Great Southern Copper - Exceptional Drilling Results Continue at Mostaza
Released
Released
Announcement PDF
RNS Number : 1375O
Great Southern Copper PLC
24 June 2025
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION AS STIPULATED UNDER THE UK VERSION OF THE
MARKET ABUSE REGULATION NO 596/2014 WHICH IS PART OF ENGLISH LAW BY VIRTUE OF THE EUROPEAN
(WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018, AS AMENDED. ON PUBLICATION OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT VIA A REGULATORY
INFORMATION SERVICE, THIS INFORMATION IS CONSIDERED TO BE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.
24 June 2025
Great Southern Copper plc
("GSC" or the "Company")
Exceptional Cu-Ag Drill Results Continue from Phase II Drilling at Mostaza, Cerro Negro
Including CNG25 DD015: 6.0m at 6.61% Cu and 542.4g/t Ag from 43m
Highest assay grades up to 10.4% Cu and 672g/t Ag
Great Southern Copper plc (LSE: GSCU), the company focused on copper-gold exploration in Chile, is pleasedreport further
exceptional high-grade assay results from Phase II drilling at the Mostaza Mine, Cerro Negro prospect.
Highlights:
·
Assay results received for diamond holes CNG25 DD015 - DD018 and DD021 with highest significant results
including;
ØCNG25 DD015: 9.9m of 5.47% Cu and 442.5g/t Agfrom 41.15m, including
o 6.0m of 6.61% Cu and 542.4g/t Agfrom 43m, including
o 2.0m of 8.18% Cu and 669.0g/t Agfrom 44m
ØCNG25 DD016: 7.5m of 4.48% Cu and 342.6g/t Agfrom 89m, including
o 0.5m of 10.4% Cu and 503.0g/t Agfrom 96m
· Highest assay result received includes10.4% Cu and 672g/t Ag
·
Five lines of induced polarisation (IP) and audio frequency magneto-telluric (AMT) geophysics surveys completed
testing the Mostaza trend over 2.5km
· Phase III exploration drilling at Mostaza is in advanced planning stages and will be guided by recent pole-dipole IP and
AMT geophysics surveys, along with surface mapping and geochemistry data
· GSC holds option to own 100% of the Cerro Negro prospect, including the Mostaza mine
· Prospect located at low elevation with excellent access to infrastructure and mining services
Sam Garrett, CEO for Great Southern Copper in Chile, said:"These spectacular jewellery box copper and silver grades
are our best results to date and continue to highlight the exciting potential of the Mostaza deposit at Cerro Negro. Besides the
very high grades, the deposit also benefits from being near surface and is located at low altitude with excellent access to key
infrastructure and mining support services.
"Planning for the Phase III exploration drilling at Mostaza is well advanced and will rely on results from recently completed
pole-dipole IP and AMT geophysics surveys as well as our surface mapping and geochemistry results.
"We are very excited to progress the opportunity to continue to grow and develop this significant copper-silver deposit."
Phase II drilling results for CNG25 DD015 to 018, and DD021
Diamond drillholes CNG25 DD015 to DD018, and DD021 are part of GSC's Phase II Mostaza drilling programme and were
oriented to test the continuity of geology and grade of the northwest ("NW") dipping "Manto" of copper-silver mineralisation
recently discovered below and west of the historical Mostaza Mine (see Figure 1 and 2).
Figure 1:Cerro Negro Project, Mostaza Mine. Plan view showing the open pit and extensions of mineralisation at depth and
to the south. Drillholes in this release are labelled.
Figure 2:Cerro Negro Project, Mostaza Mine. Long section looking east showing the projection of mineralised bodies at
depth. Note the recently discovered "Manto" beneath the open pit. Arrows indicate that mineralisation remains open. Holes in
this release are labelled.
