Deep Drilling Campaign Hits Promising Copper Indicators in Chilean Andes
Joint venture partners FMR Resources and Southern Hemisphere Mining are making significant strides in their quest to uncover a major copper porphyry system at the Llahuin project in Chile. Recent deep diamond drilling operations have yielded encouraging visual evidence of mineralisation, suggesting the teams may be closing in on the heart of a substantial copper-gold-molybdenum deposit.
Drilling Exceeds Planned Depth to Reveal Sulphide Mineralisation
The second diamond hole of the phase one drilling program was originally planned to reach 1400 metres. However, as drillers observed tantalising signs of alteration and sulphide veining in the core samples, they decided to continue drilling, eventually reaching a final depth of 1490 metres. This additional effort appears to have paid substantial dividends.
From approximately 1336 metres down to around 1438 metres, the drill hole intersected multiple zones containing sulphide-bearing veinlets and disseminations. Most notably, the core samples revealed visible chalcopyrite – the primary copper sulphide mineral – along with molybdenite. These minerals serve as classic indicators of the outer zones surrounding a porphyry copper-gold-molybdenum system.
Advanced Analysis to Pinpoint Porphyry Core Location
The companies are now conducting comprehensive geochemical analysis on the recovered core samples. This includes multi-element data collection, whole-rock geochemistry, and detailed petrography studies. The goal is to identify specific alteration patterns and element associations that would signal proximity to the potentially lucrative porphyry core.
"Completion of only our second drillhole at Southern Porphyry at Target C has yielded visual copper and molybdenite mineralisation associated with the MT anomaly, within an alteration assemblage suggesting we are closer to the core of this extensive porphyry system," stated FMR Resources managing director Oliver Kiddie.
By integrating these diverse datasets, the exploration team aims to sharpen their geochemical vectors and identify the most prospective targets for the next phase of drilling at the Southern Porphyry prospect.
Building on Previous Geophysical Discoveries
This latest drilling success builds upon earlier work conducted in July of the previous year, when the joint venture partners drilled their first deep hole into Target A, located 550 metres northeast of the current Target C. That drilling included downhole induced polarisation, electromagnetic, and spectral gamma radiation surveys.
Studies from that initial hole revealed that the large conductive body covering both Target A and C – originally detected through surface magnetotelluric surveying – is significantly larger than initially estimated. This conductive zone remains completely untested below and adjacent to Target A's drill hole.
Microscopic imaging of core samples from approximately 1260 metres depth in Target A confirmed that this hole also grazed the inner alteration halo of a porphyry system. The presence of alteration minerals indicates the drill string passed close to, but did not quite intersect, the mineralised core.
Strategic Planning for Next Drilling Phase
Armed with an expanding collection of technical data, FMR Resources is now designing the third drill hole for the Southern Porphyry prospect. The planning incorporates all available information gathered to date, including detailed geological logging, petrography results, geochemistry data, geophysical surveys, and precise vein orientation measurements from the first two holes.
Assay results from the latest drilling are expected later this quarter, which should provide another layer of precision for target selection. Final collar positioning for the next hole will be determined after fully integrating downhole geophysical data from both Target A and Target C.
Joint Venture Structure and Project Context
FMR Resources and Southern Hemisphere Mining recently formalised an earn-in joint venture agreement covering four concessions within the southern portion of the Llahuin project. Under the binding agreement terms, FMR can earn up to 60 percent interest in these concessions by funding a minimum of $13 million in exploration activities.
Outside the joint venture area, Southern Hemisphere Mining retains full ownership of three additional deposits – Central, Ferro, and Cerro – which lie along the same six-kilometre mineralised corridor. These deposits collectively form the remainder of the Llahuin project.
The total combined copper resources across these prospects currently stand at 218 million tonnes grading 0.38 percent copper equivalent. This translates to approximately 496,600 tonnes of copper, 654,900 ounces of gold, and 12,500 tonnes of molybdenum.
Strategic Location in Productive Copper Region
The Llahuin project is situated near the city of Illapel in Chile's Coquimbo Region, approximately 250 kilometres north of Santiago. The project area lies at an elevation of roughly 1,300 metres above sea level and is positioned just 8 kilometres east of the El Espino copper-gold mine development, which is operated by Santiago-listed producer Pucobre.
With geophysical data aligning, alteration vectors tightening, and visible copper minerals now appearing in core trays, the joint venture partners appear to be zeroing in on what could potentially become a significant Andean copper system. If the next drilling phase pushes further into the system's heart, Llahuin could rapidly transition from a promising exploration target to a genuine large-scale copper discovery story.
