Great Southern Copper plc announced that the first five holes of its scout diamond drilling programme at its San Lorenzo project have been successfully completed. Five scout diamond drill holes completed at two prospect locations, Chinchillon and Central, for a total of 1,667.5m. Sheeted fracture-hosted mineralised system confirmed with veinlet and locally disseminated sulphides, including pyrite, chalcopyrite and molybdenite observed in all holes.

First 167 samples for SLD005 submitted to ALS laboratories in La Serena. Drilling now testing monzonite-hosted sheeted fracture-vein swarm mineralisation with associated zones of unidirectional solidification textures (UST's) at Las Hermanas prospect. Diamond drill holes SLD005 to SLD009 targeted highly oxidised sheeted fracture-veins mapped and sampled in outcrop and trenches at the Chinchillon and Central prospects.

The holes were planned to test the concept that iron oxide minerals seen on the exposed surfaces of sheeted fractures in outcrops and in trenches is potentially indicative of iron-copper sulphide mineralisation at depth. Geological mapping at San Lorenzo suggests that the sheeted fracture-veins defines a large (>15 km2) alteration system characterised by actinolite-quartz-Kfeldspar±FeCu sulphide±magnetite fracture filling within biotite granodiorite. At the Chinchillon prospect scout diamond holes SLD005 (451.8m) and SLD006 (305.8) targeted broad zones of oxidised sheeted fracture-vein alteration and anomalous copper and gold assay results observed in outcrops and exploration trenches (CWT 1-2) (refer to previous release on 21st Feb.

2022). Both holes intersected pyrite, chalcopyrite and molybdenite mineralisation associated with targeted fracture-style veining with SLD005 extended 151.8m beyond its planned target depth of 300m. Drill holes SLD007 (307.9m), SLD008 (300m) and SLD009 (302m) tested similar fracture-hosted Cu-Au mineralisation hosted in biotite granodiorite at the Central prospect.

Holes SLD008 and SLD009 also drilled beneath artisanal mine workings. All holes intersected altered granodiorite cut by variably intense sulphide-filled fracture-veins. Sulphide mineralisation observed in the sheeted veinlets includes pyrite, chalcopyrite and molybdenite.

In addition, where vein halo alteration is more intense, further pyrite-chalcopyrite+molybdenite mineralisation may occur as disseminations in the altered wall rock. The drill rig has now moved to the Las Hermanas prospect and has commenced scout diamond drilling at SLD010 targeting fracture-hosted copper-gold mineralisation associated with a monzonitic dyke intruding the biotite granodiorite host rock. Drill core is being processed for geological, geotechnical, petrophysical and geochemical data by GSC staff.

Samples of half-drill core for SLD005 (0-324m, collected over 2m intervals) have been dispatched to ALS laboratories in La Serena, Chile for sample preparation (drying, weighing, crushing and grinding). A final 200g aliquot of each sample is forwarded by ALS to their laboratories in Lima, Peru where it is assayed for Au (by 30g fire assay with ICP-AES finish method) plus a suite of 48 base metals and trace elements including Cu and Mo (by four acid digest ICP-MS method). Sampling and assaying QAQC protocols employed by the company for this drilling project include routine insertion of standards and blanks.