Southern Hemisphere Mining Drills Toward Copper-Gold Feeder Zone at Llahuin
Key Takeaways
- Diamond drilling has commenced at Ferro South, a newly discovered zone adjacent to the existing Ferro deposit within SUH's 100%-owned Llahuin Copper-Gold-Molybdenum Project in Chile.
- The initial program covers approximately 2,000 metres over ten weeks, with holes planned to 300 metres depth and selected holes extendable to 500 metres based on geological observations.
- Specialist firm VectOres has identified an additional copper isotope vector interpreted to indicate a deeper mineralised source within the Cerro-Ferro system, sharpening drill targeting at depth.
- Llahuin already holds a JORC-compliant resource of 218.2 Mt @ 0.38% CuEq, and Ferro South drilling targets mineralisation outside the existing resource boundary — any significant intercepts could drive future resource growth.
- Initial assay results are expected towards the end of November 2026, representing a defined near-term catalyst for investors tracking the program.
Diamond drilling underway at Ferro South as SUH closes in on copper-gold feeder zone
Southern Hemisphere Mining has commenced diamond drilling at the newly discovered Ferro South zone within its 100%-owned Llahuin Copper-Gold-Molybdenum Project in Chile. The initial program is planned for approximately 2,000 metres over ten weeks, with scope to extend drilling in response to geological observations and results.
Initial holes are designed to test the extent and continuity of mineralisation at Ferro South, and to further investigate potential feeder zones within the broader Llahuin system. Holes are planned to approximately 300 metres downhole, with selected holes potentially extended to approximately 500 metres where geological observations in the drill core warrant further testing.
A copper isotope study undertaken by specialist firm VectOres has identified an additional isotopic vector interpreted to indicate the potential for a deeper mineralised source within the broader Cerro-Ferro system. Initial assay results are expected towards the end of November 2026, subject to laboratory turnaround times.
Chairman Mark Stowell
“Southern Hemisphere Mining is working in Chile to discover a serious copper-gold-moly mine at Llahuin to supply copper metal into predicted future supply shortages. Our drilling is getting closer to the game changing drill hole or two as we vector towards the anticipated copper-gold feeder zone(s).”
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What Ferro South is and why it matters
The Llahuin project sits within a broader porphyry copper system in Chile and hosts three defined resource zones: Central Porphyry, Cerro, and Ferro. Ferro South is a newly discovered zone adjacent to the existing Ferro deposit, and the current drilling program is designed to understand how far that mineralisation extends and how deep it goes.
The Ferro West copper target, identified through shallow MT resistivity surveying adjacent to the Ferro deposit, illustrates how the broader Ferro corridor has progressively revealed new mineralised zones, a pattern now continuing with the Ferro South discovery.
In porphyry copper systems, a feeder zone is the conduit through which hot, mineralising hydrothermal fluids travelled upward from a deep magmatic source. These are the source points of copper, gold, and molybdenum mineralisation, and intersecting one typically indicates proximity to higher-grade, deeper mineralisation. Finding a feeder zone is therefore significant for assessing the full scale of a deposit.
To improve drill targeting at depth, the company has deployed copper isotope analysis, an emerging exploration technique that examines natural variations in copper isotopes, specifically δCu-65 and δCu-63. These variations can vector geologists toward the source of copper-bearing hydrothermal fluids, helping refine targets within porphyry copper systems. For investors, isotopic vectoring adds a layer of scientific precision to drill targeting, reducing exploratory risk and improving the probability of intersecting high-grade mineralisation at depth.
Llahuin’s existing resource base
The Llahuin project already holds a substantial JORC (2012) compliant resource base, reported as at 30 July 2025. A JORC Resource refers to a concentration of minerals in the Earth’s crust with reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction, classified by confidence level as Inferred, Indicated, or Measured.
| Zone | Measured (Mt) @ CuEq% | Indicated (Mt) @ CuEq% | Total M+I (Mt) @ CuEq% | Inferred (Mt) @ CuEq% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Porphyry | 90.9 @ 0.42% | 10.2 @ 0.33% | 101.1 @ 0.41% | 24.5 @ 0.31% |
| Cerro | 41.9 @ 0.40% | 4.9 @ 0.32% | 46.8 @ 0.39% | 13.7 @ 0.32% |
| Ferro | 19.1 @ 0.32% | 7.1 @ 0.34% | 26.2 @ 0.32% | 5.9 @ 0.32% |
| Total (rounded) | 151.9 @ 0.40% | 22.2 @ 0.33% | 174.1 @ 0.39% | 44.1 @ 0.31% |
| Total Measured, Indicated and Inferred | 218.2 @ 0.38% CuEq | |||
CuEq calculated using US$3.50/lb Cu, US$3,000/oz Au, US$20/lb Mo; cut-off 0.22% CuEq.
The Total Measured and Indicated resource stands at 174.1 Mt @ 0.39% CuEq, with the Total resource including Inferred material reaching 218.2 Mt @ 0.38% CuEq. Ferro South drilling is targeting mineralisation that sits outside this existing resource boundary, meaning any significant intersections could contribute to future resource growth.
Earlier drilling programs returned broad copper intercepts at Llahuin across multiple zones, providing the geological continuity data that underpins the current JORC resource base and informed the decision to pursue deeper feeder zone targets.
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What comes next: targets, timeline, and catalysts
The current drilling program has two defined objectives. The first is to test the extent and continuity of mineralisation at Ferro South. The second is to investigate potential feeder zones within the broader Cerro-Ferro system, using the isotopic vectors identified by VectOres to guide targeting at depth.
The key milestones to watch:
- September 2026: Diamond drilling commenced at Ferro South
- Ongoing: Drill core being geologically logged, sampled, and submitted for laboratory analysis
- Late November 2026: Initial assay results expected, subject to laboratory turnaround times
- Ongoing: Company will report material results as they become available; program scope may extend based on geological observations
Chile is the world’s leading copper-producing country and one of the most prospective regions for major new copper discoveries. Chairman Stowell’s commentary situates Llahuin explicitly within the context of predicted future copper supply shortages, framing the project’s location and scale ambition together.
For investors, the late-November assay release represents a near-term, defined catalyst. The program’s flexible scope, with the potential to extend beyond 2,000 metres based on what the geology shows, signals that management is prepared to follow the results rather than adhere rigidly to a fixed plan. That combination of a clear timeline and operational flexibility is what makes this drilling program worth tracking closely.
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