Massive High-Grade Core Confirmed at Thomas
Empire Metals Limited / LON: EEE, OTCQX: EPMLF / Sector: Natural Resources
22 June 2026
Empire Metals Limited
("Empire" or "the Company")
Massive High-Grade Core Confirmed
Thomas Prospect Delivers Highest TiO₂ Grades
Empire Metals Limited, the AIM-quoted and OTCQX-traded exploration and development company, is pleased to announce the drilling results from the Thomas Prospect ('Thomas') at the Pitfield Project in Western Australia ('Pitfield' or the 'Project'). These results reflect the February to April 2026 drilling campaign, the most extensive programme undertaken by the Company to date. As announced previously, the campaign focussed on the high-grade titanium mineralisation within the in-situ weathered cap to increase the size and confidence of the existing Mineral Resource Estimate ('MRE').
Highlights
· Exceptional drilling results confirm the scale and continuity of the high-grade weathered central core at Thomas, which extends over an area of approximately 6.25km2 (625 hectares) and to an average depth of 47m in the in-situ weathered zone.
· 178 drill holes completed for 9,816m across the Thomas Prospect, comprising:
o 148 Air Core ('AC') drill holes for a total of 6,828 metres
o 30 Reverse Circulation ('RC') drill holes for a total of 2,988 metres
· Highest TiO2 grades reported to date, with multiple drillholes averaging close to or greater than 8% TiO2 and with a peak intercept sample of 2m @ 21.44% TiO2.
· Thomas drill hole highlights:
· 51m @ 8.79% TiO2 from 0m (AC26TOM250)
· 50m @ 8.29% TiO2 from 0m (AC26TOM278)
· 48m @ 7.90% TiO2 from 0m (AC26TOM246)
· 47m @ 7.87% TiO2 from 0m (AC26TOM279)
· 47m @ 7.77% TiO2 from 0m (AC26TOM245)
· 53m @ 7.74% TiO2 from 0m (AC26TOM280)
· Results reported today cover the Thomas Prospect only; final assays for Cosgrove Prospect and Exploration/Sterilisation remain pending, with further results expected late June and July 2026.
· These drill results will support a significant MRE upgrade which is targeted in Q3 2026 and provide the basis for future mine planning and engineering design studies.
Shaun Bunn, Managing Director, said: "The recent drill campaign, the largest undertaken at Pitfield, has delivered exceptional assay results to date and has significantly improved our understanding of the scale, continuity and exceptional titanium grades to be found within the high-grade central core of the Thomas Prospect. We have delineated a substantial block of high-grade mineralisation averaging 47m in thickness with multiple near-surface intercepts at Thomas. Several of the drilling intercepts averaged close to or above 8% TiO₂, with a peak grade of 2m @ 21.44% TiO₂, underscoring the importance of this drill programme in setting up the Company to rapidly advance its mine planning, engineering design and continuous pilot plant testwork. We look forward to demonstrating a significant MRE upgrade, which is on track for Q3 2026."
February to April 2026 Campaign
Thomas Prospect MRE Grid Drilling
The completion of the Thomas drilling and the return of all geochemical assay results is a significant event for Empire. These results will inform an updated MRE, increasing the scale and confidence level, and provide further logging and geochemical data to support the geological interpretation of the Thomas deposit.
A total of 5,039 samples were analysed at Intertek Laboratory in Perth including blanks, standards and duplicates as part of the Thomas MRE drilling programme. The samples were analysed using a four acid digest with ICP-OES finish and samples that returned >2% Ti was re-analysed with a borate fusion method to provide greater accuracy for the over range Ti values.
AC drilling at Thomas was conducted on a systematic 100m by 100m grid covering over 495 hectares predominantly across the high-grade central core previously identified by diamond drilling (announced 17 March 2026) and was designed to increase the confidence level of the existing MRE and provide key data for economic evaluation studies. RC drilling was designed to complement the AC drilling and extend the boundaries of the known mineralisation.
