공시 • Oct 08
Capstone Copper Reports Results of Phase 1 Drill Program at Mantoverde
Capstone Copper Corp. reported initial exploration results from its Phase 1 drill program at Mantoverde in the Atacama region of Chile. Phase 1 included 30,000-metres of drilling focused on areas adjacent to the Mantoverde Optimized (“MV-O”) Pit Reserves, as well as priority targets located just north of the current operation. Assay results for the Phase 1 drill program have been received for approximately 24,700-metres of the 30,000-metre drill program. Higher than expected grades in the Brecha Flores sector, where drill intercepts returned copper grades above those predicted by the current block model, including: DDH25DS16: 176m of 0.77% copper from 654m, including 24m of 1.50% copper; DDH25DS28: 162m of 0.73% copper from 660m, including 18m of 1.07% copper; DDH25DS01: 144m of 0.65% copper from 528m, including 18m of 1.88% copper. Results consistent with the current block model at Mantoverde Sur (“MVS”) and Mantoverde Norte (“MVN”), enhancing confidence and supporting the potential upgrade of the resource categorization, including: DDH25DS24: 146m of 0.52% copper from 314m, including 34m of 1.07% copper; DDH25DS26: 274m of 0.39% copper from 318m, including 20m of 1.30% copper. DDH25DS09: 62m of 0.23% copper from 178m, including 64m of 0.62% copper; Strong results along the Santa Clara Corridor confirming the presence of higher grades than the current block model with the potential for resource growth in between active pits, including: DDH25DS08: step-out drilling returned 376m of 0.43% copper from 674m, including 64m of 0.98% copper; DDH25DS32: 100m of 0.43% copper from 656m, including 42m of 0.62% copper; DDH25DS27: 82m of 0.77% copper from 740m, including 30m of 1.04% copper. Results from step-out drilling continue to demonstrate extension of the mineralization to the north of the current Mantoverde pit into the Animas area, confirming continuity along strike, including: DDH25DS21: 102m of 0.41% copper from 96m, 26m of 0.46% copper from 248m, and 46m of 0.49% copper from 316m; DDH25DS25: 112m of 0.45% copper from 126m, including 28m of 0.67% copper. District-scale exploration potential with the completion of a 10-kilometre Induced Polarization (IP) geophysical survey along the northern corridor, which has informed the location of high-priority targets that will be tested in Phase 2 of the drill program. The Phase 1 drill program represents a portion of the ongoing two-year exploration program at Mantoverde, which is expected to total approximately $25 million and include 61,500-metres of drilling. There are currently up to seven drill rigs operating on site at Mantoverde. Phase 1 consisted of 30,000-metres of drilling focused on areas adjacent to the Mantoverde Optimized Pit Reserves, including MVS, Brecha Flores, and MVN, aiming to improve copper grades and mineralization continuity within and near the pit boundaries. Phase 1 also included testing of priority targets located just north of the current Mantoverde pit at the Santa Clara Corridor and Animas. The initial results support the potential for resource growth and reserve conversion. Drilling has also intersected mineralization in areas assumed to be waste in the current life of mine plan and may have favourable implications on future stripping ratios. The results also confirm our understanding of the geological model and provide additional confidence in potential future expansion plans. Phase 2 will include two main areas of focus and is expected to commence in Fourth Quarter 2025. ~20,000 metres will be follow-up drilling at the targets adjacent to the northern portion of the pit, with the goal of improving grades and adding mineralization. The remaining ~11,500 metres of drilling will include testing of high-priority targets along the 10-kilometre-long northern corridor, which were defined based on the results of the induced polarization (“IP”) geophysical survey completed in first quarter of 2025.