Great Southern Copper PLC (LSE:GSCU) has begun geophysical surveys at its Cerro Negro prospect in Chile, aiming to map extensions of high-grade copper and silver mineralisation ahead of its next drilling campaign.
“These important geophysical surveys will play a critical role in guiding our Phase III exploration drilling at Cerro Negro,” said chief executive Sam Garrett.
“Phases I and II relied on surface exploration results and we now want to explore deeper, both beneath the known mineralisation at Mostaza and along trend to the south.”
The programme includes four lines of induced polarisation and magneto-telluric surveys to locate mineralised zones beyond the Mostaza mine.
Previous drilling intersected 20 metres at 3.31% copper and 270 grams per tonne silver from 27 metres, and 12 metres at 4.24% copper and 370 grams per tonne silver from 40 metres.
Garrett added: "The IP survey is designed to detect the disseminated Mostaza-style sulphide mineralisation and resistivity contrasts of altered rocks down to some 200m depth.
"The AMT survey is run in parallel and provides resistivity data down to many hundreds of metres depth. The four survey lines will test a two-kilometre strike length of the Mostaza mineralised system, however, mineralisation remains open still further to the south."
Phase II results are pending, with drilling planned up to two kilometres south of Mostaza.