Summary:Great Southern Copper commences RC drilling at Artemisa North, a high-potential porphyry copper target in Chile’s Especularita project. Surface samples show up to 1.21% copper, with gold and molybdenum values....
Great Southern Copper Starts RC Drilling at Artemisa North Porphyry Copper Target
Especularita Project, Chile: New Drill Campaign Targets High-Grade Copper-Gold-Molybdenum Mineralisation
Great Southern Copper has officially kicked off scout reverse circulation (RC) drilling at the Artemisa North porphyry copper target, located within its flagship Especularita project in northern Chile. The programme follows encouraging results from nearby Piedras Blancas, where previous drilling confirmed a robust porphyry copper-style alteration system, further elevating the prospectivity of the La Colorada lithocap area.
The Artemisa North prospect sits 1.5 km south of Piedras Blancas, on the western margin of the La Colorada lithocap—a major geological structure highly prospective for porphyry copper systems. The new drill programme includes four planned RC holes, designed to test an interpreted phyllic alteration zone and evaluate mineralisation beneath historical copper workings. Surface rock chip sampling from the area has already delivered impressive grades, reaching 1.21% copper, 0.6 g/t gold, and 201 ppm molybdenum.
A key advantage of Artemisa North is that the mineralised system remains open at depth and along strike, with no recorded historical drilling in the immediate target area. The prospect extends under shallow cover to the north and east, offering significant upside potential for expanding the known mineralised footprint. Geologically, the area lies along the same structural trend as some of Chile’s largest copper mines, including Los Pelambres, Altar, and El Pachon, underpinning its strategic importance in the Chile copper project landscape.
Great Southern Copper holds 100% ownership of the Artemisa North target, providing full operational and economic control of the exploration programme. The decision to advance to drilling follows the successful completion of four scout RC holes at Piedras Blancas, totalling 574 metres. Those holes intersected strong phyllic alteration at shallow levels, transitioning into potassic alteration at depth—an association typically linked to high-grade porphyry copper mineralisation.
The findings at Piedras Blancas confirm that a fertile porphyry system exists at shallower depths than previously modelled, which significantly improves the overall prospectivity of the La Colorada lithocap. All drill samples from Piedras Blancas have been sent to ALS Laboratories for full geochemical analysis, with results expected in the coming weeks to guide further target prioritisation.
At Artemisa North, the RC drilling campaign is designed to test the continuity of the phyllic alteration system and determine whether it encloses a deeper, copper-rich potassic core. The programme forms part of a broader exploration strategy focused on the western margin of the La Colorada lithocap, where surface mapping, geochemistry, and spectral data have identified multiple targets with characteristics typical of large porphyry copper systems.
“Artemisa North is the second of four priority targets to be tested with scout RC drilling in our current porphyry exploration programme,” commented Sam Garrett, CEO of Great Southern Copper. “We are focusing on targets along the western margin of the La Colorada lithocap that exhibit geological, geochemical, and spectral signatures consistent with porphyry copper systems. Our goal is to confirm that extensive zones of leached and oxidised quartz‑sericite‑pyrite alteration at surface may represent the upper phyllic halo surrounding a copper‑gold porphyry system at depth.”
Beyond Artemisa North, the company outlines an active pipeline of follow‑up work across the Especularita project. Plans include expanding drilling to the Artemisa South and Victoria prospects, both of which are considered high‑priority porphyry copper targets within the wider project area. Additionally, geophysical surveys are scheduled to start in May 2026 over the Cerro Negro and La Colorada lithocap areas, aimed at defining deeper drill targets and refining the structural controls on mineralisation.
In summary, the commencement of RC drilling at Artemisa North marks a significant milestone for Great Southern Copper and its Chile copper project portfolio. With strong surface grades, a large open‑ended system, and proximity to world‑class copper deposits, Artemisa North has the potential to become a meaningful new porphyry copper discovery. Investors and industry stakeholders will be closely watching for assay results as the drill programme progresses over the coming months.