The Phase II holes were drilled using a "fan" pattern below the old mine workings to effect an approximate grid-pattern of
intercepts intersecting the deposit with a nominal spacing of approximately 20-25 metres (m) along strike (NE-SW) and 2050m down dip of the plane of the manto (NW-SE).
All drillholes in this release intersected silicified intermediate-argillic altered and variably mineralised rock at depths where
the deposit was expected, indicating that the manto comprises a tabular body striking NE-SW and dipping at 50 degrees to the
NW (see Figures 1, 2), although the exact architecture of the deposit is still to be determined. This preliminary manto
interpretation, however, is in contrast to the original mine target which was assumed to be a steeply-dipping mineralised
structure. Drilling to date defines the copper-silver manto measuring approximately 145m down-dip and 145m along strike
with mineralisation remaining open both along strike and at depth.
Hole DD015was drilled to intersect the manto at approximately 25m down-dip from hole DD013 which intersected 13.9m @
1.74% Cu and 153.4 g/t Ag from 26.1m, including 5m @ 3.04% Cu and 322.4 g/t Ag from 37m1. Hole DD015 intercepted the
same style of mineralisation with abundant disseminated and crackle-hosted chalcocite-dominant mineralisation in strongly
altered and locally brecciated "lens" rock (see Figure 3, 4). Assay results returned 9.9m @ 5.47 % Cu and 442.5 g/t Ag from
41.15m, including 3.0 m @ 7.59 % Cu and 612.7 g/t Ag from 43m. The highest grade intersected was 1m @ 8.29% Cu and
672 g/t Ag from 45m down the hole. Despite the shallow depth below the current surface (approx. 50m), recent petrographic
studies confirm the high-grade mineralisation is hypogene (ie, not supergene enrichment).
Hole DD016targeted the manto approximately 30m down-dip from DD015 (Figure 3, 5) and intersected a broad interval of
mineralisation including 10.7m @ 3.28 % Cu and 248.9 g/t Ag from 85.8m. This includes two intervals separated by a barren
dyke near the top (hanging wall) of the manto. The upper interval includes 1.2m @ 1.2 % Cu and 76.3 g/t Ag from 85.8m. The
lower interval is higher-grade and returns 6.7m @ 4.9 % Cu and 381.2 g/t Ag from 89.8m. The maximum assays were of 0.5m
@ 10.4 % Cu and 503 g/t Ag from 96m.
Preliminary sections (Figures 4-6) suggest that this hole and hole DD015 cut the mineralisation orthogonally indicating a true
thickness of the deposit of approximately 10m in these locations.
Hole DD017intersected a broad interval of 13.1m @ 1.18 % Cu and 48.7 g/t Ag from 71m cut by metric intervals of barren
dyke near the hanging wall of the manto. The upper interval of manto included 0.6m @ 1.11 % Cu and 100g/t Ag from 71m.
The lower interval is higher grade and intersected 8.1m @ 1.76 % Cu and 68.1 g/t Ag from 76m (Figure 3, 6). This interval
also includes anomalous zinc up to 2.67% Zn and lead up to 1.34% Pb.
Hole DD018(see Figures 3, 6) is the deepest hole drilled to date. Like holes DD016 and 017, the hole intersects an upper and
lower interval of manto separated by a barren dyke. The entire thickness of manto returns 16.6m @ 0.46 % Cu and 42.3 g/t Ag
from 118.9m, including an upper interval of 3.6m @ 0.75 % Cu and 65.4 g/t Ag from 118.9, and a higher-grade lower interval
of 5.8m @ 0.81 % Cu and 78.1 g/t Ag from 129.7m, including 2.5m @ 1.07 % Cu and 101.6 g/t Ag from 133m.
Hole DD021intersected almost 16m of altered proto-lens cut by dykes. However, only a few metres of mineralised lens were
observed from 99.9m with maximum values of 0.84 % Cu and 41.4 g/t Ag (Figure 4). It is unclear if this is a local zone of
weaker mineralisation.
