Culpeo Minerals Drills Into 3km Copper Corridor to Extend Lana Corina Discovery
Key Takeaways
- Culpeo Minerals has commenced maiden diamond drilling at Vista Montana, with four holes planned for 2,000m total, targeting a demagnetised zone interpreted as Cu-Mo porphyry-style mineralisation 1km north-east of the Lana Corina discovery.
- Vista Montana sits within the same north-northeast trending structural corridor that produced headline intercepts of 454m at 0.96% CuEq and 257m at 1.10% CuEq at Lana Corina — the maiden programme tests whether that system extends along strike.
- A concurrent TITAN DCIP IP survey covering 9.6 line km across Vista Montana is already underway, with full results expected mid-September, providing high-resolution targeting data to over 500m depth.
- At El Quillay South, assays from CMQD004 have been received with high-grade sub-intervals of 0.5m at 2.11% CuEq and 0.5m at 1.58% CuEq, while CMQD005 results are expected within three weeks.
- Culpeo is running multiple concurrent work streams across a greater-than-3km mineralised corridor, with four near-term catalysts — Vista Montana drill results, IP survey data, CMQD005 assays, and a potential programme extension — all expected within weeks.
Maiden drilling commences at Vista Montana as Culpeo targets district-scale copper expansion
Culpeo Minerals (ASX: CPO) has commenced its maiden diamond drilling programme at the Vista Montana Prospect within the Lana Corina Project in Chile. The initial programme comprises four holes targeting 2,000m of diamond drilling in total. Vista Montana sits 1km north-east of the Lana Corina Cu-Mo discovery and is interpreted to form part of the same north-northeast trending mineralised corridor — a system that has already returned headline intercepts of 454m at 0.96% CuEq from 90m and 257m at 1.10% CuEq from 170m.
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Vista Montana drill programme — what’s in the ground and why it matters
The first hole, CMVMD001, is planned to reach 600m depth and is targeting a large demagnetised zone interpreted to be coincident with Cu-Mo porphyry-style mineralisation. That demagnetisation is understood to reflect hydrothermal alteration associated with a copper mineralising event, consistent with what has been observed at the Lana Corina deposit. The programme may be extended subject to geological observations and results from initial drilling.
To appreciate what Vista Montana could represent, the established Lana Corina results provide context. Previous drilling at Lana Corina has returned:
- 454m at 0.96% CuEq from 90m (CMLCD014)
- 257m at 1.10% CuEq from 170m (CMLCD002)
- 173m at 1.09% CuEq from 313m (CMLCD003)
- 169m at 1.21% CuEq from 239m (CMLCD010)
- 104m at 0.83% CuEq from 155m (CMLCD01A)
- 81m at 1.14% CuEq from 302m (CMLCD005A)
These are thick, high-grade intercepts across multiple holes. Vista Montana’s maiden programme is designed to determine whether that mineralised system extends north-east along the structural corridor.
Geoff McNamara, Non-Executive Chair
“We are delighted to have commenced the maiden diamond drilling at Vista Montana which has the potential to materially expand the Lana Corina discovery and with the recently commenced IP survey, will help refine existing targets and potentially identify new targets along this highly prospective >3km structural corridor.”
Understanding IP surveys — the technology sharpening Culpeo’s drill targets
An Induced Polarisation (IP) survey is a ground-based geophysical technique used to detect subsurface disseminated sulphide minerals — such as chalcopyrite and bornite — that are associated with copper deposits. It works by measuring two properties of the ground: chargeability (how well the ground “stores” an electrical charge) and resistivity (its resistance to electrical flow). Together, these measurements help identify unexposed ore bodies and pinpoint high-priority drill targets without the cost of speculative drilling.
Culpeo is deploying a TITAN DCIP survey across the project area, providing high-resolution resistivity and chargeability imaging to over 500m depth along prospective geological corridors. The survey covers six east-west lines totalling 9.6 line km across Vista Montana, plus one northwest-southeast line of 1.8km covering the Lana Corina Deposit. Two of the Vista Montana lines have already been completed. The full survey is expected to be completed in mid-September, with results to follow within one week of completion.
Culpeo has also used IP surveying to lock in copper drill targets at Fortuna, another Chilean prospect in its portfolio, demonstrating that the TITAN DCIP methodology being applied at Vista Montana is already delivering actionable targeting outcomes across the company’s broader project pipeline.
El Quillay South delivers copper-gold intercepts as second programme advances
Culpeo is also advancing work at El Quillay South concurrently, where two diamond drill holes (CMQD004 and CMQD005) have been completed for a combined 505.95m. Assays have been received for CMQD004, while samples from CMQD005 are being dispatched this week with results expected within three weeks.
The CMQD004 assay results are summarised below:
| From (m) | To (m) | Width (m) | Au (ppm) | Cu (%) | CuEq (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 68.7 | 75.0 | 5.5 | 0.16 | 0.28 | 0.40 |
| inc. 73.1 | 75.0 | 1.9 | 0.65 | 0.76 | 1.32 |
| 146.6 | 148.2 | 1.6 | 0.07 | 0.92 | 0.76 |
| inc. 147.6 | 148.2 | 0.6 | 0.10 | 1.61 | 1.71 |
| 152.0 | 153.0 | 1.0 | 0.04 | 0.47 | 0.51 |
| 161.5 | 163.0 | 1.5 | 0.01 | 0.20 | 0.29 |
| 233.0 | 234.5 | 1.5 | 0.77 | 0.58 | 1.27 |
| inc. 233.0 | 233.5 | 0.5 | 1.02 | 1.13 | 2.11 |
| and. 234.0 | 234.5 | 0.5 | 1.28 | 0.51 | 1.58 |
| 244.0 | 245.6 | 1.6 | 0.06 | 0.29 | 0.34 |
Within the 233–245m zone, the highest-grade sub-intervals stand out: 0.5m at 2.11% CuEq and 0.5m at 1.58% CuEq, both carrying meaningful gold credits alongside copper. Two further diamond drill holes totalling approximately 400m are planned at El Quillay South along strike from these holes.
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A proven jurisdiction and the path ahead
Culpeo operates across Chile’s Coastal Cordillera, the world’s leading copper-producing jurisdiction, with its primary projects located approximately 350km north of Santiago in proximity to the world-class Los Pelambres mine. The company is now running multiple work streams simultaneously across a >3km mineralised structural corridor.
Culpeo secured funding for its Chilean drilling programme ahead of this multi-prospect campaign, providing the balance sheet runway to run concurrent work streams at Vista Montana and El Quillay South without interruption.
Near-term catalysts investors should watch include:
- CMVMD001 drilling results at Vista Montana (first hole planned to 600m)
- IP survey completion and results (expected mid-September, with data within one week)
- CMQD005 assays due within approximately three weeks
- Potential programme extension at Vista Montana subject to early geological results
With maiden drilling underway at Vista Montana, a concurrent IP survey refining targets across the full corridor, and El Quillay South returning copper-gold results, Culpeo is systematically testing multiple prospects within an established mineralised system. The number of concurrent work streams increases the probability of a material result in the near term.
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