Hot Chili Limited (ASX: HCH) (TSXV: HCH) has obtained another outstanding drill result at the Cortadera porphyry deposit, part of the company’s Costa Fuego, coastal range, copper-gold hub in Chile.
Managing Director Christian Easterday said that Cortadera has a track record of outperforming expectation.
“The PFS in-fill drill programme across Cortadera has collected important geotechnical and hydrogeological information and has also continued to define and expand high grade resources,” Mr Easterday said.
“Upgrading our resources with wide drill intersections grading 0.8% to 1.0% copper equivalent is a great outcome, which demonstrates the quality and growth potential of Costa Fuego as one of the only low-altitude, material, copper developments in the world capable of near-term development.”
Latest Significant Drill Results from Cortadera
Latest results from development study drilling at Cortadera have returned further significant intersections.
Diamond drill hole CORMET005 returned 658m grading 0.6% CuEq (0.4% Cu, 0.2g/t Au, 122ppm Mo) from 232m depth, including 134m grading 0.8% CuEq (0.6% Cu, 0.2g/t Au, 181ppm Mo) from 470m depth, and including 130m grading 0.9% CuEq (0.6% Cu, 0.2g/t Au, 253ppm Mo) from 662m depth.
CORMET005 was drilled across the northern flank to the high-grade core within the main porphyry (Cuerpo 3) at Cortadera.
Mr Easterday said that pleasingly, the wide significant intersection again confirmed further extension to the high grade core and included an impressive 30m grading 1.4% CuEq (1.1% Cu, 0.5g/t Au, 165ppm Mo) from 690m depth outside of the current high grade (+0.6% CuEq) resource model.
The latest result follows the previous two outstanding drill results in April 2022 from Cuerpo 3, which also confirmed further growth of the high grade core, notably:
• 552m at 0.6% CuEq from 276m depth, including 248m at 0.8% CuEq (CORMET003), and
• 876m grading 0.5% CuEq from 246m depth, including 206m grading 0.9% CuEq (CORMET006)
In addition, diamond drill hole CORMET002 has returned 370m grading 0.4% CuEq (0.3% Cu, 0.1g/t Au) from surface, including 20m grading 0.8% CuEq (0.6% Cu, 0.4g/t Au) from 24m depth, and including 22m grading 1.0% CuEq (0.8% Cu, 0.5g/t Au) from 136m depth at Cuerpo 2.
These high-grade intersections were also outside the current high grade resource at Cuerpo 2.
A final development study diamond drill hole (CORMET004) is being completed at Cortadera and results are also pending for four metallurgical diamond drill holes completed at Productora.
High-Grade Satellite Resource Drilling Underway
Resource growth drilling has commenced targeting the San Antonio and Valentina high grade copper deposits, located 5 kms northeast of Cortadera.
High-grade, copper-gold mineralisation at both deposits remains open at depth and along strike. Drilling is already underway at Valentina where ten drill holes are planned. A further thirteen drill holes are planned at San Antonio.
San Antonio’s maiden Inferred resource, reported in March, extends from surface and already stands at 4.2Mt @ 1.2% CuEq (1.1% Cu, 2.1g/t Ag) for 48kt Cu and 287kt Ag. Both high grade satellite deposits are intended to form part of Costa Fuego’s next resource upgrade and combined PFS open pit mine schedule later this year.
Santiago Z Target Prepared for First-Ever Drilling Platform and access clearing across the Santiago Z exploration target is expected to be complete in the coming week and first-pass drilling is expected to commence following conclusion of drilling at Valentina and San Antonio.
Hot Chili’s soil results and mapping have confirmed a potentially large copper porphyry footprint measuring.
For further information please visit: https://www.hotchili.net.au/
