Hot Chili has reported a 398-metre copper-gold intersection from surface at its La Verde discovery in Chile, including 62 metres at 0.91% CuEq. The results extend the case for a higher-grade starter pit, but the project remains an exploration discovery with no Mineral Resource declared.
- DKP063 returns 398m at 0.45% CuEq from surface
- 62m at 0.91% CuEq includes 34m at 1.00% CuEq
- DKP064 and partial DKP075 results support broad mineralised continuity
- DKD060 extends mineralisation to 765.2m down-hole
- Assays from 22 holes remain pending ahead of a maiden MRE
DKP063 Delivers La Verde’s Strongest Near-Surface Signal
Hot Chili Limited (ASX:HCH) has produced one of its most substantial near-surface results yet at the La Verde copper-gold discovery in Chile, with hole DKP063 returning 398 metres at 0.45% copper equivalent from surface. The interval contains 62 metres at 0.91% CuEq from just 20 metres depth, including 34 metres at 1.00% CuEq.
The result is notable less for a single narrow high-grade spike than for the combination of width, shallow depth and copper contribution. The 62-metre zone averaged 0.70% copper and 0.30 grams per tonne gold, while its higher-grade components included 12 metres at 1.00% CuEq and 34 metres at 1.00% CuEq. Hot Chili says the hole tested the up-dip extension of the deposit’s higher-grade core.
Three Shallow Holes Reinforce Continuity
Two further RC holes added breadth to the picture. DKP064 returned 126 metres at 0.45% CuEq from 54 metres, including 26 metres at 0.70% CuEq from 108 metres, followed by a separate 74-metre interval at 0.35% CuEq from 276 metres. The hole was drilled on the southern margin of the interpreted high-grade core, an area Hot Chili says remains open for further testing.
DKP075 produced a partial 132-metre interval at 0.57% CuEq from 24 metres, including 42 metres at 0.70% CuEq from 96 metres. Assays for another 177 metres of that hole are still outstanding. The company interprets the result as evidence of continuity between two previously interpreted higher-grade areas and a broad blanket of oxide mineralisation.
Deep Drilling Extends the Porphyry System
The deposit is not merely shallow. Updated results from diamond hole DKD060 added a 123.1-metre interval at 0.30% CuEq from 642.1 metres, extending mineralisation to 765.2 metres down-hole, close to the hole’s 772.7-metre end depth. Within that interval, a 2.3-metre zone returned 4.56% copper, hosted by chalcopyrite-rich veining.
That deep result and the shallow RC intersections point to a system with considerable vertical extent, although the reported lengths are down-hole measurements and true widths have not yet been established. Copper equivalent figures also rely on assumed metal prices and recoveries, with La Verde’s recovery factors partly based on Cortadera as a proxy.
Resource Estimate Becomes the Next Test
Hot Chili has 22 drill holes still awaiting assays, including two diamond holes, one diamond tail and 19 RC holes. The company is targeting a maiden Mineral Resource Estimate for La Verde later in 2026, followed by a revised Costa Fuego pre-feasibility study that would incorporate the discovery. It also plans to submit the broader project’s Environmental Impact Assessment in the second quarter of 2027.
The important distinction is that La Verde remains an exploration discovery rather than a defined resource. Conceptual open-pit shells shown in the announcement are Exploration Targets, not Mineral Reserves, and the company says further drilling, confirmatory assaying and geological interpretation are required before the deposit can be formally folded into the Costa Fuego mine plan. The pending assays will determine whether the latest broad intersections translate into a coherent resource envelope or remain an impressive collection of drill-hole results.
Bottom Line?
The drilling has strengthened La Verde’s scale narrative, but the next value-defining step is converting wide intersections into a maiden resource with confidence in grade continuity, recoveries and geometry.
Questions in the middle?
- Will the 22 outstanding holes confirm that the near-surface higher-grade core is continuous across a mineable footprint?
- How will the maiden Mineral Resource Estimate treat the down-hole widths, oxide material and proxy-based recovery assumptions?
- Can La Verde materially improve the economics of the revised Costa Fuego pre-feasibility study without adding disproportionate development complexity?