February 11, 2025 | Stockhead
- Hot Chili drilling intersects more broad zones of copper-gold mineralisation at La Verde
- Results highlight potential to be the company’s next major copper-gold discovery
- Assays pending for a further seven holes while step-out drilling is underway
Special Report: Hot Chili now has multiple new significant drill intersections from a further 10 holes to prove that its La Verde project in low elevation coastal Chile is a major copper-gold porphyry discovery.
The company first received a taste of the project’s potential back in mid-December 2024 after announcing very thick copper-gold intersections from its first two drill holes.
Hole DKP001 got the show on the road with a 174m intersection grading 0.4% copper and 0.1g/t gold from a down-hole depth of just 36m before DKP002 quickly blew Hot Chili’s (ASX:HCH) expectations out of the water with a stunning 308m interval at 0.5% copper and 0.3g/t gold from 46m to end of hole.
DPK002 also hosts a higher grade zone of 202m at 0.6% copper and 0.3g/t gold from 70m, which is encouraging from a development standpoint as its places the richest resources closer to surface.
A fantastic start no matter how you look at it and one that just got a whole lot better.
Assays from another 10 holes have now returned broad, consistently mineralised intersections extending over 300m vertically that start from shallow depths.
Notable intersections from the rapidly growing oxide and sulphide find are:
- 320m at 0.3% copper and 0.1g/t gold from 34m to EOH including 134m at 0.4% copper and 0.2g/t gold from 180m and 56m at 0.5% copper and 0.2g/t gold from 258m (DKP009)
- 200m at 0.4% copper and 0.1g/t gold from 48m to EOH including 38m at 0.5% copper and 0.2g/t gold from 68m (DKP005); and
- 172m at 0.4% copper and 0.2g/t gold from 48m including 20m at 0.5% copper and 0.2g/t gold from 62m with a separate intersection of 78m at 0.5% copper and 0.1g/t gold from 228m to EOH including 32m at 0.6% copper and 0.2g/t gold from 232m (DKP012).
Major discovery
The new drill results outline La Verde’s potential scale with managing director Christian Easterday saying the project is shaping up to be the company’s next major copper-gold discovery that could lift the scale of its Costa Fuego project.
“With primary copper supply declining, copper and gold prices rallying, and a PFS on each of our planned businesses (copper-gold and water) nearing completion – momentum is building fast,” Easterday said.
“Following in the footsteps of our successes at Cortadera and Productora, we’ve secured full control of La Verde after years of strategic consolidation, finally allowing us unrestricted access to test this historically overlooked porphyry system.
“Drill results have exceeded expectations, revealing a much larger porphyry system than first recognised, with broad, consistent copper-gold mineralisation extending from shallow depths and largely hidden below shallow gravel cover.
“This discovery has all the signs of becoming our third bulk-tonnage, copper-gold deposit, and is open in all directions and growing fast. We’re also preparing to deploy AI-powered exploration to fast-track our nearby exploration growth pipeline, leveraging 16 years of expertise in Chile.
“With La Verde’s scale potential and the Costa Fuego copper-gold hub expanding, we’re at a major inflection point in Hot Chili’s growth story.”
The project, which hosts the historical La Verde copper mine, is at the core of the historical Domeyko mining district and in the centre of the company’s recently consolidated and larger Domeyko landholding.
La Verde drilling
To date, HCH has drilled 19 holes totalling 5700m at La Verde and received assays from 12 holes.
This has defined a discovery footprint measuring 550m by 400m that remains open in all directions.
Mineralisation starts from shallow depths and extends to more than 300m below surface with indications that its deeper potential remains untapped as eight of the holes reported to date ended in mineralisation.
Adding further interest, the gravel cover at La Verde could mask a much larger porphyry system with the company noting that step-out drilling is now underway.
Drill testing of the historical oxide copper open pit at the project is also pending.
HCH is now awaiting assays from seven additional reverse circulation holes.
It is also planning to carry out diamond drilling to test potential for deeper, higher-grade zones at depth and to test potential for +1km vertical depth extent, typical of other recent major porphyry discoveries, such as the company’s Cortadera discovery and BHP/Lundin Mining’s Filo del Sol find.