QIMC Reports Record 24.3% Clean Natural Hydrogen at Bennett Hill DDH-26-04 and Begins Technical Evaluation of Pilot-Scale Development Pathway and Clean Energy Generation
QIMC Reports Record 24.3% Clean Natural
Hydrogen at Bennett Hill DDH-26-04 and
Begins Technical Evaluation of Pilot-Scale
Development Pathway and Clean Energy
Generation
Multiple Percent-Level Hydrogen Readings and a Consistently Clean, Near-Zero Methane Gas
Signature Across Four Drill Holes at Two Drill Centres 15 Kilometres Apart Support QIMC's
District-Scale Natural Hydrogen Energy Model
Peak mud-gas reading of
24.3% H
₂
recorded at 707 metres in DDH-26-04 - the highest single
hydrogen reading yet recorded across QIMC's four-hole 2026 Advocate Area drilling program
Six readings ≥ 10% H
₂
and 46 readings ≥ 1% H
₂
recorded across the newly reported 250 m to
818 m interval of DDH-26-04, out of 284 mud-gas samples collected across the full hole
Percent-level hydrogen sustained to within 39 metres (from 764 to 803 m) at the end of hole DDH-
26-04 (11.4% H
₂
at 779 m); methane recorded at approximately 0%, CO
₂
at or below 0.2% and
SO
₂
at 0.01% ± 0.01% throughout, consistent with the low-methane signature reported at DDH-26-
01, -02 and -03
DDH-26-04 completed to a final depth of 818 metres at Bennett Hill, Nova Scotia
Combined with DDH-26-01, DDH-26-02 and DDH-26-03 at Eatonville Road, results support a
working model of a hydrogen system extending across at least 15 kilometres of the Cobequid-
Chedabucto Fault Zone
Company beginning technical evaluation of the pathway toward pilot-scale characterization and
clean energy generation of the Advocate Area clean hydrogen system
Montreal, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - July 20, 2026) -
Quebec Innovative Materials Corp. (CSE:
QIMC) (OTCQB: QIMCF) (FSE: 7FJ) ("QIMC" or the "Company")
today reported new mud-gas
geochemical results from the 250-metre to 818-metre interval (final depth) of diamond drill hole DDH-26-
04 at Bennett Hill, Nova Scotia, including a peak reading of 24.3% H
₂
at 707 metres. The results build
on the Company's June 29, 2026 disclosure of a 16.0% H
₂
peak at 236 metres over the 100 m to 250 m
interval of the same hole, and complete the DDH-26-04 hydrogen dataset from surface to final depth.
Taken together with previously reported results from DDH-26-01, DDH-26-02 and DDH-26-03 at the
Eatonville Road area — approximately 15 kilometres from Bennett Hill — the Company considers the
DDH-26-04 results to be an important data point supporting its working geological model of a district-
scale, structurally controlled clean natural hydrogen system across the Advocate Area and Canada's
longest reported clean natural hydrogen corridor and system.
Highlights – DDH-26-04 (250 m – 818 m Interval, Final Depth)
Peak and repeated high-range readings.
A peak reading of 24.3% H
₂
at 707 metres, together
with 19.2% H
₂
at 674 m, 18.1% H
₂
at 671 m, 12.4% H
₂
at 665 m, 11.9% H
₂
at 287 m, 11.4% H
₂
at 779 m, and 9.8% H
₂
at 668 m.
Broadly elevated, not isolated.
Of 284 co-collected IsoJar mud-gas samples across the
full
hole
(14 m-815 m), 104 returned readings at or above 1% H
₂
, 23 at or above 5% H
₂
, and 10 at or
above 10% H
₂
— consistent with the Company's characterization of repeated, rather than single,
elevated readings.
Sustained toward final depth.
Percent-level readings continued to within 39 metres of the
bottom of the hole (11.4% H
₂
at 779 m; 8.3% H
₂
at 776 m), indicating the system remained open
and did not weaken toward the base of DDH-26-04.
Low-methane, low-CO
₂
signature maintained.
Methane (CH
₄
) was recorded at approximately
0% and carbon dioxide (CO
₂
) at or below 0.2% across the 250-818 m interval, consistent with the
hydrogen-dominant, low-methane and low-CO
₂
gas signature reported at DDH-26-01, DDH-26-02
and DDH-26-03.
Corroborating headspace data.
Companion 2-litre bottle headspace sampling across the 281-
818 m interval returned hydrogen enrichment in similar intervals (for example,
1.3
% H
₂
-equivalent
at 371 m), at generally lower absolute values consistent with the greater dilution inherent to the
headspace method as described in prior Company disclosures.