Broad zones of low grade Ag (>0.1 g/t Ag) are strongly anomalous in the hanging-wall and coincides with weaker zones of
alteration - referred to as "proto-lens". Significantly, low-grade silver (>0.1 g/t Ag) also forms a halo enveloping the coppersilver manto. Therefore, the silver-enriched proto-lenses may be significant as "markers" for further stacked copper-silver
lenses potentially discoverable along trend or down dip.
Figure 3:Cerro Negro Project, Mostaza Mine. Photograph of core from hole CNG25 DD015 on the left DD016 in the middle,
and DD017 and DD018 on the right, with grades of Cu % and Ag g/t. The black mineral is mostly chalcocite with
stromeyerite inclusions and lesser tennantite, digenite and bornite.
Figure 4:Cerro Negro Project, Mostaza Mine. Schematic cross section DD013-DD021, showing the location of reported
Phase I and Phase II drill holes. The blue box shows the intercepts in this release.
Figure 5:Cerro Negro Project, Mostaza Mine. Schematic cross section DD001-DD016 showing the location of reported
Phase I and Phase II drill holes. The blue box shows the intercepts in this release.
Figure 6:Cerro Negro Project, Mostaza Mine. Schematic cross section DD013-DD018 showing the location of reported
Phase I and Phase II drill holes. The blue box shows the intercepts in this release.
From
(m)
Hole_ID
CNG25
DD001
To
(m)
Interval
(m)
Cu
(%)
Ag
(g/t)
27
47
20
3.31
269.9
inc
31
38
7
5.72
489.6
inc
35
38
3
6.62
562.7
CNG25
DD002
38.9
43.1
4.2
1.73
126.5
CNG25
DD003
36.6
55.2
18.6
1.85
146.6
inc
39
52
13
2.48
198.1
inc
48
51
3
3.31
254.7
inc
50
51
1
4.64
406
CNG25
DD004
no significant intercepts
CNG25
DD005
35
56
21
2.9
246.7
inc
37
52
15
3.79
328.4
inc
40
52
12
4.24
369.5
inc
45
52
7
5.08
449.6
inc
45
47
2
6.05
547.5
CNG25
DD006
132.54
132.91
0.46
0.08
24.9
CNG25
DD007
87
120
33
1.96
60.6
inc
and
88
115
91.85
120
3.85
5
5.21
5.59
318
99.2
inc
116.4
118.9
2.5
9.67
175.4
inc
0
0
31
1.2
31
1.2
0.512
7.1
31.3
and
8
22
14
CNG25
DD008
CNG25
DD009
9.6
Oxide zone - no significant intercept
CNG25
DD010
inc
and
CNG25
DD011
6
25
19
10.2
18
19
23
8.8
5
30.52
0.31
58.02
23.7
Oxide zone - no significant intercept
CNG25
DD012
inc
7
16
24
24
17
8
8.7
13.1
CNG25
DD013
inc
inc
CNG25
DD014
24
27
3
3.43
164.7
26.1
26.1
29
40
34
32
13.9
7.9
3
1.74
2.35
3.54
153.4
227.6
405.3
Oxide zone - infill sampling results pending
CNG25
DD015
30.2
41.15
31.7
51.05
1.5
9.9
0.39
5.47
19.94
442.5
43
44
49
46
6
2
6.61
8.18
542.4
669
85.8
87
1.2
1.21
76.3
inc
and
89
89.8
96
96.5
96.5
96.5
7.5
6.7
0.5
4.48
4.96
10.4
342.6
381.2
503
inc
and
71
76
76
84.1
84.1
80
13.1
8.1
4
1.18
1.76
2.61
48.7
68.1
97.6
inc
82
118.3
118.9
84
122.5
122.5
2
4.2
3.6
0.48
0.68
0.75
33.9
58.8
65.4
inc
and
128.7
129.7
133
136.1
135.5
134.9
7.4
5.8
1.9
0.66
0.81
1.12
63
78.1
108.4
inc
and
CNG25
DD016
CNG25
DD017
CNG25
DD018
CNG25
DD019
Assays pending
CNG25
DD020
Assays pending
CNG25
DD021
inc
1
2.2
1.2
0.5
27.3
93.3
99.9
99.9
94
101.65
101
0.7
1.75
1.1
0.34
0.59
0.84
17.8
28.5
41.4
103.85
105.18
1.33
0.21
8.5
Table 1:Summary of significant intercepts for Phase I and Phase II GSC drill holes.
