Southern Hemisphere Extends Deep Chile Drill Hole
The company is pushing a historic Llahuin drill hole past 640 metres while flood-exposed bedrock reshuffles its exploration queue.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Current Conditions
Southern Hemisphere Mining is extending a historic diamond drill hole at its Llahuin copper-gold-molybdenum project in Chile, now boring beyond 640 metres toward a planned 750 metres. Recent heavy rains and flooding exposed chalcocite-bearing bedrock, prompting the company to fast-track a new copper-gold prospect into its drill queue.
Why it matters
The deeper hole is designed to test for a porphyry feeder zone at the Cerro deposit, a target generated from a new geological model and copper isotopic analysis. Flood-exposed bedrock led the company to reprioritize its drilling program.
The existing resource totals 218.2 million tonnes at 0.38 per cent copper equivalent, and a prior 440-metre intersection assayed 0.75 per cent copper equivalent. The historic eight-metre gold intersection at 45 metres depth was never tested for copper, leaving its base-metal content unknown.
The players
Southern Hemisphere Mining
A mineral exploration company advancing the Llahuin copper-gold-molybdenum project in northern Chile.
VectOres
A geological consultancy that generated the feeder-zone drill target using a new geological model and copper isotopic analysis.
The details
The company's drill bit has advanced past 640 metres in historic hole DDLLA028, which earlier stopped at 401 metres, and the hole is planned to reach 750 metres. The project sits at 1300 metres elevation, about 5 km from grid power and 200 km from a major port.
Timeline
Late November 2026: first assays from the deep drilling expected.
Before year end 2026: company expects to add to Llahuin's potential.
Seasonal Patterns
Llahuin's search for a deep porphyry feeder zone follows the Andean porphyry exploration model, in which deeper drilling below surface deposits is used to locate larger mineralized centres. Flood-driven bedrock exposure this season has accelerated that approach by reshaping which targets the company drills first.
Investors tracking Southern Hemisphere Mining should watch for the late November 2026 assays, which will indicate whether the deep feeder zone carries economic copper grades. Readers in the mining sector can use these results as a benchmark for how flood-exposed bedrock is changing drill priorities in the region.
The takeaway
Flood-exposed bedrock can quickly change exploration priorities, as Southern Hemisphere Mining has shown by reshuffling its Llahuin drill queue. Watching the late November 2026 assays will show whether the deep feeder-zone hypothesis holds up.
What happens next
First assays from the deep Llahuin hole are expected in late November 2026, with the company targeting additions to its resource potential before year end.
Further reading
For context on how exploration results are shaped by conditions on the ground, see Current Conditions.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The West Australian.
