VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Coppernico Metals Inc. (TSX: COPR, OTCQB: CPPMF, FSE: 9I3) (“Coppernico” or the “Company”), is pleased to announce that it has acquired an option on mineral concessions aggregating 600 hectares (“ha”) adjacent to its Tipicancha target at its Sombrero Project in Peru. The optioned concessions (the “Horizonte Concessions”) are located in an area where the Company’s expanding Tipicancha epithermal-porphyry system is believed to continue beyond the boundaries of the current Sombrero Project. In 2025, while in discussions regarding the Horizonte Concessions, Coppernico staked an additional 1,400 ha of surrounding mineral concessions. Together, these concessions substantially enhance the land position at Tipicancha, which is a priority target given its strong indicators of potential porphyry source at depth.
Figure 1: Current Sombrero footprint covers approximately 57,000 ha.
Ivan Bebek, Chair and CEO of Coppernico, commented, “In the past nine years exploring the Sombrero district, we have both rationalized and acquired ground that we continue to explore with the thesis that we have extended the Andahuaylas-Yauri belt to the west. We are pleased to have secured these strategic concessions prior to the commencement of drilling at our adjacent Tipicancha target, where we are currently in the process of seeking drilling permits.”
Terms of the Horizonte Concessions Option Agreement
The option agreement is between the arms-length owner of the concessions covering the 600 ha, Exploraciones Horizonte Gold S.A.C. (the “Optionor”) and the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Sombrero Minerales S.A.C. The subsidiary has been granted immediate rights to conduct exploration activities on the Horizonte Concessions and may purchase them by completing US$3.0 million in staged work expenditures over a five-year period and making total payments of US$2.0 million. The agreement provides Coppernico with full operational control of the concessions during the option period, allowing the Company to advance exploration programs, including geophysical surveys and drilling.
If the option is exercised, the Optionor will retain a 1% net smelter return (“NSR”) royalty on future production. Coppernico retains the right to reduce the NSR to 0.5% at any time within 10 years of the NSR being established, through a one-time payment of US$1.0 million.
The Horizonte Concessions are currently in good standing, with no known encumbrances or environmental liabilities, and all required payments have been maintained. Coppernico intends to commence initial exploration activities in the near term.
Figure 2: Map of the greater Tipicancha target area showing Coppernico concessions and newly optioned Horizonte Concessions with surface sample and drill hole locations.
Tipicancha Target and Project Expansion
Tipicancha is a large-scale copper-gold target defined by an approximately 2 kilometre (“km”) by 1 km advanced-argillic lithocap developed in andesitic volcanics, characterized by alunite-kaolinite and variable silica alteration. Within this footprint, localized exposures of massive to semi-massive pyrite breccias have returned significant copper (“Cu”) values in surface channel sampling, including 22 metres (“m”) of 0.65% Cu, including 10 m of 1.14% Cu (true widths unknown; see news release dated May 21, 2025). This style of copper-bearing breccia is commonly interpreted as evidence of leakage from a fertile porphyry system at depth, making Tipicancha a compelling high-impact target.
The newly added concessions are strategically positioned immediately to the south of the Tipicancha target, expanding Coppernico's ground coverage over a zone of altered volcanic rocks consistent with higher levels and/or lower temperature expressions of lithocap alteration. Within the Horizonte Concessions, located approximately 2.5 km south of Tipicancha, is an area that was subject to a condensed historical exploration program by Minera del Suroeste S.A.C. between 2006 and 2007 as part of a joint venture with Newmont. This historical work included approximately 1:10,000-scale geological mapping, surface rock sampling, and the completion of three short reverse-circulation (“RC”) drill holes. Mapping documented advanced argillic alteration assemblages including silica-alunite alteration, vuggy silica, silica breccias and structurally controlled silicified zones, as well as steeply dipping to near-vertical gold-bearing structures identified at surface, consistent with the upper levels of a high-sulfidation epithermal system. Surface sampling defined a coherent geochemical footprint over an approximately 800 m by 500 m sample area, characterized by anomalous to locally high gold and silver values with strong associated arsenic, antimony and mercury anomalies. These datasets were subsequently compiled and interpreted in a 2009 academic thesis based on the Minera del Suroeste exploration program authored by Herrera Fernández, Helmut (2009).
