Southern Hemisphere extends Llahuin high-grade core

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THE DRILL SERGEANT: Southern Hemisphere Mining (ASX: SUH) is to commence work on an updated resource estimate for the company’s Llahuin copper-gold project in central Chile.

The company said work on the estimate will kick off in early April as drilling continues to expand and enhance the Llahuin project.

The impetus behind the decision stemmed from recent diamond drill results, which have extended the higher grade core within the project’s Central Porphyry Zone.

Recent diamond drill holes at the Central Porphyry Zone include:
 
–    314 metres at 0.47 per cent copper equivalent (CuEq) from surface, including 36 metres at 1 per cent CuEq from 6 metres;
 
–    312m at 0.44 per cent CuEq from surface, including 94m at 0.55 per cent CuEq from surface;

–    146m at 0.46 per cent CuEq from 2m, including 32m at 0.62 per cent CuEq from 6m;

–    34m at 1.49 per cent CuEq from 416m; and

–    208m at 0.42 per cent CuEq from 116m, including 116m at 0.53 per cent CuEq from 116m.

Southern Hemisphere recently completed a review of the results received to date, which it determined highlights the potential of the higher grade core to provide higher grade feed during the initial stages of production.

The recent drilling has also highlighted the Ferrocarril Zone, which is located approximately 2km south of the Central Porphyry Zone, with results confirming the presence of a dioritic porphyry similar to the Central Porphyry Zone.

Source: Company announcement

The majority of drilling to date has been in the Central Porphyry Zone, but further drilling is also being undertaken by the Llahuin Joint Venture between Southern Hemisphere and North American base metals miner, Lundin Mining Corporation.

This drilling has included the Ferrocarril Zone and Cerro de Oro Zone; which is located approximately 1km south of the Central Porphyry Zone.

“The Llahuin Joint Venture is progressing well with several key project milestones achieved in the past four months, since the completion of the Joint Venture, in addition to the excellent results from the accelerated drill campaign,” Southern Hemisphere Mining managing director Trevor Tennant said in the company’s announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

“Llahuin continues to emerge as a large-scale porphyry copper project.

“Other key project milestones achieved recently have included a 30-year easement agreement with the local Llahuin community and completion of Llahuin Amapola concession ownership, which had been held under option arrangements.

“Also, further detailed IP and ground magnetic surveys have been completed as well as first pass metallurgical testwork that gave excellent results in terms of copper recoveries, concentrate grade and low work index.”

The company’s last resource estimate update included a higher grade core Measured Resource of 51 million tonnes at 0.5 per cent CuEq being 51 million tonnes t at 0.38 per cent copper, 0.12 grams per tonne gold and 0.007 per cent molybdenum using an 0.36 per cent  CuEq cut off.