All AC and RC drill holes returned mineralisation open at depth, including several holes drilled south of the current resource boundary, which could therefore expand the known resource.
The geological and geochemical data generated as part of this drill programme shows that the previously reported central high-grade core of in situ weathered material is now more clearly defined with the central high-grade zone trending approximately NW-SE over 5km and a width of 1.25km. Within the high-grade core there are 120 drillholes containing >6% TiO2 across their total drilled width, the highest grade is 8.79% TiO2. The highest-grade sample intercepted at Pitfield was drilled at Thomas during this programme with a 2m interval returning 21.44% TiO2.
This high-grade central core is found where the original geology consisted of thicker sandstones with fewer interbedded siltstones. These original sandstones have been subjected to intense weathering and now consist of a saprolitic upper zone, weathered sandstone central zone and fresh sandstone bedrock below.
The drilling also denotes the grade of the resource decreasing to the east which is connected to an increased number of siltstone beds which are not mineralised and therefore dilute the overall grade of the resource. The exploration drilling carried out alongside the resource drilling has shown that there is a significant increase in siltstone further to the east. The geochemical results from this drilling is still being received and will be reported separately.
Figure 1. Drillhole collar locations (AC & RC) within Thomas Prospect priority area showing MRE outline and the high-grade central core.
Cosgrove Prospect MRE Grid Drilling Completed - Assay Results Pending
Drilling at Cosgrove consisted of 269 AC holes on a 400m x 200m drillhole spaced grid with an average depth of 45m, for a total of 12,140 metres. In conjunction with the AC drilling 41 x 100m RC holes were drilled within the grid for a total of 4,100m. The AC and RC drilling was focussed on increasing the size of the known mineral resource estimate at Cosgrove which was previously based on significantly less drillholes than at Thomas.
A total of 9189 samples have been submitted to the Intertek Laboratory in Perth and are undergoing geochemical analysis as per the Thomas samples assay regime. Final geochemical analytical results are expected in late June and will be released once QA/QC checks are complete.
Exploration/Sterilisation Drilling Completed - Assay Results Pending
A total of 226 exploration holes for a total of 8,788 metres were drilled across the whole of the Pitfield Project property. This encompassed an area 36km long and 10km wide. The purpose of the drilling was twofold: one to define the extents of the mineralisation at Pitfield and the other to identify areas for potential infrastructure where there was no mineralisation.
A total of 5028 samples have been submitted to the Intertek Laboratory in Perth and are undergoing geochemical analysis as per the Thomas samples assay regime. Final geochemical analytical results are expected in July and will be released once QA/QC checks are complete.
Next Steps
The confirmation of the extent and continuity of the high-grade central core at the Thomas Prospect, and the exceptional TiO2 grades achieved during this drill campaign, provides the Company with an excellent base from which to commence mine planning and engineering design work. With the process flowsheet now successfully tested at a bench scale (announced 11 June 2026) the next key stages of project development will include:
· detailed engineering studies, based on the current process flowsheet - by end of Q4 2026;
· an updated and expanded MRE, based on the recent drilling programme - Q3 2026;
· continued development of the TiO2 product finishing steps targeting coated rutile pigments and Ti sponge metal feedstock - by end of Q4 2026; and,
· continuous metallurgical piloting testwork of the process flowsheet - commencing Q3 2026.
Appendix 1. Drill Hole Assays for Thomas
Hole ID
Total Depth (m)
Depth From (m)
Depth To (m)
Interval (m)
Grade TiO2 (%)
AC26TOM184
38
0
38
38
6.17
AC26TOM185
33
0
33
33
4.97
AC26TOM186
44
0
44
44
6.19
AC26TOM187
36
0
36
36
6.69
AC26TOM188
38
0
38
38
5.66
AC26TOM189
25
0
25
25
5.41
AC26TOM190
40
0
40
40
6.31
AC26TOM191
40
0
40
40
6.91
AC26TOM192
39
0
39
39
4.79
AC26TOM193
39
0
39
39
3.69
AC26TOM194
49
0
49
49
7.07
inc.