Hole complete.
DDH-26-04 was completed to a final depth of 818 metres.
Geological and Structural Observations – DDH-26-04
DDH-26-04 was collared on or about June 9, 2026 at a planned azimuth of 355° (northwest) per the
Diamond Drill Report header and completed at a final downhole depth of 818 metres. Downhole survey
measurements filed with the updated Diamond Drill Report record hole bearings of approximately 356°
to 012° (true north) along the hole and a dip of approximately -69° at the first survey station (-14 m),
progressively flattening to approximately -51° by 794 m. All depths in this release are downhole (core-
length) measurements; owing to this deviation, true vertical depths are shallower — on a preliminary
minimum-curvature basis, approximately 705 metres at end of hole and approximately 620 metres at the
707 m peak reading. The hole intersects a structurally complex package dominated by variably
deformed syenogranite intruded by mafic dykes and, in its upper 43 metres, mafic volcanic rock, with a
discrete zone of faulted sedimentary screens (siltstone, argillite and polymictic sedimentary breccia)
between approximately 409 m and 425 m - interpreted as a fault-bound block consistent with the
Company's R2G2™ (Reactivated Rift and Graben Geostructure) exploration model.
Pervasive brittle structure, not a single fault.
The updated Diamond Drill Report records 32
intervals of fault breccia (between approximately 132 m and 538 m) and 86 discrete intervals of
broken core (between approximately 48 m and 652 m), together with a discrete fault zone and
associated fault gouge at 17.1-17.8 m — indicating that roughly the upper 650 metres of DDH-26-
04 is affected by distributed faulting and fracturing rather than a single, isolated structure, with the
most intense fracturing concentrated above approximately 250 metres.
The highest hydrogen interval sits within a healed structural corridor.
The 665-707 m
interval hosting the hole's strongest readings, including the 24.3% H
₂
peak at 707 m, lies within a
variably deformed mafic dyke-syenogranite complex described in field logs as containing
hydrothermal, quartz- and hematite-healed breccia and fracture sets oriented over a wide range of
angles to the core axis — consistent with a repeatedly reactivated structural corridor. Core quality
(RQD) through this interval remains generally high (75-100%), indicating the fracture network here
is substantially healed rather than open rubble.
A direct structural-gas correlation at 776-779 m.
Core-quality data show the only interval of 0%
RQD logged in the hole at 776-779 m — where the field log records near-total core loss
(approximately 20 cm of core recovered over the 3-metre run) and queries a possible open void —
and where magnetic susceptibility also falls to approximately 0 SI×10
⁻
³ over 777-778 m against a
local background of 3-5 SI×10
⁻
³ - both consistent with a discrete, more intensely broken structural
break. This interval directly brackets two of the strongest readings in the lower part of the hole
(8.3% H
₂
at 776 m and 11.4% H
₂
at 779 m), providing one of the clearest direct correlations yet
observed on the project between a specific structural feature and elevated hydrogen.
Pressurized water zone at approximately 617 m.
Company field personnel have reported a
pressurized water interval at approximately 617 m encountered during drilling of DDH-26-04, with
water observed overflowing at surface at the wellhead. The Diamond Drill Report logs a mm-scale
fault gouge at 618.9 m and an associated pyrite clot at 616.65 m in this same interval, consistent
with a hydraulically active structure at this depth.
Competent, low-porosity relatively undeformed syenogranite above the deep hydrogen
zone.
On a preliminary basis, the Company interprets the thick, dominantly syenogranitic block
between approximately 250 m and 640 m as a competent, low-porosity interval with the potential to
act as a comparatively impermeable cap above the deeper 665-818 m hydrogen-bearing zone.
Diamond Drill Report data support a tight rock-mass characterization of this block: core recovery
is logged at 100% throughout, with Rock Quality Designation (RQD) averaging approximately 90%
(median 93%) and no logged sub-interval falling below approximately 57% — markedly more
competent than the pervasively faulted upper 250 metres of the hole. Field logs repeatedly
describe the block as massive and silicified — including "texturally and mineralogically constant"
from 486.1 m to 535.3 m and an "overall silicified section" at 575-577 m — with fracture and
breccia sets dominantly healed by quartz, hematite and silica infill, including, in the brecciated
syenogranite toward the base of the block, the explicit observation that "quartz-filled fractures do
not extend into the matrix." Notably, open porosity (vugginess) is essentially absent from the field
logs across the 250-640 m block — in sharp contrast to the vug-rich, altered interval below
approximately 700 m — consistent with a low-porosity fractured granitic mass. Petrophysical
samples of the block (PSQIMC-26-136 through PSQIMC-26-140, between approximately 484 m
and 579 m) have been collected and laboratory porosity and permeability results are pending.
