Copper Quest Expands its Kitimat Copper Gold Project on the Strength of the AI Generated Porphyry Target

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 24, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Copper Quest Exploration Inc. (CSE: CQX; OTCQB: IMIMF; FRA: 3MX) (“Copper Quest” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that it has made application with the Province of British Columbia to acquire an additional 3,847.41 hectares of claims contiguous to its Kitimat Project increasing the Project size by 130%. The new land package now consists of 6,801.41 hectares encompassing the newly staked historic Bowbyes target area, as well as providing a generous land position surrounding the large AI generated buried conductive body measuring approximately 1.5 km by 1.5 km in lateral extent (see press release dated March 5, 2026). The anomaly demonstrates strong vertical continuity to at least 1 km depth (the maximum limit of the analysis) and begins at just 50 meters below surface, concealed beneath sedimentary cover. The conductor is situated within a pronounced magnetic gradient/dipole corridor, with a spatial relationship suggestive of an intrusive contact or alteration boundary and lies in proximity to documented volcanic-hosted sulphide mineralization.

Brian Thurston, CEO of Copper Quest, stated, “The AI-driven analysis at Kitimat allowed Copper Quest to observe the characteristics of a potential concealed intrusive porphyry center creating the opportunity to increase our land position accordingly. The historical mineralization drilled nearby delivered near-surface copper-gold intercepts of over 100 meters grading more than 0.5% Cu and 1g/t Au which remain open. The size and location of this anomaly correspond with our geologic interpretation that those previously drilled copper-gold intercepts may well represent the outer expression of a much larger porphyry system, perhaps of the AI generated anomaly now observed.”

The Kitimat Project now hosts two target areas of mineralization, the Jeannette Cu-Au and the Bowbyes Cu-Mo target areas. Based on geology as well as styles of mineralization, alteration, and structure, the Jeannette target is classified as a low-level intermediate to low-sulfidation epithermal Cu-Au occurrence peripheral to a porphyry Cu-Au Zone. These same observations in the Bowbyes target suggests this area be classified as low grade disseminated to vein hosted Cu-Mo occurrences associated with a porphyry Cu-Au Zone.

The Jeannette target hosts significant historical copper-gold drill intersections, mostly completed by Decade Resources Ltd. in 2010. Notable intervals include 117.07m grading 0.54% Cu and 1.03 g/t Au (Hole J-7), 103.65m grading 0.55% Cu and 1.00 g/t Au (Hole J-1), 107.01m grading 0.45% Cu and 0.80 g/t Au (Hole J-2), and 112.20 m grading 0.33% Cu and 0.41 g/t Au (Hole J-8).

The geology of the newly staked Bowbyes target area is dominated by upper Paleozoic intermediate volcanic to metavolcanic and volcaniclastic rocks with lesser chert beds. These rocks are intruded by bodies of diorite, quartz monzonite and granodiorite that are likely associated with the Coast Plutonic Complex. These Triassic and Jurassic units are crosscut by east-northeast trending intermediate feldspar porphyry dykes and subsequently crosscut by north-northeast trending felsic and mafic dikes. Quartz-sericite-pyrite alteration is spatially associated with the east-northeast trending feldspar porphyry dikes in the mapping area.

Mineralization in the Bowbyes target area consists of multiple showings that include localized zones of magnetite-pyrite-chalcopyrite skarnification, as well as localized zones of silicification associated with weakly anomalous gold and 1-3 cm quartz-pyrite-chalcopyrite veins. The haloes to these veins contain fine-grained disseminated pyrite and chalcopyrite. The southern portion of the Bowbyes target area contains massive to semi-massive sphalerite and lesser amounts of pyrite and chalcopyrite that is hosted by a 30-cm wide south-southeast trending shear zone.

Alteration assemblages in the Bowbyes target area is dominated by sericite-quartz and disseminated pyrite that occurs in a north-northeasterly elongated band through the target area, parallel to the volcaniclastic bedding.

Copper Quest announced its strategic partnership with U.S. based Exploration Technologies Inc. (“ExploreTech”) on December 1, 2025, to deploy generative artificial intelligence across its project portfolio, beginning with the Kitimat Copper–Gold Project in British Columbia. Using the ExploreTech platform, historical information from the Kitimat project was integrated and reprocessed, including historical diamond drilling (including 2010 Jeannette Cu-Au Zone drilling), government airborne magnetics, VTEM conductivity data, structural and lithological interpretations, 2025 field observations and alteration mapping, as well as soil and rock geochemistry. The platform integrated this historical information into a unified probabilistic 3D geological framework while the AI system generated thousands of subsurface geological scenarios, ranking probability clusters for concealed intrusive centers and sulphide-rich alteration zones.

Option Grant

The Company has granted 200,000 stock options (the “Options”) to a consultant of the Company, for the purchase of up to 200,000 common shares in the capital of the Company pursuant to the Company’s Stock Option Plan. The Options are exercisable for a period of 5 years at an exercise price of $0.15 per Share and vest immediately. The Options and underlying Shares will be subject to a four month hold period in accordance with the policies of the CSE.

Qualified Person

Brian G. Thurston, P.Geo., the Company’s President and CEO and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release.

About Copper

Copper is an essential industrial metal at the heart of the global energy transition and modern infrastructure. It plays a critical role in electrification, renewable energy systems, electric vehicles, data centers, and smart technologies. With global demand rising and new supply challenged by declining grades, complex permitting, and underinvestment, the copper market faces persistent deficits and growing geopolitical scrutiny. Recent U.S. policy announcements, including import tariffs and initiatives to secure domestic and allied supply chains, underscore copper’s strategic importance and the need for resilient, localized resource exploration, development, production and processing capacity.