2
16
14
9.12
AC26TOM195
38
0
38
38
6.18
AC26TOM196
36
0
36
36
4.07
AC26TOM197
48
0
48
48
4.35
AC26TOM198
25
0
25
25
5.19
AC26TOM199
46
0
46
46
4.94
AC26TOM200
44
0
44
44
5.08
AC26TOM201
44
0
44
44
3.68
AC26TOM202
41
0
41
41
4.38
AC26TOM203
46
0
46
46
6.89
inc.
18
22
4
10.73
AC26TOM204
44
0
44
44
7.44
inc.
22
24
2
13.41
inc.
34
38
4
11.7
AC26TOM205
44
0
44
44
6.02
AC26TOM206
52
0
52
52
5
AC26TOM207
40
0
40
40
5.03
AC26TOM208
44
0
44
44
5.09
AC26TOM209
39
0
39
39
4.57
inc.
28
32
4
11.3
AC26TOM210
44
0
44
44
5
AC26TOM211
44
0
44
44
5.5
AC26TOM212
44
0
44
44
3.77
AC26TOM213
39
2
39
37
4.75
AC26TOM214
44
2
44
42
5.22
AC26TOM215
43
0
43
43
7.15
inc.
10
18
8
10.96
AC26TOM216
44
6
44
38
7.4
AC26TOM217
46
4
46
42
5.34
AC26TOM218
48
4
48
44
6.07
AC26TOM219
44
0
44
44
3.22
AC26TOM220
42
0
42
42
3.64
AC26TOM221
42
0
42
42
3.87
AC26TOM222
48
0
48
48
4.16
AC26TOM223
42
0
42
42
4.8
AC26TOM224
39
0
39
39
4.21
AC26TOM225
40
0
40
40
5.3
AC26TOM226
40
0
40
40
4.9
AC26TOM227
44
0
44
44
4.48
AC26TOM228
46
0
46
46
4.34
AC26TOM229
44
0
44
44
5.07
AC26TOM230
42
0
42
42
4.23
AC26TOM231
40
0
40
40
4.82
AC26TOM232
42
6
42
36
4.87
AC26TOM233
45
6
45
39
5.33
AC26TOM234
49
2
49
47
5.13
AC26TOM235
45
0
45
45
5.78
AC26TOM236
46
4
46
42
4.43
AC26TOM237
49
6
49
43
6.96
AC26TOM238
46
4
46
42
7.41
AC26TOM239
46
4
46
42
6.74
inc.
16
22
6
10.29
AC26TOM240
50
0
50
50
6.41
AC26TOM241
50
0
50
50
6.51
AC26TOM242
44
0
44
44
6.99
AC26TOM243
52
0
52
52
4.15
AC26TOM244
46
0
46
46
4.77
inc.
12
22
10
10.31
AC26TOM245
47
0
47
47
7.77
AC26TOM246
48
0
48
48
7.9
inc.
12
20
8
10.78
AC26TOM247
45
0
45
45
7.13
AC26TOM248
51
0
51
51
6.97
inc.
24
28
4
10.43
AC26TOM249
54
0
54
54
7.08
inc.
8
16
8
9.1
AC26TOM250
51
0
51
51
8.79
inc.
2
12
10
10.68
inc.
16
34
18
10.47
AC26TOM251
54
0
54
54
6.16
inc.
