Somerset Minerals hits wide visual copper zones at Jura North; IP/EM complete as assays near

Key highlights

• Multiple wide intervals of visible sulphides logged in two down-dip holes at Jura North beneath July’s 42.7m @ 2.69% Cu intercept, suggesting thickening at depth. 
• JURC006 logged 85.4m of visually identified mineralisation across four zones; JURC005 logged 56.4m across four zones. Assays due in ~2 weeks; company stresses visuals are not a proxy for grades.
• Ground IP & EM surveys have been completed across Jura to test strike and depth continuity; results pending to guide next holes along the ~7km Jura fault zone. 
• Managing Director Chris Hansen: visuals “extend mineralisation down to ~155m below surface… true thickness appears to increase with depth,” adding momentum into assays and survey read-outs. 
• Trading snapshot (11:18am AEST, Thu 18 Sep 2025): SMM A$0.013 (+23.8%), vol. 26.0m, mkt cap ~A$10.5m, 1-yr −35%, 52-wk A$0.009–0.028, shares ~806.35m. (Session metrics per user-supplied data.)
  
   

Somerset Minerals (ASX: SMM) reported a second set of encouraging visuals from its Coppermine Project in Nunavut, Canada—specifically at Jura North, where the team is stepping down-dip from July’s headline 42.7 metres at 2.69% copper from 15.2m (hole JURC001). Two follow-up holes (JURC005 and JURC006) have intersected multiple zones of visible sulphides, with the apparent mineralised envelope thickening at depth. Independent IP and EM geophysical surveys have also been run across Jura to assess continuity before the program marches along the ~7km fault trend. 

What Somerset actually hit

The company emphasises these are visual observations from RC chips, with laboratory results pending. Still, the logged widths are noteworthy for a micro-cap copper explorer:

• JURC006: four intervals totalling 85.4m of visually identified sulphides, including 7.6m from 83.8m, 10.7m from 94.5m, 25.9m from 112.8m, and 15.2m from 153.9m.  
• JURC005: four intervals totalling 56.4m, including 9.1m from 68.6m, 15.2m from 83.8m, 9.1m from 102.1m, and 10.7m from 114.3m. 
  
   

Logging indicates chalcocite-dominant mineralisation with trace native copper and minor chalcopyrite—assemblages consistent with Coppermine’s fault-hosted style. Visual estimates are not a substitute for assays; the company cautions grades and true widths will be determined by lab analysis. 

Full management comment

“Today’s visual results serve to confirm the continued prospectivity of Jura North, and the broader ~7.0km Jura fault zone. The first two holes of the program have drilled down dip of our recent standout intercept of 42.7m @ 2.69% Cu, serving to extend mineralisation down to ~155 metres below surface, while still remaining open in all directions.

Importantly, the true thickness of the broader mineralised envelope appears to increase with depth with JURC006 containing multiple zones of intense mineralisation over a total interval of 85.4 metres, pointing to a potentially larger system at depth. With an induced polarisation (IP) survey completed last week over two areas at Jura, including Jura North, this data will now be sent for processing and will guide future exploration activities across Jura.

With first assays expected in ~2 weeks the momentum is building, every metre drilled is adding confidence and scale, positioning Somerset to deliver meaningful growth in a strengthening market.” — Chris Hansen, Managing Director. 

Why the geology matters here

Jura lies within the Copper Creek Formation basalts—a package that hosts structurally controlled sulphide and native copper mineralisation in sub-vertical fault zones, with additional flow-top replacement and sediment-hosted styles across the broader property. The company controls 1,665km² and more than 100km of prospective strike with 112 copper occurrences across multiple districts (Laphroaig, Ardbeg, Jura, Oban), many of which saw little modern work since the 1960s. The geological analogy frequently cited is Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula (fault and flow-top copper in continental flood basalts). 

Within that context, down-dip continuity and apparent thickening at Jura North are encouraging—particularly as the program was designed to test ~500m of strike with ~10 holes toward an eventual maiden resource. The IP/EM grid, once processed, should help map chargeability/conductivity responses that correlate with sulphide zones and guide step-outs along the ~7km Jura trend. 

What the visuals can—and can’t—tell investors

Visual logging can vector geologists rapidly, especially in RC, but investors should keep three caveats in mind:

• Grade is unknown until assays land. The company explicitly warns that visuals are indicative only and may not reflect copper content or impurities.
• True widths remain to be established. These are down-hole intervals; structural data from oriented diamond core would be needed to nail down geometry. 
• System scale is inferred, not proven. Thickening at depth is a positive signal, but continuity along strike and grade distribution will determine resource potential. 
  
   

Micro-cap trying to earn a re-rating

At the time of writing this article Somerset shares were trading at A$0.013, Somerset’s ~A$10.5m market cap leaves little room for disappointment—but also makes it highly sensitive to near-term catalysts. The key ones are:

• Assays for JURC005/006 (expected ~2 weeks): confirmation of grade × width is the obvious first hurdle. 
• IP/EM interpretation: if geophysics images a coherent conductor/chargeability plume along the fault, expect aggressive step-outs. 
• Strike drilling: the Phase-Two plan to test ~500m of strike will reveal whether Jura is a single lens or a stacked/segmented system. 
  
   

Balanced against that upside: assay risk (visuals don’t always translate to high copper), access and logistics in Nunavut, and the need to fund an expanded program if results justify it. For those tracking peers in the district, Somerset’s note also references near-project rock chips above 50% Cu on adjacent ground and historic resources nearby—useful context, albeit not directly transferable to SMM’s tenure. 

Bottom line

Somerset is doing exactly what investors ask of early-stage copper explorers: hit beneath the first good intercept, add geophysics to sharpen the picture, and publish the caveats around visuals. If assays corroborate the logged widths and the IP/EM maps a coherent body, Jura North could move quickly from promising section to emerging copper zone along a 7km structure. Until then, the story is set up well, but not de-risked—and the next fortnight’s data flow will tell us whether the thickening at depth is signal or noise.