The first Bennett Hill drill hole, about 15 km upstream from Eatonville, returned high H₂ near the surface with methane and carbon dioxide below or near detection limits.
Quebec Innovative Materials Company (Private search engine: QIMC) (Otkbk: QIMCF) (FSE: 7FJ) (“QIMC” or the “Company”) is pleased to report preliminary geochemical results for mud gas from the top of diamond drill hole DDH-26-04, the first hole at the Bennett Hill Project in the Advocate District of Nova Scotia.
DDH-26-04 returned high hydrogen (H₂) readings within the first 100 meters of the hole, including 9 meter area with four readings at or above 4.03% H₂ — The upper measurement limit (saturation point) of the field analyzer used during that time period and is reported as lower values due to analyzer saturation. Throughout the hydrogen-rich period, Methane (CH₄) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) were below or near detection limits – A clean geochemical signature that the company interprets as consistent with a structurally controlled natural hydrogen system.
Highlight
- First hydrogen result from Bennett Hill. DDH-26-04 is the inaugural drill hole at Bennett Hill, located approximately 15 kilometers from the company’s Eatonville Road drilling area (West-Advocate), where holes DDH-26-01, DDH-26-02 and DDH-26-03 were drilled.
- Near-surface hydrogen response. Hydrogen was recorded across the upper 100 meters of the hole, including a 9-meter interval with four readings at 4.03% water or more, each of which reached the upper measurement limit of the field analyzer – meaning the true values may be higher, pending laboratory calibration. The company interprets the shallow response as consistent with a potentially active migration pathway capable of transporting hydrogen to near-surface levels.
- Clean hydrogen. Greenhouse gases, including methane (CH₄) and carbon dioxide (CO₂), were below or near detection limits across the hydrogen-rich period.
- Region-level system. The high hydrogen response at Bennett Hill, approximately 15 kilometers from the former Eatonville holes, supports QIMC’s business model for a potential region-wide hydrogen system across the call area.
- Drilling and sampling is ongoing. Hydrogen readings below 100 m are obtained using a higher range instrument and are awaiting review; Results will be reported once available and validated.
Because the initial readings in the upper 100 meters reached the upper measurement limit of 4.03% H₂ (saturation point) of the first EAGLE II analyzer, the company deployed a second EAGLE II unit with a higher measurement range to determine the higher range hydrogen readings encountered below 100 metres. Sampling from the <100 m interval continues with the higher range unit, and these results remain pending.
Hydrogen near the surface
The company interprets hydrogen readings of this near-surface magnitude as indicating an efficient and active migration pathway capable of transporting hydrogen upward, which may be consistent with soil gas hydrogen anomalies previously observed at Bennett Hill. The company interprets the negligible associated CH₄ and CO₂ as being more consistent with a natural hydrogen-rich deepwater source than with a conventional hydrocarbon source. Importantly, this is the first hydrogen response measured during drilling at Bennett Hill, a separately permitted project approximately 15 km west of the Eatonville Road drilling area, which the company interprets as supporting its business model that the hydrogen system may extend across the region rather than being limited to a single target.
The combination of (1) high, near-surface hydrogen, (2) a clean geochemical environment with CH₄ and CO₂ below or near detection, and (3) resulting from a new project area within a multi-target region, supports QIMC’s long-term goal of developing a multi-district portfolio of clean natural hydrogen opportunities.
These results are consolidated into QIMC’s ownership R2G2™ (reactivated fault and geostructure of two grabens) Exploration framework.
Management comment
“DDH-26-04 is our first training result from Bennett Hill, and it is important to our stakeholders: a high, shallow, clean hydrogen response in the first 100 metres, with methane and carbon dioxide under or near detection, including a 9-metre region where four readings reached the upper limit of our field analyzer.” said John Karagiannidis, President and CEO of QIMC. “When the first instrument saturated, we brought in a second EAGLE II instrument with a higher range to correctly identify what was being observed below 100 metres. Bennett Hill is located about 15 kilometers from the Eatonville holes, so the high, shallow, clean hydrogen response supports our model of a possible region-wide hydrogen system. We look forward to reporting calibration results from the deeper interval when they become available.”