2
12
10
11.23
AC26TOM252
43
0
43
43
5.1
AC26TOM253
51
0
51
51
2.82
AC26TOM254
47
0
47
47
4.59
AC26TOM255
48
0
48
48
4.59
AC26TOM256
43
0
43
43
5.41
AC26TOM257
42
0
42
42
5.9
AC26TOM258
47
0
47
47
6.02
AC26TOM259
49
0
49
49
6.1
AC26TOM260
50
4
50
46
5.75
AC26TOM261
53
2
53
51
5.58
AC26TOM262
41
0
41
41
5.47
AC26TOM263
41
0
41
41
5.85
AC26TOM264
44
0
44
44
5.53
AC26TOM265
50
0
50
50
5.6
AC26TOM266
54
2
54
52
5.08
AC26TOM267
51
0
51
51
6.05
AC26TOM268
55
0
55
55
5.73
AC26TOM269
38
0
38
38
5.02
AC26TOM270
44
0
44
44
5.96
AC26TOM271
44
0
44
44
6.9
AC26TOM272
42
0
42
42
6.9
AC26TOM273
38
0
38
38
6.26
AC26TOM274
32
0
32
32
5.63
AC26TOM275
33
0
33
33
6.33
AC26TOM276
38
0
38
38
6.22
AC26TOM277
49
0
49
49
4.91
AC26TOM278
50
0
50
50
8.29
inc.
2
6
4
10.4
inc.
18
24
6
10.47
AC26TOM279
47
0
47
47
7.87
inc.
26
30
4
10.18
AC26TOM280
53
0
53
53
7.74
inc.
14
36
22
10.41
AC26TOM281
56
0
56
56
7.51
inc.
32
40
8
11.64
AC26TOM282
54
0
54
54
7.35
inc.
6
14
8
14.32
AC26TOM283
63
0
63
63
4.33
AC26TOM284
36
0
36
36
5.55
AC26TOM285
43
0
43
43
6.02
AC26TOM286
48
0
48
48
5.28
AC26TOM287
56
0
56
56
6.13
AC26TOM288
60
0
60
60
6.08
AC26TOM289
56
2
56
54
6.58
AC26TOM290
39
0
39
39
6.84
AC26TOM291
46
0
46
46
6.03
AC26TOM292
45
0
45
45
5.48
AC26TOM293
44
8
44
36
5.67
AC26TOM294
48
0
48
48
6.49
AC26TOM295
44
0
44
44
5.23
AC26TOM296
51
0
51
51
5.44
AC26TOM297
54
0
54
54
5.29
AC26TOM298
42
6
42
36
5.13
AC26TOM299
48
0
48
48
6.95
inc.
8
18
10
10.58
AC26TOM300
53
0
53
53
6.08
inc.
8
14
6
12.66
AC26TOM301
48
2
48
46
5.24
AC26TOM302
53
4
53
47
5.5
AC26TOM303
50
6
50
40
6.78
inc.
36
38
2
17.83
AC26TOM304
50
10
50
40
5.82
AC26TOM305
49
0
49
49
5.33
AC26TOM306
44
0
44
44
5.4
AC26TOM307
45
2
45
43
4.85
AC26TOM308
53
4
53
49
5.47
AC26TOM309
51
6
51
45
4.48
AC26TOM310
51
0
51
51
4.07
AC26TOM311
49
0
49
49
4.07
AC26TOM312
45
0
45
45
5.38
AC26TOM313
42
0
42
42
5.12
AC26TOM314
60
2
60
58
5.97
AC26TOM315
54
2
54
52
6.23
AC26TOM316
60
2
60
58
6.82
AC26TOM317
50
2
50
48
6.55
AC26TOM318
46
6
46
40
4.6
AC26TOM319
54
6
54
48
6.08
AC26TOM320
52
6
52
46
6.14
AC26TOM321
60
2
60
58
6.14
AC26TOM322
48
2
48
46
6.35
AC26TOM323
45
2
45
43
5.23
AC26TOM324
44
0
44
44
6.73
AC26TOM325
50
0
50
50
5.85
AC26TOM326
50
0
50
50
4.49
AC26TOM327
52
6
52
46
5.44
AC26TOM328
55
6
55
49
4.6
AC26TOM329
56
0
56
56
5.11
AC26TOM330
46
0
46
46
5.53
AC26TOM331
52
0
52
52
3.98
RC26TOM072
100
0
100
100
2.04
RC26TOM073
100
0
100
100
3.21
RC26TOM074
100
0
100
100
4.04
RC26TOM075
100
0
100
100
5.18
RC26TOM076
100
0
100
100
6.01
inc.
