Summary:Great Southern Copper starts RC scout drilling at Artemisa South copper target on Chile’s Especularita Project, testing buried porphyry mineralisation across the La Colorada lithocap....

Great Southern Copper (LSE: GSCU) has officially launched targeted scout drilling at Artemisa South, the fourth high-priority porphyry copper target within its fully-owned Especularita Project on Chile’s mineral-rich coastal copper belt. Following successful RC testing at Artemisa North and Victoria prospects, this new Artemisa South scout drilling program extends exploration coverage across the southern margin of the La Colorada lithocap, a geological unit proven to host hydrothermal copper-gold alteration systems. The low-elevation prospect features extensive gravel cover that masks untested porphyry intrusions; reconnaissance drill holes will validate geochemical and geophysical anomalies to define future resource delineation work. Amid sustained global copper demand for EV wiring, power grids and renewable energy infrastructure, the Artemisa South campaign expands Great Southern Copper’s pipeline of district-scale copper discovery targets in central Chile.

Project & Scout Drilling Program Core Parameters

Artemisa South sits directly south of the completed Artemisa North drill zone, along a continuous alteration trend stretching across the La Colorada lithocap. Historical small-scale artisanal workings and surface rock chip sampling returned elevated copper, gold and silver values, yet no modern systematic drilling has ever probed subsurface mineralisation beneath shallow scree cover.

Table 1: Artemisa South Scout Drilling Technical Specifications

[Table Placeholder: Table 1 – Key metrics for Artemisa South scout drilling campaign]

The design of this scout drilling program prioritises wide-spaced reconnaissance holes, the standard industry method to rapidly outline the footprint of porphyry mineralisation without heavy upfront capital investment. Drilling will target coincident geophysical low-resistivity bodies mapped via recent airborne AMT surveys, interpreted as deep sulphide-bearing intrusions identical to the mineralised system intersected at Artemisa North. All chip samples will undergo full multi-element geochemical analysis to map alteration zonation, copper grade distribution and pathfinder element vectors toward high-grade core zones.

Geological Prospectivity of Artemisa South Target

Chile’s Cretaceous coastal metallogenic belt hosts tier-one copper assets including Andacollo, Los Pelambres and Altar, and the Especularita Project shares identical stratigraphic and magmatic controls that form world-class porphyry depositsGreat Southern Copper PLC. Drilling results from adjacent Artemisa North confirmed pervasive biotite-magnetite potassic alteration – the primary surface vector for economic porphyry copper systems – and wide intervals of disseminated chalcopyrite mineralisation across five completed drill holes.

Geological mapping confirms Artemisa South lies along the same continuous hydrothermal corridor, where structural faults and lithological contacts trap copper-bearing hydrothermal fluids. Unlike high-altitude Andean copper projects, the Artemisa South site enjoys flat terrain, paved highway access and nearby power infrastructure, drastically lowering logistics and construction costs if follow-up resource drilling delivers positive copper intercepts. The area’s thin overburden also reduces drilling waste volumes and simplifies environmental monitoring throughout the scout program.

Strategic Value for Great Southern Copper

Commencing scout drilling at Artemisa South completes the company’s staged four-target reconnaissance campaign across the La Colorada lithocap. Management’s phased exploration strategy uses low-cost scout drilling to de-risk greenfield targets before committing to expensive resource definition drilling, balancing capital efficiency with discovery upside.

If drill results confirm a large porphyry copper system at Artemisa South, Great Southern Copper will expand its Especularita mineral inventory and strengthen investor appeal focused on critical transition metals. Global copper supply remains constrained as ageing Chilean mines deplete shallow high-grade reserves, making new low-altitude, infrastructure-rich porphyry discoveries highly sought after by offtake partners and institutional mining investors. The full suite of assay results from Artemisa South is scheduled for release within six weeks of drill rig demobilisation.

Conclusion

[Image Placeholder 2: Close-up RC drill rig operating on Chile coastal copper prospect | Figure 2 – Reverse circulation rig deployed for porphyry scout exploration]The launch of scout drilling at Artemisa South marks a critical expansion of Great Southern Copper’s porphyry copper exploration footprint within the Especularita Project in central Chile. Building on verified mineralisation at neighbouring Artemisa North, this reconnaissance drill program will test buried intrusive targets along the southern La Colorada lithocap, unlocking untapped copper-gold potential in one of the world’s most prolific copper metallogenic belts. Low operational elevation, full regional infrastructure and proven porphyry alteration vectors position Artemisa South as a high-impact exploration target, with results set to guide the company’s 2027 expanded drilling budget and long-term copper resource growth strategy.