Great Southern Copper (GSCU ) has announced the start of diamond drilling at the Artemisa prospect in Chile, where the focus is copper-molybdenum mineralisation previously identified in a reverse circulation programme.
This delivered a highlight of 106 metres grading 0.33% copper and 42 parts per million molybdenum from surface.
The diamond drilling programme will be followed by a second, more extensive phase of RC drilling, subject to results of the scout diamond drilling.
There is also strong potential to the east and north.
"We are very excited to announce that drilling has also now commenced at Artemisa, where earlier this year the company discovered porphyry copper-moly mineralisation as part of its reconnaissance RC drilling programme targeting porphyry-style alteration identified around the southwest margins of the La Colorada lithocap,” said Sam Garrett, chief executive of Great Southern Copper.
“This short, two-hole programme is designed to provide geological control to the RC drilling and will be followed by a more extensive RC drilling campaign. The discovery at Artemisa is very significant for several reasons, namely it supports GSC’s working hypothesis that the La Colorada lithocap alteration is developed above a porphyry copper mineral system, the outer extent of the lithocap alteration has been eroded, potentially exposing the upper zones of porphyry copper systems, mineralisation in hole RC009 occurs from surface and is of potential economic grade, and the prospect occurs at low altitude, near to the coast and to infrastructure and mining support services.
He added: “Beyond the discovery in hole RC009, the overall results of the scout RC survey have been highly successful, providing very strong exploration vector information indicating that the southwest corner of the La Colorada lithocap is highly prospective for buried porphyry copper systems. Detailed mapping and data compilation of this area of the lithocap are now underway to guide the design of the first drilling programme of the lithocap itself, which we plan to commence within the next 3-6 months.”
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The drilling is a solid next step, but there’s plenty more work to be done. The RC drilling results provide strong alteration vectors toward the southwestern portion of the lithocap, making it a significant exploration target for porphyry copper mineralisation. Detailed mapping of this area of the lithocap is in progress which, combined with analysis of gridded soil geochemistry and ASD mineral spectroscopy, is designed to provide alteration temperature and pH maps which will allow Great Southern to target the hot, acid areas of the lithocap which potentially sit above the porphyry copper systems below. First drilling beneath the lithocap is planned for the next 3-6 months.