4
8
4
11.81
RC26TOM077
100
0
100
100
5.77
RC26TOM078
88
0
88
88
5.62
RC26TOM079
100
0
100
100
4.42
RC26TOM080
100
0
100
100
3.72
RC26TOM081
100
0
100
100
4.91
RC26TOM082
100
6
100
94
6.4
RC26TOM083
100
0
100
100
4.77
inc.
20
24
4
11.16
RC26TOM084
100
0
100
100
5.37
RC26TOM085
100
0
100
100
4.52
inc.
12
14
2
17.4
RC26TOM086
100
0
100
100
5.06
RC26TOM087
100
0
100
100
3.76
RC26TOM088
100
2
100
98
5.57
RC26TOM089
100
0
100
100
5.61
RC26TOM090
100
0
100
100
4.95
RC26TOM091
100
0
100
100
4.13
RC26TOM092
100
4
100
96
3.04
RC26TOM093
100
0
100
100
3
RC26TOM094
100
0
100
100
4.39
RC26TOM095
100
0
100
100
3.66
RC26TOM096
100
0
100
100
5.2
RC26TOM097
100
2
100
98
4.4
RC26TOM098
100
4
100
96
4.2
RC26TOM099
100
2
100
98
2.77
RC26TOM100
100
0
100
100
3.61
RC26TOM101
100
0
100
100
3.76
Competent Person Statement
The technical information in this report that relates to the Pitfield Project has been compiled by Mr Andrew Faragher, an employee of Empire Metals Australia Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Empire. Mr Faragher is a Member of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM). Mr Faragher has sufficient experience that is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity being undertaken to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the 'Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves'. Mr Faragher consents to the inclusion in this release of the matters based on his information in the form and context in which it appears.
MAR disclosure
Certain information contained in this announcement would have been deemed inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014, as incorporated into UK law by the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, until the release of this announcement.
**ENDS**
For further information please visit www.empiremetals.com or contact:
Empire Metals Ltd
Shaun Bunn / Greg Kuenzel / Arabella Burwell
Tel: 020 4583 1440
S. P. Angel Corporate Finance LLP (Nomad & Joint Broker)
Ewan Leggat / Adam Cowl
Tel: 020 3470 0470
Canaccord Genuity Limited (Joint Broker)
James Asensio / Christian Calabrese / Rory Blundell / Charlie Hammond
Tel: 020 7523 8000
Zeus Capital Limited (Joint Broker)
Harry Ansell / Katy Mitchell
Tel: 020 3829 5000
Tavistock (Financial PR)
Emily Moss / Josephine Clerkin
Tel: 020 7920 3150
Chapter One Advisors (Australian Financial PR)
David Tasker
dtasker@chapteroneadvisors.com.au
Tel: +61 433 112 936
About Empire Metals Limited
Empire Metals Ltd (AIM: EEE and OTCQX: EPMLF) is an exploration and resource development company focused on the commercialisation of the Pitfield Titanium Project, located in Western Australia. The titanium discovery at Pitfield is of unprecedented scale and hosts one of the largest and highest-grade titanium resources reported globally, with a Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) totalling 2.2 billion tonnes grading 5.1% TiO₂ for 113 million tonnes of contained TiO₂.
Titanium mineralisation at Pitfield occurs from surface and displays exceptional grade continuity along strike and down dip. The MRE extends across just 20% of the known mineralised footprint, providing substantial potential for further resource expansion.
Conventional processing has already produced a high-purity product grading 99.25% TiO₂, suitable for titanium sponge metal or pigment feedstock. With excellent logistics and established infrastructure, Pitfield is strategically positioned to supply the growing global demand for titanium and other critical minerals.
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