Key Takeaways:
Quebec Innovative Materials Corp. (CSE: QIMC) (OTCQB: QIMCF) reported natural hydrogen mud-gas readings with a peak concentration of 10.77 percent from a drill hole at its West-Advocate project in Nova Scotia, the highest value recorded on the property to date.
"DDH-26-03 delivers QIMC's highest H₂ mud-gas readings to date on the West-Advocate property, a 10.77% H₂ reading at 848 metres," John Karagiannidis, CEO of QIMC, said. "The double-digit peak is the headline number, but the more important findings, in our view, are the apparent lateral continuity observed over a 2.5-kilometre scale and the near absence of methane and CO2."
The results from hole DDH-26-03 included five stacked readings of at least 5 percent hydrogen over a 69-metre interval between 779 and 848 metres deep. The gas mixture was notably free of methane and carbon dioxide, which the company interprets as a signature consistent with an abiogenic natural hydrogen system rather than a conventional thermogenic gas discovery.
The finding supports the view that the hydrogen system may be structurally extensive, as the well was a 2.5-kilometre step-out from previous drill holes that showed much lower concentrations. The company now plans to deepen a previous well and drill two new holes 12.5 kilometres away to test for further continuity.
The exploration results from hole DDH-26-03 suggest the potential for a large-scale natural hydrogen system. The hole, drilled to a final depth of 932 metres, yielded 26 readings exceeding 1 percent H₂ from 102 samples. The peak value of 10.77 percent at 848 metres compares to a previous high of just 0.82 percent from hole DDH-26-02, located 2.5 kilometres away.
The high-concentration hydrogen was found within a vuggy, magnetite and pyrrhotite-bearing polymictic conglomerate, a geological formation consistent with the company's exploration model targeting fault-and-fracture systems as pathways for deep-sourced hydrogen. Analysis by Prof. Marc Richer-Laflèche of INRS, an independent scientific analyst for the project, noted a clear correlation between these magnetite-rich conglomerates and the highest H₂ concentrations.
Across the entire sampled interval, methane was at or below a 0.1 percent detection limit, a key indicator for so-called "white" hydrogen. This distinguishes the discovery from typical hydrocarbon gas systems, which are dominated by methane.
Following the high-grade results, QIMC has remobilized its drill rig to deepen hole DDH-26-02, which was previously paused at 500 metres. The goal is to test the same 800-900 metre depth window that yielded the percent-level readings in the latest hole.
The company will then move approximately 12.5 kilometres along the Cobequid-Chedabucto Fault Zone to drill two new holes, DDH-26-04 and DDH-26-05, at its Bennett Hill project. This next phase of drilling will target an area where a 2025 soil-gas survey delineated a four-kilometre anomalous hydrogen trend. The company said the latest drill results provide field-scale support for using surface soil-gas anomalies to target subsurface accumulations.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
