Proactive Investors - Great Southern Copper PLC (LON:GSCUG), a company specialising in copper-gold-lithium exploration in Chile, has announced the completion of all necessary permitting procedures to begin its scout reverse circulation (RC) drilling programme at Especularita.
The drilling, focused on the Abundante mine prospect, is scheduled to start in the first half of December 2023.
Great Southern Copper has completed extensive preparations, including permitting, environmental studies, occupational health and safety (OHS) procedures, and community engagement to ensure the drilling programme can proceed smoothly and in compliance with regulatory standards.
At the Abundante prospect, three to four scout RC drill holes, spanning 600-800 meters in total, will target high-grade copper (Cu) mineralisation associated with a tourmaline breccia pipe.
"We are very excited that drilling at Abundante will commence imminently,” stated chief executive Sam Garrett. “The scout RC drill holes are targeting high-grade copper mineralisation and are the first step in understanding how the breccia-hosted mineralisation will develop at depth beneath the existing mine workings.
“The results will provide critical geological, geochemical and structural information necessary for the preparation of follow-up larger-scale drill programmes designed to vector in on potential economic mineralisation.”
The company has already started constructing access tracks and drill platforms in anticipation of the drilling rig's arrival.
DV Drilling, a local Chilean company based in La Serena, has been contracted for the RC drilling programme at Especularita.
DV Drilling will employ a truck-mounted EDM 2000 RC drill rig, which offers the advantages of faster drilling times and lower costs compared to diamond drilling.
Samples from the RC drilling will be sent directly to ALS Laboratories in La Serena, Chile. There, they will undergo preparation processes like drying, weighing, crushing, and pulverising before assay.