About Copper Quest Exploration Inc.

The company's land holdings comprise 8 projects that span over 46,000 hectares in great mining jurisdictions of Canada and the USA. Copper Quest is committed to building shareholder value through acquisitions, discovery-driven exploration, and responsible development of its North American portfolio of assets. The Company’s common shares are principally listed on the Canadian Stock Exchange under the symbol “CQX”. For more information on Copper Quest, please visit the Company’s website at www.copper.quest.

Copper Quest has a 100% interest in the past-producing Alpine Gold Mine located approximately 20 kilometers northeast of the City of Nelson British Columbia, spanning 4,611.49 hectares with a 2018 National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects historical inferred resource of 268,000 tonnes, estimated using a cut-off grade of 5.0 g/t Au and an average grade of 16.52 g/t Au, that represents an inferred resource of 142,000 oz of gold* (*McCuaig & Giroux, March 6, 2018, NI43-101 Technical Report for the Alpine Property, BC, Canada. Further drilling is necessary by the Company to upgrade/verify the estimate. The QP has not done sufficient work to make the resource current and the Company is not treating the estimate as current.). Apart from the Alpine Mine itself the property hosts 4 other less explored significant vein systems including the past-producing King Solomon vein workings, the Black Prince and the Cold Blow veins system, and the Gold Crown vein system. *The Company has not yet completed sufficient work to verify the 2018 historic inferred resource results.

Copper Quest has a 100% interest in the road accessible Stars Porphyry Copper-Molybdenum Property, spanning 9,693 hectares in central British Columbia’s Bulkley Porphyry Belt with Tana Zone discovery drill intersection highlights of 0.466% Cu over 195.07m in drill hole DD18SS004 from 23.47m, 0.200% Cu over 396.67m in drill hole DD18SS010 from 29.37m, and 0.205% Cu over 207.27m in drill hole DD18SS015 from 163.98m. This highly prospective, approximately 5X2.5-kilometer annular magnetic anomaly is interpreted to represent an altered monzonite intrusion and surrounding hornfels.

Copper Quest has a 100% interest in the road accessible Kitimat Copper-Gold Property, spanning 2,954 hectares within the Skeena Mining Division of northwestern British Columbia located northwest of the deep-water port community of Kitimat, British Columbia. The property benefits from exceptional infrastructure, being within 10 km of tidewater, 1.5 km of rail, and 6 km of high-voltage hydroelectric transmission lines. Exploration on the Kitimat property dates to the late 1960s, with the most significant historical work conducted by Decade Resources Ltd. (2010), which completed 16 diamond drill holes totaling 4,437.5 meters in the Jeannette Cu-Au Zone, and drill intersection highlights of 0.54% Cu and 1.03 g/t Au over 117.07 m in Hole J-7 from 1.52 m, 0.55% Cu and 1.00 g/t Au over 103.65m in Hole J-1 from 9.15 m, 0.45% Cu and 0.80 g/t Au over 107.01m in Hole J-2 from 6.10 m, and 0.33% Cu and 0.41 g/t Au over 112.20m in Hole J-8 from 11.89 m.

Copper Quest has a 100% interest in the past-producing, road accessible Auxer Gold Mine, spanning 1,087 hectares located in Bonner County, Idaho, USA. This orogenic gold opportunity is positioned along one of the region’s most significant structural corridors located within the prolific Hope Fault system. Historical exploration has demonstrated exceptional gold grades, with the 1936 Platts report documenting up to 21.0 g/t Au in surface samples and underground workings showing consistent mineralization over 4.3-meter widths averaging 9.42 g/t Au at an 18-meter depth.

Copper Quest has a 100% interest in the Nekash Copper-Gold Project, a porphyry exploration opportunity located in Lemhi County, Idaho, USA, along the prolific Idaho-Montana porphyry copper belt that hosts world-class systems such as Butte and CUMO. The project is fully road-accessible via maintained U.S. highways and forest service roads and consists of 70 unpatented federal lode claims covering 585 hectares.

Copper Quest has a 100% interest in the road accessible Stellar Property, spanning 5,389-hectares in British Columbia’s Bulkley Porphyry Belt contiguous to the Stars Property.

Copper Quest has a 100% interest in the Thane Project located in the Quesnel Terrane of Northern British Columbia spanning over 20,658 hectares with 10 priority targets identified demonstrating significant copper and precious metal mineralization potential.

Copper Quest has an earn-in option of up to 80% and joint-venture agreement on the road accessible Rip Porphyry Copper-Molybdenum Project, spanning 4,700-hectares located in the Bulkley Porphyry Belt in central British Columbia.

On behalf of the Board of Copper Quest Exploration Inc.

Brian Thurston, P.Geo.
Chief Executive Officer and Director
Tel: 778-949-1829

For further information contact:

Investor Relations
info@copper.quest

https://x.com/CSECQX
https://ca.linkedin.com/company/copper-quest

Forward Looking Information

This news release contains certain “forward-looking information” and “forward-looking statements” (collectively, “forward-looking statements”) within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included herein, including without limitation, future operations and activities of Copper Quest, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as “expects”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “intends”, “estimates”, “potential”, “possible”, and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or results “will”, “may”, “could”, or “should” occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation, risks associated with possible accidents and other risks associated with mineral exploration operations, the risk that the Company will encounter unanticipated geological factors, risks associated with the interpretation of exploration results, the possibility that the Company may not be able to secure permitting and other governmental clearances necessary to carry out the Company's exploration plans, the risk that the Company will not be able to raise sufficient funds to carry out its business plans, and the risk of political uncertainties and regulatory or legal changes that might interfere with the Company's business and prospects. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release concerning these items. The Company does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by applicable securities laws.

The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the contents of this press release, and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

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