About the Mostaza Cu-Ag deposit, Cerro Negro Project
High-grade Cu-Ag mineralisation at Cerro Negro is hosted by structurally controlled elongate lodes of variable width (<420m) that strike between north and north-east. Historical mining at the Mostaza mine exploited steeply dipping to subvertical
lodes such as "Lens 2". In addition to the steeply dipping "lenses", geological interpretation of recent drill results has
identified a previously unrecognised and untested tabular lode, or "manto", below the Mostaza pit and dipping about 50 ° to
the west.
Copper-silver mineralisation in the lenses and manto comprises abundant disseminations, veinlets, crackle networks and
breccia matrix fillings of hypogene chalcocite and lesser tennantite, digenite, bornite, chalcopyrite, pyrite and local galena and
sphalerite. The chalcocite contains inclusions of stromeyerite, a Ag-Cu sulphide.
Host rocks to mineralisation comprise multiple generations of intensely altered breccia, tuffisite and felsic intrusive. In the
mine, the mineralised lodes are bound to the east and west by faults that are typically invaded by narrow (1-2m) andesite to
rhyolite dykes. Outside of the bounding dykes and faults, the enclosing wall rocks consist of an east-dipping bedded sequence
of fresh volcanic lava flows and brecciated dacite that might be part of a large dome-diatreme complex outcropping to the
east.
In addition to the mineralisation seen in the Mostaza mine, several Cu-Ag rich bodies have been mapped at surface.
Historically these were interpreted as discrete "lenses" but collectively they have the potential to form an anastomosing
network of mineralised bodies continuous over a strike length of up to 2km or more.
Core preparation, sampling and assaying
The Cerro Negro diamond drill coreis collected from site by GSC staff and transported to the Company's nearby sampling
facilitieswhere it is then processed for geological, geotechnical, petrophysical and geochemical data. Sampling intervals are
selected principally on geologic boundaries and may vary in length up to 2m. The core is cut into two halves using an electric
diamond brick saw with half-core samples each allocated a unique identifier code and bagged-tagged separately. Samples for
each complete hole are transported by GSC personnel to ALS laboratories in Santiago, Chile for sample preparation (drying,
weighing, crushing and grinding). A final 200g aliquot of each sample is forwarded by ALS to their laboratories in Lima, Peru
where it is assayed for Au (by 30g fire assay with ICP-AES finish method) plus a suite of 48 base metals and trace elements
including Cu and Mo (by four acid digest ICP-MS method).
Sampling and assaying QAQC protocols employed by the company for this drilling project include routine insertion of
standard reference materials including standards and blanks. Results for each SRM is assessed to monitor the accuracy and
precision of the assay data from ALS for the core samples.
Cautionary note:
The Company cautions that all references to "resources", "mineral resources", or "mineral resource estimates" in this RNS are
historical and were prepared and reported prior to the implementation of the JORC code and therefore are non-JORC
compliant. The Company advises thatthe resource categories used in the historical estimates, for example "measured,
indicated, demonstrated and inferred", may not have the same meaning or degree of confidence as current JORC categories.
Historical records indicate that the quoted non-JORC resources were calculated using thepolygonal method based on
underground sampling, 1024m of drilling in 25 holes, and geological cross-sections and level plans.GSC is presenting this
information for historical context only and is not treating it as a current mineral resource estimate.