Scientific commentary by Professor Mark Richer-Lafleche
Hydrogen concentrations measured in the Bennett Hill DDH-26-04 well clearly demonstrate the predictive power of R2G2™ Model applied to natural hydrogen exploration in the Copequid Highlands of Nova Scotia. Beyond the high H₂ values and very low levels of greenhouse gases (CO₂ and CH₄), the results highlight a broader geological conclusion: the natural hydrogen system identified in the Advocate and Bennett Hill regions operates at a crustal scale. Its continuity along the Copequid Fault Zone reflects the remarkable extent of the Copecoid-Chignecto Fault System, one of the major structural corridors in the offshore.
At the local Bennett Hill scale, the first 100 m of the well are intersected by fractured and heavily oxidized volcanic and intrusive rocks. Gas circulation in this area is controlled by a highly permeable fracture network that cuts through highly efficient shales. Despite the dominance of magmatic rock (both mafic and felsic) at the top of the well, the gas composition closely matches that observed at the Eatonville and Redlands Road drilling sites in West Advocate. This consistency is important: it indicates that hydrogen generation processes occur deep within the continental crust, independently of the surface geology and the specific rock types encountered near the well. Together, these results support the interpretation of a structurally controlled regional natural hydrogen system, the scale and coherence of which opens the door to a new understanding of the natural hydrogen potential within the Copecoed Uplands.
About Quebec Innovative Materials Company (QIMC)
Quebec Innovative Materials Company (Private search engine: QIMC) (Otkbk: QIMCF) (FSE: 7FJ) is a leading North American exploration and development company developing a portfolio of natural hydrogen and significant minerals projects. The company is advancing its model for regional hydrogen exploration across Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia and Minnesota by applying its R2G2™ framework.
QIMC focuses on responsible exploration, technical innovation and development of natural hydrogen opportunities that may contribute to future clean energy development initiatives.
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Quebec Innovative Materials Company
Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its regulation services provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Forward-looking statements
SAMPLING, METHODOLOGY AND DATA VERIFICATION: The mud gas readings contained in this news release are preliminary and are based on co-collected IsoJar headspace samples taken at approximately 3-meter intervals during drilling DDH-26-04. Field readings in the upper 100 m were obtained using an EAGLE II portable gas analyzer; Four readings within the 9 m area reached the analyzer’s upper measurement limit of 4.03% H₂ and were reported as “at or above” that value (i.e. as minimum values). Methane (CH₄) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) were near or below the detection limit of the field analyzer across the reported time interval. A second EAGLE II unit with a higher measurement range was deployed to measure hydrogen readings below 100 metres; Sampling is ongoing and results are pending.
All reported values are subject to independent verification by Professor Mark Richer-Lafleche, P.Geo., of INRS, against certified gas cylinder samples analyzed by a high-precision laboratory reference instrument. Investors are cautioned that mud gas and headspace gas readings are geochemical indicators for the exploration phase only. They are not mineral resources or reserves, do not indicate the presence, volume, flow rate or commercial recoverability of any natural hydrogen accumulation, and should not be relied upon as such. There is no guarantee that high hydrogen readings will translate into an economically recoverable resource.
Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains “forward-looking information” and “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the interpretation and significance of hydrogen readings at DDH-26-04 and other holes; the existence, extent, continuity or scalability of any hydrogen corridor or system; The relationship between Bennett Hill and the Eatonville drilling area; Expected results from sampling at a depth of less than 100 metres; planned, ongoing or future exploration, drilling and development activities; Potential strategic opportunities, technical evaluation, development partnerships or other future business opportunities. Such statements are based on assumptions and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties – including that exploration results may not be confirmed by laboratory analysis, that geochemical indicators may not reflect an extractable resource, and risks related to financing, permits, weather, markets and general economic conditions – that could cause actual results to differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any obligation to update it