The historical drill program comprised three near-vertical RC drill holes spaced approximately 260 m to 300 m apart, with total depths ranging from 89 m to 172 m. The drill holes intersected extensive hydrothermal alteration and locally anomalous gold values; however, mineralized intervals were short and the program did not effectively test the system at depth or along interpreted structural trends. Coppernico currently interprets these historical results to represent the upper, typically weakly mineralized portion of a vertically extensive hydrothermal system.
Recent geological mapping completed by Coppernico immediately to the north, at the broader Tipicancha target, provides an expanded and deeper erosional view into the system and demonstrates vertical and lateral alteration zonation consistent with a transition from high-sulfidation epithermal conditions toward the base of a lithocap, with potential for porphyry-related mineralization at depth. The Company considers these concessions to be at an early stage of exploration and strategically important for advancing a district-scale geological model and vectoring toward higher-potential mineralized zones within the Tipicancha system.
Table 1: Historical Surface Sampling Results from the Horizonte Concessions
| Element (ppm) | Samples below detection limit | Median | Mean | P90 | Max |
| Au | 28 | 0.03 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 10.7 |
| Ag | 19 | 1.0 | 18.5 | 31.1 | 526.0 |
| As | 0 | 33.1 | 81.6 | 213.5 | 1975.0 |
| Hg | 1 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 2.3 | 24.1 |
| Sb | 31 | 3.0 | 13.6 | 28.5 | 318.0 |
| Bi | 10 | 4.2 | 40.2 | 74.0 | 715.0 |
Table 1 Notes: A total of 136 surface rock samples were compiled from Herrera Fernández, Helmut (2009). Analytical results below detection limit are encoded as negative values in the historical dataset. The assumed analytical detection limits are Au 5 ppb (0.005 ppm), Ag 0.2 ppm, Sb 2 ppm, Hg 0.01 ppm, and Bi 2 ppm, inferred from the negative coded values. For statistical summaries, results below detection were assigned values equal to one-half of the detection limit (½DL). These results could not be verified by the Company and there is insufficient information regarding sampling procedures, analytical methods, and QA/QC to assess reliability. The historical surface mapping, sampling and drill data have been compiled from a B.Sc. thesis titled “Evolución geológica y perspectivas del potencial del sistema de alta sulfuración en estructuras del Prospecto Tipicancha (Ayacucho-Perú)”, authored by Herrera Fernández, Helmut (2009), Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Perú (available via Cybertesis UNMSM: https://cybertesis.unmsm.edu.pe/handle/20.500.12672/2640).
Table 2: Historical RC Drill Hole Details from the Horizonte Concessions
| Hole ID | Easting (UTM) | Northing (UTM) | Dip (deg) | Azimuth (deg) | Total Depth (m) | Key Observations |
| RCD-TP-009 | 556960 | 8456840 | 85 | 300 | 109 | Altered volcanic rocks; localized Au anomalism |
| RCD-TP-010 | 556810 | 8456630 | 85 | 140 | 172 | Hydrothermal breccias; localized Au anomalism |
| RCD-TP-011 | 556790 | 8457100 | 75 | 110 | 89 | Oxide–mixed–sulfide transition; Ag-rich structures reported |
Table 2 Notes: Drill hole information and historical surface mapping, sampling and drill data have been compiled from a B.Sc. thesis titled “Evolución geológica y perspectivas del potencial del sistema de alta sulfuración en estructuras del Prospecto Tipicancha (Ayacucho-Perú)”, authored by Herrera Fernández, Helmut (2009), Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Perú (available via Cybertesis UNMSM: https://cybertesis.unmsm.edu.pe/handle/20.500.12672/2640). These results could not be verified by the Company and there is insufficient information regarding sampling procedures, analytical methods, and QA/QC to assess reliability.
