Hot Chili Intersects 472 Metres at La Verde Copper-Gold Discovery

By Mining Hub News Desk
24 August 2026, 9:55 a.m. EDT 2 min read

Hot Chili Limited has returned broad copper-gold intercepts from ongoing drilling at its La Verde porphyry discovery in Chile’s coastal Atacama region, highlighted by drill hole DKD060, which intersected 472 metres grading 0.41% copper equivalent from 49 metres depth.

The latest diamond and reverse circulation drilling program is expanding the high-grade core of the deposit, which lies 30 kilometres south of the company's planned central processing hub for the broader Costa Fuego project. Drill hole DKD060 included a higher-grade interval of 105.8 metres grading 0.70% copper equivalent from 397 metres depth, featuring a 32.6-metre section grading 0.90% copper equivalent from 438 metres. Assays for DKD060 remain partial, with results pending for the final 142.7 metres to the end of the hole at 772.7 metres.

Figure 5. Cross section slice (C – C’) showing recent drill hole results DKD060 and DKP058 (± 75m clipping) and updated +0.2% copper (yellow), +0.3% copper (red), +0.4% copper (magenta) mineralisation interpolants. Returned Cu grades shown on hole traces, drilled holes with pending assays are shown in black. Conceptual open pit shells1 displayed for $US3.50/lb Cu (short dash) and $US6.00/lb Cu (long dash) displayed as dashed lines. Results reported including CuEq2.
Cross section slice (C – C’) of La Verde showing recent drill hole results and mineralisation interpolants. Source: Hot Chili Limited

Additional shallow reverse circulation drilling also returned significant mineralization. Drill hole DKP058 extended a previously reported intersection by 74 metres downhole, delivering a total interval of 182 metres grading 0.50% copper equivalent from 24 metres depth. Meanwhile, drill hole DKP052 intercepted 272 metres grading 0.40% copper equivalent from 82 metres depth, including 42 metres grading 0.50% copper equivalent from 92 metres and 28 metres grading 0.60% copper equivalent from 252 metres.

Operations at La Verde experienced a temporary pause following severe weather in July, which prompted the company to undertake repair work on access tracks. To accelerate drilling activities, Hot Chili has added a fourth rig to the site, bringing operations to six shifts per day across two double-shift diamond rigs and two single-shift reverse circulation rigs. Assays are currently pending for 18 drill holes.

Earlier exploration at the prospect included diamond drill hole DKD039, which returned 725 metres grading 0.42% copper equivalent from 18 metres depth. Within the surrounding district, Phase I drill results at the Frontera Deposit announced by ATERRA Metals Inc. in July returned 284 metres grading 0.64% copper equivalent from surface.

Hot Chili expects to deliver a maiden Mineral Resource Estimate for La Verde later in 2026. That resource estimate is scheduled to be followed by a revised Pre-Feasibility Study for Costa Fuego incorporating La Verde, with the formal submission of the project's Environmental Impact Assessment planned for the second quarter of 2027.

Read the full announcement: Hot Chili Delivers More Copper-Gold at La Verde