Southern Hemisphere hits more broad copper in Chile

Southern Hemisphere Mining has again delivered a swag of broad, near-surface copper hits from its 100 per cent-owned Llahuin copper-gold-molybdenum project in central Chile.

The latest diamond drilling campaign successfully tested for mineralisation below previous reverse circulation (RC) holes, delivering a best intercept of 180 metres at 0.39 per cent copper equivalent from surface at the northern end of a target dubbed the Cerro zone, one of four key mineralised zones in the Llahuin project. That hole also delivered a deeper 30-metre run assaying 0.31 per cent copper equivalent from 214m.

A second hole at the project’s Ferro zone, which sits 1.7 kilometres south of the standout Cerro hit, bored through almost the same length and grade, delivering an emphatic 170m grading 0.37 per cent copper equivalent from just 4m downhole.

Those results build on a string of recent drilling successes at Llahuin and add considerable weight to the company’s ambition to dramatically expand the project’s existing 218-million-tonne JORC-compliant resource.

The latest campaign was designed to test the depth extensions of mineralisation intersected during a 2024 drilling reverse circulation (RC) drilling program, where holes had been stopped short due to water ingress. The ability to now push deeper with diamond tails and hit significant mineralisation has proven to be a technical and geological win for the Perth-based explorer.

The new results follow hot on the heels of assays reported by the company last month, which included an impressive intercept of 154m at 0.66 per cent copper equivalent. Another hit from that round of drilling returned 241m at 0.42 per cent copper equivalent from 18m, of which a 143-metre chunk assayed 0.51 per cent copper equivalent from 36m.

Southern Hemisphere has set itself the task of proving up a massive exploration target of between 260 million and 340 million tonnes to add to its already impressive and existing 218 Mt resource. Management believes the project’s growing scale could underpin a long-life copper operation in one of the world’s most productive copper regions.

The initial results extending Llahuin Copper-Gold south with intersections to 241m are rewarding and proving that there is a lot more to Llahuin than ever previously thought. They underpin the exploration target of 260mt-340mt (adding to the existing JORC compliant resource of 218mt) towards potential resource scale for a long-life copper operation.

Llahuin sits in a highly prospective belt of central Chile, a region known for hosting world-class porphyry copper deposits. The project’s potential is underscored by its proximity to the El Espino copper-gold mine, currently under construction just 8km to the west. El Espino contains an estimated measured and indicated mineral resource of 145 million tonnes grading 0.55 per cent copper and 0.22 grams per tonne gold.

The company’s work at Llahuin has so far defined a large-scale, multi-phase porphyry system within a 7km-long copper corridor. While recent drilling has focused on near-surface mineralisation, historical drilling shows the system clearly still has legs at depth, with one hole in particular returning a stunning high-grade intercept of 106m at 1.69 per cent copper equivalent.

Southern Hemisphere is employing a systematic exploration strategy using modern techniques, including artificial intelligence, drone magnetics and audio-frequency magneto-telluric (AMT) surveys to pinpoint higher-grade zones. The modern tech is backed up by the ever-reliable, old-school boots-on-ground geology, with rock chip sampling and mapping in areas outside the known resource returning bonanza grades up to 17.5 per cent copper.

With a follow-up diamond drilling program slated to kick off next month and a resource upgrade in the works, the newsflow from Southern Hemisphere’s Chilean copper hunt looks set to continue. The company is also investigating low-cost ore beneficiation options, suggesting it is already thinking about its path to production.

With the drill getting set to spin the rods again and what looks like a realistic exploration target capable of launching the project into a different league, Southern Hemisphere appears to be methodically building a solid case for a significant copper operation in a world-renowned tier-one setting.

Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: matt.birney@wanews.com.au