Drilling supports the likelihood of resource growth at Southern Hemisphere’s Llahuin project in Chile. Pic via Getty Images
Drilling backs Southern Hemisphere’s dream for a resource supporting a 25-year mine life at Llahuin
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- Final assays highlight potential scale of Southern Hemisphere’s Llahuin copper-gold project
- Results reinforce belief the Cerro and Ferro deposits are a single mineralised system
- Broad porphyry-style mineralisation intersected at the large greenfields Southern Porphyry target
Special Report: Drilling has underscored the potential scale of Southern Hemisphere’s Llahuin copper-gold project in Chile following the receipt of more thick intersections of mineralisation from surface.
Llahuin is just 8km from Santiago-listed Pucobre’s El Espino copper-gold mine development, which has a resource of 145Mt at 0.7% copper equivalent (CuEq).
Construction is under way on the ~US$490 million El Espino copper mine, with the proximal infrastructure to Llahuin expected to significantly reduce future development costs for SUH.
Southern Hemisphere Mining’s (ASX:SUH) project also has an open-pittable resource of 169Mt at 0.4% CuEq – most of which is in the higher confidence measured and indicated categories that enable mine planning.
More recently, the company embarked on a drill program to test multiple targets generated from soil geochemistry sampling, which returned hits such as 7.28% copper, 18.65g/t gold and 55g/t silver, to further increase resources up to the level required to support a 25-year mine life.
Initial assays from this program proved beyond a doubt that a sizeable resource upgrade would be on the cards, returning a top hit of 156m @ 0.51% CuEq from surface, including 82m @ 0.67% CuEq from 46m.
This intercept – and a further 136m at 0.47% CuEq hit – indicates that further drilling to test a western extension of the Cerro deposit is warranted.
The drilling also proved that the company’s new structural interpretation and revised drillhole orientation are effective.
More drilling success
SUH has now received the final assays from the drill program that further reinforce the potential scale of the Llahuin project.
All holes intersected mineralisation with the last assays, including a 76m intersection @ 0.44% CuEq from surface, topped by a higher grade 14m interval @ 0.79% CuEq.
The results also advanced the link between the Cerro and Ferro deposits with all three holes drilled in the previously untested area returning significant mineralised intersections.
For SUH, this represents potential for a significant upside as the Cerro-Ferro Link target is ~600m long by 400m wide, with the results indicating the two deposits are a single mineralised system.
This not only confirms the potential to increase the near surface resource, it also provides further confidence in the concept of a root stock or feeder zone beneath – all pointing to a deeper, potentially higher-grade zone for future drilling.
Adding interest, broad porphyry-style mineralisation was intersected by two holes at the large greenfields Southern Porphyry target.
Work is ongoing to identify the best location for follow-up drilling of this potentially extensive mineralised system.
This article was developed in collaboration with Southern Hemisphere Mining, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.
This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.