Diamond Drill Report additionally records four petrophysical samples through the deeper altered
zone (PSQIMC-26-144 through PSQIMC-26-147, approximately 694 m to 782 m), which will allow
direct laboratory comparison of the proposed sealing block against the vuggy, altered interval
beneath it.
Increasing alteration intensity from approximately 690 m to final depth.
Field logs for the
690-818 m interval repeatedly note increasing vugginess (open porosity) with depth — including at
700-702 m (logged as "core locally very vuggy"), 718-719 m, 741-752 m, 767 m, 773-776 m, 783-
785 m, 791-803 m and 804-806 m — together with increasing hematization (for example, 742.0-
745.7 m is logged as "intense K-spar to hematitic alteration resulting in a salmon-pink color," with
further hematization at 768.7-769.7 m and 804-806 m), increasingly intense brecciation from
approximately 741 m to 759 m, and, at 801-803 m, vugs explicitly associated in the field log with
"removal of 'dark' mineral (likely magnetite) from breccia matrix." Taken together, these
observations are consistent with progressive, structurally controlled magnetite-to-hematite (Fe²
⁺
-
to-Fe³
⁺
) redox alteration and increasing rock porosity with depth toward final hole depth, in a
package of granite that field logs otherwise describe as increasingly fractured and "tortured" -
texturally consistent with rock that has undergone repeated interaction with an actively altering fluid.
Preliminary IOCG-style alteration analogy — assays to be submitted for laboratory
analysis.
The combination of pervasive structural and hydrothermal brecciation, hematite-rich
alteration, and localized magnetite destruction/redistribution documented in DDH-26-04 is
texturally similar to alteration styles observed in Iron-Oxide-Copper-Gold ("IOCG") mineral systems
elsewhere. In particular, the Diamond Drill Report documents a long, continuously altered interval
from approximately 690 m to final depth at 818 m in which iron-oxide minerals are more
concentrated than elsewhere in the hole: interstitial and elongated magnetite (mm-wide, cm-long
grains aligned along the fabric) is logged throughout the host syenogranite, together with pervasive
K-spar-to-hematite alteration — including 742.0-745.7 m, logged as "intense K-spar to hematitic
alteration resulting in a salmon-pink color," further hematization at 768.7-769.7 m and around 805
m, and, at 801-803 m, vugs associated in the field log with removal of a dark mineral from the
breccia matrix. Core samples spanning this altered interval, including lithogeochemical samples
K685299 through K685302 (approximately 694 m to 783 m), will be submitted to the laboratory for
assay analysis.
District-Wide Context: Four Holes, One Structural Corridor
DDH-26-04 is located at Bennett Hill, approximately 15 kilometres from the Eatonville Road drill area
where DDH-26-01, DDH-26-02 and DDH-26-03 were completed earlier in the 2026 program. Previously
disclosed results from DDH-26-01, DDH-26-02 and DDH-26-03 are described in the Company's news
releases dated March 10, March 19, May 20, June 18 and June 29, 2026; depth references reflect
measurements recorded at each hole and are not equivalent calibrated values between holes.
The Company considers the combination of (i) percent-level hydrogen at two structural centres 15
kilometres apart, (ii) a consistent low-methane, low-CO
₂
gas signature across all four holes, and (iii)
hydrogen concentrations that remain elevated or increase with depth in every hole drilled to date, to be
supportive of a district-scale, rather than point-source, natural hydrogen system along the regional
Cobequid-Chedabucto Fault Zone. The 24.3% H
₂
reading at 707 metres in DDH-26-04 is, on a
preliminary basis, the highest single mud-gas hydrogen reading reported by the Company to date
across the Advocate Area.
Toward Commercial Development
QIMC is evaluating what a hydrogen system of this apparent scale and consistency could mean for a
longer-term pilot or commercial development pathway at the Advocate Area. This evaluation includes
ongoing monitoring of, and engagement with, evolving provincial and federal frameworks applicable to
natural hydrogen exploration, pilot testing and future production in Nova Scotia, Québec and Ontario as
well as evaluation of potential technical and development partnerships to advance any future pilot-scale
production model.
