TSX-V: IDEX) (OTCQB: IDXMF) are higher Wednesday after the company announced it has commenced drilling and completed an expanded geophysical survey at its Freeze copper-gold property in Idaho.

The company reported that Geotech Drilling Services Ltd. has mobilized to site and started turning the drill bit at North Breccia, one of several priority targets at Freeze. The move marks the launch of a fully-funded, systematic discovery campaign featuring a 10,000-metre drill program testing a large magmatic-hydrothermal system.

IDEX also wrapped up an expanded 90.4 line-kilometer Induced Polarization survey, with final inverted results expected shortly to help refine targets during drilling.

"IDEX is now executing on its clear and fully-funded game plan to advance Freeze from concept through to a systematic discovery campaign," said Clayton Fisher, CEO and Director. He called it the largest and most comprehensive exploration program in the company's history, pairing roughly 10,000 meters of drilling with extensive mapping and a 2,500-sample soil and rock program. Fisher added that the company believes Freeze has the scale and geological attributes required to host a significant North American copper deposit.

The drill program is designed to total around 10,000 metres across approximately 20 holes, with holes averaging about 500 metres and reaching potential depths of up to 1,200 metres. One core rig is already running at North Breccia, the highest-priority porphyry discovery target, and a second rig is expected in July to expand activity across additional zones, including the Kismet copper oxide target and the secondary CM and Shiver targets.

The 90.4 line-kilometer IP survey covered the Kismet Corridor and Shiver areas, expanded from an original 37-kilometer grid after new chargeability and resistivity anomalies surfaced. A Phase I surface program of roughly 2,250 soil samples and 250 rock samples is also planned to build a ranked 2027 target pipeline.

IDEX is focused on the Freeze prospect in the newly discovered Idaho Copper Belt, surrounded by major industry players in a top mining jurisdiction. Near-term catalysts include IP results, initial North Breccia assays, and ongoing geochemical data.

Shares of IDEX are up 2.8% to C$0.37 in Wednesday trading, while IDXMF is ahead 3.4% to $0.26.

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