The Company has not been able to independently verify the results of historical drilling or mine channel samples.References
to mineralised grade intervals in drill holes are considered apparent thicknesses as there is not sufficient geological
information to calculate true thickness of mineralised intercepts at this time.
References:
1.
RNS 5588M (12 June 2025): Cerro Negro drilling confirms outstanding grades
Enquiries:
Great Southern Copper plc
Sam Garrett, Chief Executive Officer
SI Capital Limited
+44 (0) 20 7138 3204
Nick Emerson
BlytheRay
Tim Blythe / Megan Ray
+44 (0) 1483 413500
+44 (0) 20 7138 3204
GSC@blytheray.com
Notes for Editors:
About Great Southern Copper
Great Southern Copper PLC is a UK-listed mineral exploration company focused on the discovery of copper-gold deposits in
Chile. The Company has the option to acquire rights to 100% of two projects in the under-explored coastal belt of Chile that
are prospective for large scale copper-gold deposits. Chile is a globally significant mining jurisdiction being the world's largest
producer and exporter of copper.
The two, early-stage Cu-Au projects comprise Especularita and San Lorenzo Projects, both located in the coastal metallogenic
belt of Chile which hosts significant copper mines and deposits, including Teck's Carmen de Andacollo copper mine, and
boasts excellent access to infrastructure such as roads, power and ports. Significant historical small-scale and artisanal
workings for both copper and gold are readily evident in both exploration project areas. The coastal belt offers deposit type
optionality for copper including porphyry and IOCG style deposits as well as newly recognised intrusive-related copper and
gold deposits.
Great Southern Copper is strategically positioned to support the global market for copper - a critical battery metal in the clean
energy transition around the world. The Company is actively engaged in exploration and evaluation work programmes
targeting both large tonnage, low to medium grade Cu-Au as well as high-grade Cu-Ag-Au deposits.
Further information on the Company is available on the Company's website: https://gscplc.com
Competent Person Statement
The information in this announcement that relates to exploration results is based on and fairly represents information reviewed
or compiled by Mr Sam Garrett, a Competent Person who is a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists and a
Fellow of the Society of Economic Geologists. Mr Garrett is the CEO and a shareholder of Great Southern Copper PLC. Mr
Garrett has sufficient experience that is relevant to the styles of mineralisation and types of deposit under consideration and to
the activity being undertaken to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the "Australasian Code for
Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves". Mr Garrett has provided his prior written consent to
the inclusion in this announcement of the matters based on information in the form and context in which it appears.
This announcement includes information that relates to Exploration Results prepared and first disclosed under the JORC Code
(2012) and extracted from the Company's previous LSE announcements as noted, and the Company's Prospectus dated 20
December 2021. Copies of these announcements are available from the LSE Announcements page of the Company's website:
www.gscplc.com.
The Company confirms that it is not aware of any new information or data that materially affects the information included
within the Prospectus dated 20 December 2021.
Forward Looking and Cautionary Statements
Some statements in this announcement regarding estimates or future events are forward-looking statements. They include
indications of, and guidance on, future earnings, cash flow, costs and financial performance. Forward-looking statements
include, but are not limited to, statements preceded by words such as "planned", "expected", "projected", "estimated", "may",
"scheduled", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "potential", "predict", "foresee", "proposed", "aim", "target", "opportunity",
"could", "nominal", "conceptual" and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements, opinions and estimates included in this
report are based on assumptions and contingencies which are subject to change without notice, as are statements about market
and industry trends, which are based on interpretations of current market conditions. Forward-looking statements are provided
as a general guide only and should not be relied on as a guarantee of future performance. Forward-looking statements may be
affected by a range of variables that could cause actual results to differ from estimated or anticipated results and may cause the
Company's actual performance and financial results in future periods to materially differ from any projections of future
performance or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. So, there can be no assurance that actual
outcomes will not materially differ from these forward-looking statements.
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