Gunnison Copper Confirms High-Grade Massive Copper-Zinc-Silver Sulfides at Strong & Harris, Including 40 Feet Grading 5.1% Copper and 12.0% Zinc
Gunnison drill update confirms satellite grade, though cash burn and negative equity persist.
Gunnison Copper Corp. has released initial assay results from its 2026-2027 drilling program targeting the Strong & Harris satellite deposit and the flagship Gunnison Project. At Strong & Harris, hole SHM-2 intersected 311 feet grading 1.39% Cu, 2.29% Zn, and 6.41 g/t Ag, which included a higher-grade interval of 40 feet grading 5.15% Cu, 11.99% Zn, and 16.38 g/t Ag.
Results from the Gunnison main pit, encompassing holes NSM-18, NSM-22, and NSM-17A, returned broad copper intervals ranging from 389 to 790 feet at grades between 0.35% and 0.53% Cu. To date, the company has completed 27,953 feet across 25 holes, representing approximately 20% of the planned 138,000-foot program.
Metallurgical testing is advancing across seven laboratories, with flotation tests evaluating a concentrator route for sulfides and heap-leach tests continuing for oxide copper. The release reiterates the March 2026 Preliminary Economic Assessment economics, which cited a $2.0 billion NPV at an 8% discount rate, a 22.5% internal rate of return, and a 3.9-year payback period, alongside existing resource estimates.
Gunnison Copper Corp. (GCU) released drill results that confirm the high-grade sulfide zone at Strong & Harris, a deposit already modeled in the existing Inferred resource estimate. The company did not provide a new resource calculation or an economic update.
Metallurgical testing is advancing as planned, though flotation and heap-leach results remain preliminary and will not impact the Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) timeline. The company also disclosed no changes to production guidance, cost structure, capital expenditure, or permitting timelines.
Following the release, the stock declined approximately 4%, suggesting the market viewed the update as incremental and already priced into the current valuation. The news represents standard exploration progress and does not alter the project's risk profile, valuation model, or near-term catalysts.
Gunnison Copper Corp. (GCU), a copper producer and developer headquartered in Arizona, operates the Johnson Camp Mine, a producing asset utilizing Nuton bioleaching technology. Fully funded by Nuton LLC, a Rio Tinto venture, the mine has a capacity of up to 25 million pounds of copper cathode annually.
The company’s flagship Gunnison Project is a large-scale open-pit, heap-leach, SX/EW development located 1.5 miles from Johnson Camp. Gunnison Copper also controls the Cochise Mining District land package, which includes the Strong & Harris satellite deposit and multiple other potential feeder deposits. The corporate strategy emphasizes domestic copper supply chains, targeting U.S. defense, data center, and infrastructure markets.