Eagle Plains Resources and Sun Summit Minerals Commence Fieldwork at the Orbit JV Project, Toodoggone Mining District, BC
Eagle Plains Resources Ltd. (EPL) has mobilized crews to begin its 2026 exploration program at the Orbit copper-gold project in British Columbia. The initiative aims to expand the Calypso Zone, a discovery made in 2025, while also targeting remote sensing anomalies. Concurrently, American Eagle Gold Corp. has received conditional approval from the TSX Venture Exchange for an option agreement to earn up to an 80% interest in the Hearne Hill South project, a deal that involves cash payments, share issuances, and exploration funding.
The 2026 work program at the Orbit Project is designed to better define and expand the Calypso Zone, which features copper mineralization over a 300-meter area within silica-sericite altered intrusive rocks. Activities will include prospecting, geological mapping, geochemical sampling, property-wide silt sampling on first- and second-order streams, rock sampling of the Calypso Zone, reconnaissance of remote-sensing anomalies, and soil sampling down-ridge. Eagle Plains serves as the designated operator, with fieldwork managed by TerraLogic Exploration Inc. and logistical support provided by Sun Summit’s JD Camp. The property is held under a 6,595-hectare Joint Venture, with Eagle Plains holding a 49% interest and Sun Summit Minerals Corp. holding 51%. No documented Assessment Reports or MinFile occurrences exist within the boundary, and the closest known occurrence is located 8 km away.
The 2025 discovery results for the Calypso Zone marked the first known recorded exploration on the property. Rock grab samples reported the following intercepts:
- JBOIR011: Up to 3.80 g/t Au, 130 g/t Ag.
- THOIR009: 1.37 g/t Au, 0.48% Cu, 26.9 g/t Ag.
- THOIR009 (second sample listed): 0.78 g/t Au, 0.96% Cu, 10.3 g/t Ag.
Eagle Plains noted that these samples are selective grab samples and are not necessarily representative.
In a separate development, American Eagle Gold Corp. has secured conditional TSXV approval for an option agreement to earn up to an 80% interest in the Hearne Hill South project. The 4,656-hectare copper-gold porphyry project, along with two nearby properties known as Jinx and NAK NW, is located approximately 70 km northeast of Smithers, BC. The agreement is subject to final approval.
Under the first option, American Eagle can earn a 60% interest by making a cash payment of CA$400,000, issuing an aggregate of 1,200,000 common shares to Eagle Plains, and incurring CA$4,850,000 in exploration expenditures over a six-year term. This interest carries a 2% smelter returns royalty, with 1% repurchasable for CA$2,500,000. The second option allows American Eagle to earn an additional 20% for a total of 80% interest, requiring a cash payment of CA$1,000,000, half of which may be paid in American Eagle shares valued at the 10-day VWAP at the time of notification. American Eagle will reimburse Eagle Plains for the 2026 field program at Hearne Hill South and will serve as the operator, with TerraLogic Exploration Inc. acting as the geoscience consultant.
A definitive Joint Venture agreement between Eagle Plains and Sun Summit for the Orbit Project is expected to be finalized by December 31, 2026. The Orbit Project is situated in the Toodoggone district, near Centerra Gold’s Kemess Mine and Freeport-McMoRan’s Joy Project. Eagle Plains currently maintains 18 projects under option or Joint Venture with nine different partners.
Commenting on the upcoming activities, the company stated, "The 2026 work program will build on the success from the 2025 field season which was then the first known recorded exploration on the property." Regarding the partnership with Sun Summit, the company added, "A formal Agreement has been reached with Sun Summit whereby a definitive Joint Venture (JV) will be formed by December 31, 2026 to facilitate continued exploration on the property."