Great Southern Copper PLC (LON:GSCUG) (LSE:GSCU) said permitting and authorisation have been finalised for diamond drilling at the Cerro Negro prospect, part of its Especularita project in Chile, which is set to begin in two weeks.
Having appointed a contractor and completed site inspections, the company is targeting high-grade copper-silver-gold (Cu-Ag-Au) mineralisation at the Mostaza mine.
The initial drilling campaign includes "up to five to 10" diamond and reverse circulation (RC) drill holes for a total of 500-1,000m.
Scout RC drilling is also underway at the Viuda prospect, which aims to uncover porphyry-type mineralisation, with five holes completed so far, totaling 714m. Initial samples have been sent to ALS Laboratories in Santiago for analysis.
Chief executive Sam Garrett said that after "many months of hard work by the team in Chile ...we are looking forward to getting started with our drilling plans".
"Diamond drilling will initially focus on drilling out the known high-grade copper-silver-gold mineralisation at the Mostaza mine, before expanding along trend to the south where our recent exploration results have confirmed evidence of similar mineralisation at surface."
The Especularita project benefits from proximity to national infrastructure, being located 170km from the port city of Coquimbo and 130km from the Los Villos copper concentrate port.
Previous exploration at Mostaza has indicated a non-JORC mineral resource of 190,600 tonnes with grades of 1.2% Cu, 80 g/t Ag, and 0.45 g/t Au. GSC’s review highlighted that high-grade mineralisation remains open in all directions, presenting opportunities for resource expansion.