BURSTA Vancouver-based mining company has announced plans to acquire a copper-gold exploration project located between Kitimat and Terrace.
Copper Quest Exploration has entered into an agreement to purchase a 100 per cent interest in the Kitimat Copper-Gold Project, located approximately 10 kilometres northwest of Kitimat. The 2,954-hectare property is accessible by logging and exploration roads, and lies close to tidewater, rail lines and high-voltage hydro infrastructure.
“This project is ideally located with exceptional infrastructure, in a proven geological belt known for hosting major copper-gold systems,” said Brian Thurston, CEO of Copper Quest.
The property lies within the Skeena Mining Division, in a mineral-rich zone known as the Stikine Terrane. Copper Quest plans to focus its exploration on the Jeannette Cu-Au Zone, where previous studies suggest the presence of a larger porphyry copper-gold system.
Drilling on the property has revealed consistent copper and gold deposits between roughly 100 and 120 metres below the surface. Three key drill holes showed over one gram of gold per tonne of rock and around half a per cent copper. According to Copper Quest, the results suggest a strong near-surface deposit that remains open at depth and may extend beyond the areas tested so far.
Under the terms of the acquisition, Copper Quest has until Jan. 5, 2026 to complete its due diligence review. If the purchase proceeds, the company will issue two million common shares to the vendor, Bernie Kreft, on Jan. 6, 2026. The agreement includes a 2.5 per cent net smelter return royalty, with 40 per cent of that royalty eligible for repurchase by the company for $1 million. A finder’s fee will also be paid as part of the transaction.
Kreft is a Canadian prospector and entrepreneur known for his appearance on the Discovery Channel’s Yukon Gold television series.
Copper Quest said it plans to use artificial intelligence to integrate historic and modern geological data to guide further exploration. That may include mapping, sampling and geophysical surveys such as ground magnetics, induced polarization and passive seismic methods. A follow-up drill program is also being considered to test priority targets within the mineralized zone.