Great Southern Copper PLC (LSE:GSCU) told investors it has completed phase I diamond drilling at the Mostaza mine, part of its Cerro Negro project in northern Chile.
The company drilled nine holes for a total of 1,002 metres, with all holes intersecting visible copper mineralisation.
Samples from all nine holes have been sent to ALS Laboratories for assay. Results from the first holes are expected in the coming weeks.
"Our Phase I diamond drilling programme at the Mostaza copper-silver mine has been very successful and we are eager to receive our first assay results,” chief executive Sam Garrett said in a statement.
In terms of the geology, Great Southern highlighted that the observed mineralisation included ‘disseminations, veins, crackle-vein networks, and breccia-hosted chalcocite, bornite, and chalcopyrite’ over intervals up to 32.3 metres downhole width.
Looking ahead, Garrett said: “Planning and permitting is already underway for the second phase of drilling which is proposed to include further resource and exploration drilling plus metallurgical test-work.
“Geophysics surveys are also being considered to assist with exploration for buried extensions and repetitions of the high-grade mineralised lenses and for deeper porphyry type copper mineralisation.
“We also anticipate results for the scout RC drilling programme at Viuda which targeted potential porphyry style mineralisation."