Management Commentary
"DDH-26-04 is a milestone hole for QIMC — and, we believe, a meaningful moment for clean natural
hydrogen in North America. We set out this season to answer one question: is the Advocate Area a
single anomaly, or a district? Four holes in, the data increasingly point to a district. We now have
percent-level hydrogen at two drill centres 15 kilometres apart, a peak reading of 24.3% H
₂
- the
strongest number we have ever recorded - hydrogen that holds or strengthens with depth in every
hole, and a remarkably clean, low-methane gas signature throughout. Just as important, DDH-26-04
is starting to reveal the architecture of the system itself: a thick, competent granitic block sitting directly
above the deepest and richest hydrogen zone we have drilled to date. Every hole this year has
materially advanced the story, and we move into the next phase with the strongest dataset in the
Company's history and a clear line of sight on what a pilot pathway could look like. This is systematic,
science-led exploration, and we believe it is exactly how durable, long-term value gets built for our
shareholders,"
John Karagiannidis, President & Chief Executive Officer of QIMC.
Scientific Review and Commentary
DDH-26-04 drill hole, located at the summit of Bennett Hill, was designed to continue evaluating the
Advocate natural hydrogen corridor, and more specifically its presumed northeastward extension along
the deformation corridor situated between the South Cobequid and North Cobequid faults in Fraserville
area. This area of the Cobequid Highlands is characterized by a predominantly igneous geology,
dominated by felsic intrusive rocks associated with the Carboniferous Apple River pluton. The igneous
rocks in the vicinity of the drill site are highly deformed and altered, and they coincide with strong
hydrogen soil-gas anomalies identified during the initial 2025 survey. Together with Soil-Gas
geochemistry and drilling results from West Advocate, these anomalies demonstrated the presence of a
multi-kilometre natural hydrogen system, thereby validating the R2G2™ model originally applied to
prioritize exploration in this part of the Maritimes.
DDH-26-04 drill hole begins in basaltic rocks to the south and quickly intersects the felsic units of the
Apple River pluton. At Bennett Hill, the pluton is composed mainly of variably deformed syenogranite,
and it also contains aphyric mafic dykes. The dominant structural fabrics include tectonic and
hydrothermal breccias, zones of intensely fractured rock (low RQD), fault planes, and, more rarely, fault
gouge. As highlighted in the press release, the felsic rocks of the pluton are locally affected by strong
alteration characterized by hematite, magnetite, and chlorite, with additional zones of silicification and
carbonatization. Sulfides occur in several intervals, typically associated with intensely altered zones. The
style, mineralogy, and thickness of these alteration zones are consistent with an IOCG-type hydrothermal
system. It is worth noting that numerous IOCG-style occurrences have been documented along the
Cobequid Fault Zone over a strike length of approximately 300 km. However, the western segments of
the system, such as Advocate and Bennett Hill, were not previously recognized as hosting this type of
hydrothermal mineralization. In this context, both the location of DDH-26-04 and the substantial volume of
altered felsic rocks intersected in the drill hole are particularly significant.
Figure 1.
Diagram showing the changes in H
2
(ppmV) concentrations (drill mud) measured in hole
DDH-26-04 and the magnetic susceptibility measurements and RQD (%) measured on the drill core.
The main lithologies and some structural elements are also shown in the figure.
To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7968/305760_89c578e76471ca65_001full.jpg
A redundancy analysis (RDA) was conducted to provide a preliminary assessment of the relationship
between hydrogen concentrations (H
₂
, log
₁₀
-transformed) measured in the drilling mud from DDH-26-04
and the distance (in metres) separating each measurement point from the nearest breccia zone, fault
gouge, or fault mirror (slickenside), while also accounting for geological unit. The model explains 21.0%
of the variance in log
₁₀
(H
₂
), a statistically significant result (p = 0.001). The distance to the nearest
breccia zone is the strongest predictor: H
₂
concentrations decrease significantly with increasing
distance from breccia, supporting the interpretation that breccia zones act as preferential conduits for
gas migration. Distance to the nearest fault mirror is also significant, but in the opposite direction
because H
2
concentrations increase with greater distance indicating that these striated surfaces
represent sheared and sealed planes, not open pathways for hydrogen flow.