Tim Kingsley, VP Exploration of Coppernico Metals, commented, “The Horizonte Concessions, together with our recent land package expansion, provide coverage over altered volcanic rocks that represent higher-level and/or lower-temperature expressions of the Tipicancha lithocap and enhance our understanding of the system at surface. Although the historical exploration is limited in scope, the mapped advanced argillic alteration, sub-vertical structures and coherent As-Sb-Hg geochemical signature are strong indicators of a large, well-developed hydrothermal system. These independent observations and datasets help validate the structural framework and alteration zonation we are defining and reinforce the scale and exploration potential of the broader Tipicancha target.”
Technical Disclosure and Qualified Person
The scientific and technical information contained in this news release was reviewed and approved by Tim Kingsley, M.Sc., CPG, Coppernico’s Vice President of Exploration, who is a “Qualified Person” as defined in NI 43-101.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Ivan Bebek
Chair & CEO
For further information, please contact:
Coppernico Metals Inc.
Phone: +1 778 729 0600
Email: info@coppernicometals.com
Website: www.coppernicometals.com
Twitter: @CoppernicoMetal
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/coppernico-metals/
About Coppernico
Coppernico is a mineral exploration company focused on creating value for shareholders and stakeholders through diligent project evaluation and exploration, in pursuit of the discovery of large-scale high-grade copper-gold deposits in the Americas. The Company’s management and technical teams have a successful track record of raising capital, discovery and the monetization of exploration successes. The Company's objective is to become a leading advanced copper and gold explorer, and through its wholly owned Peruvian subsidiary Sombrero Minerales S.A.C., is currently focused on the Ccascabamba (previously referred to as Sombrero Main) and Nioc target areas within the Sombrero Project in Peru, its flagship project, while regularly reviewing additional premium projects to consider for acquisition.
The Sombrero Project is a land package of approximately 57,000 hectares (570 square kilometres) located in the north-western margins of the world-renowned Andahuaylas-Yauri trend in Peru. It consists of a number of prospective exploration targets characterized by copper-gold skarn and porphyry systems and precious metal epithermal systems. The Company’s NI 43-101 technical report, with an effective date of April 17, 2024, and as filed on SEDAR+ on May 23, 2024, focuses on the Ccascabamba and Nioc target areas of the Sombrero Project. The Tipichanca target was determined subsequent to the date of that report.
Common shares of Coppernico Metals Inc. are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol “COPR”, trades on the OTCQB Venture Market under symbol “CPPMF” and is quoted over the counter by certain dealers in the Unofficial Market of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol “9I3”. More information about Coppernico can be found on the Company’s profile on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca).
Cautionary Note
No regulatory organization has approved the contents hereof.
This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation (collectively, “forward-looking statements”). Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as “may”, “should”, “anticipate”, “expect”, “intend” and similar expressions and include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: the interpretation of recent and historical geological, geochemical and geophysical data; the prospectivity of the newly added concessions, including the Horizonte Concessions, and their strategic importance to the Sombrero Project; the Company's plans for future exploration, including drilling; the potential to identify porphyry-related mineralization at depth; the Company's ability to meet the exercise requirements under the Horizonte option agreement; and the Company’s ability to secure the necessary financing to fund such exploration activities. No certainty can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included in this news release should not be heavily relied upon. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company’s control, which could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Readers should refer to the risks discussed in the Company’s 2025 Annual Information Form and other continuous disclosure filings with the Canadian Securities Administrators, available at www.sedarplus.ca. These factors are not, and should not be construed as being, exhaustive. Accordingly, readers should not place heavy reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this new release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Any forward-looking information and the assumptions made with respect thereto speaks only as of the date of this news release. The Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information after the date of this news release to conform such information to actual results or to changes in the Company’s expectations except as otherwise required by applicable legislation.
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