Geology contributes more modestly once structural distances are accounted for (partial R² = 5.1%, p =
0.016), with undeformed syenogranite showing significantly lower H
₂
concentrations than deformed
syenogranite. These results reinforce the hypothesis of a direct structural control on H
₂
migration
governed primarily by proximity to breccia zones. This observation is consistent with previous
interpretations from drill holes DDH-26-01, DDH-26-02, and DDH-26-03, which highlighted the
importance of intensely fractured competent rocks in the hydrogen emplacement process within the main
deformation corridor of the Cobequid Fault Zone. The correlation between hydrogen concentrations and
magnetic susceptibility is very weak, indicating that magnetite-rich intervals are not reliable indicators of
hydrogen presence. However, elevated magnetic susceptibility values do reveal an anomalous
abundance of magnetite in the Apple River granitoids, pointing to the influence of a powerful IOCG-type
hydrothermal system that affected the local igneous rocks. IOCG systems require high structural
permeability, breccia zones, reactivated faults, and a network of penetrative fractures in granitoids-the
same conditions necessary for natural hydrogen migration. Such systems create fractured, altered, and
permeable structural corridors that persist over geological time. Millions of years later, these inherited
corridors have become the preferred migration pathways for natural H
₂
, as observed in the Advocate
and Bennett Hill areas.
About Québec Innovative Materials Corp. (QIMC)
Québec Innovative Materials Corp. (CSE: QIMC) (OTCQB: QIMCF) (FSE: 7FJ) is a North American
exploration and development company advancing a portfolio of natural hydrogen and critical mineral
interests. The Company is advancing its exploration model across Québec, Ontario, Nova Scotia and
Minnesota through the application of its proprietary R2G2™ (Reactivated Rift and Graben Geostructure)
framework. QIMC is focused on responsible exploration, technical innovation, and the advancement of
natural hydrogen opportunities that may contribute to future clean-energy development initiatives. The
Company's exploration at the Advocate Area involves no hydraulic fracturing and no reservoir
stimulation.
For Further Information
QUÉBEC INNOVATIVE MATERIALS CORP.
John Karagiannidis
President & Chief Executive Officer
Email:
Tel: +1 514-726-7058
Sampling, Methodology and Data Verification
Mud-gas readings reported in this release are preliminary and are based on co-collected IsoJar
headspace samples taken at regular depth intervals during the drilling of DDH-26-04, using a
portable EAGLE II gas analyzer fitted with a higher measurement range than the unit used in the
upper 100 metres, consistent with the methodology disclosed by the Company on June 18 and June
29, 2026. Companion 2-litre bottle headspace samples were collected using the Company's standard
headspace protocol (1,300 mL water / 700 mL air at room temperature and pressure) as described in
the Company's March 10, 2026 disclosure for DDH-26-01.
The results in this release below 250 metres have been compiled from the Company's original
handwritten field and laboratory data sheets.
They have been independently verified against
certified gas cylinder standards under the supervision of Prof. Marc Richer-LaFlèche, P.Geo., of
INRS, prior to any public disclosure.
Scientific and Technical Information
The scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Prof.
Marc Richer-LaFlèche, P.Geo., of the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS), a technical
consultant to the Company.
Natural hydrogen is a gaseous substance and is not a "mineral resource" or "mineral reserve" as
those terms are defined under National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral
Projects ("NI 43-101") and the CIM Definition Standards. The hydrogen readings disclosed in this
news release are provided as exploration-stage geochemical information and general corporate
disclosure. NI 43-101 mineral resource and mineral reserve definitions and classifications do not
apply to the hydrogen readings reported herein.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Mud-Gas Readings
Investors are cautioned that mud-gas and headspace gas readings are preliminary, exploration-stage
geochemical indicators only. They are preliminary laboratory measurements obtained from IsoJar
headspace samples. They are not mineral resources or mineral reserves, are not indicative of the
presence, volume, concentration, flow rate, deliverability or commercial recoverability of any natural
hydrogen accumulation, and should not be relied upon as such. There is no guarantee that elevated
hydrogen readings will be independently verified, calibrated, or translate into an economically
recoverable resource. References to "record," "highest," "strongest" or similar terms reflect the
Company's review of its own records and are not statements of independently verified fact.
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 news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the
meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, including 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 Road drill area; any potential pilot-scale or commercial hydrogen production pathway,
partnership or regulatory development; and results expected from continued sampling, drilling, and
laboratory calibration. Such statements are based on assumptions and are subject to known and
unknown risks and uncertainties — including that readings may not be confirmed by laboratory
analysis, that geochemical indicators may not reflect a recoverable resource, that no decision has
been made to proceed with pilot or commercial production, and risks relating to financing, permitting,
weather, markets and general economic conditions — that may cause actual results to differ
materially from those expressed or implied. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on
forward-looking statements. Except as required by applicable law, the Company disclaims any
obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.
To view the source version of this press release, please visit
https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/305760