The methodology used to identify the potential district level porphyry system has been successfull in first identification of multiple global scale projects. If the drilling can prove resource, this project starts the path to Tier 1 and huge value, many multiples of what HCH is trading at today
The La Verde porphyry cluster discovery by Hot ChiliLimited, which combines geophysical data (e.g., 3D magnetic inversion), surfacegeochemistry, and drilling in a blind or partially concealed environment, issimilar in discovery style to several world-class porphyry and IOCG deposits.Here’s a look at major deposits discovered in a similar way:
1.Oyu Tolgoi (Mongolia) – Rio Tinto/Turquoise Hill
- Discovery: Involved systematic geophysics and geochemical targeting in a desert region.
- Key method: IP surveys and magnetics revealed deep porphyry targets beneath unmineralized rock.
- Significance: One of the world’s largest known copper-gold deposits.
- Similarity: Hidden mineralization, identified using geophysics in a district-scale porphyry system.
2.Olympic Dam (Australia) – BHP
- Discovery: 1975 by Western Mining Corporation using gravity and magnetic anomalies.
- Key method: Blind discovery—the deposit is under 300–400 m of cover.
- Deposit type: IOCG (Iron Oxide Copper Gold), not porphyry, but exploration strategy is similar.
- Similarity: Remote, covered terrain; deep geophysical modeling essential.
3.Cascabel (Ecuador) – SolGold
- Discovery: Surface geochemistry + 3D magnetic inversion modeling.
- Targeting: Alpala porphyry center discovered through blind geophysics and geochemical signatures.
- Significance: One of the most significant recent copper-gold discoveries globally.
- Similarity: Porphyry cluster, concealed targets, step-wise vectoring in complex terrain.
4.El Teniente (Chile) – Codelco
- Initially discovered centuries ago as a surface outcrop.
- However, new porphyry centers and extensions in the El Teniente district have been discovered via deep geophysical targeting, particularly under volcanic and sedimentary cover.
- Similarity: Mature district continues to yield hidden centers via advanced exploration tools.
5.Los Helados & Josemaría (Chile/Argentina) – NGEx Minerals / Lundin
- Discovery: Remote, high-altitude terrain with no significant surface exposure.
- Exploration tools: Magnetics and geochem, followed by drill confirmation.
- Similarity: Large porphyry centers discovered through integrated geophysical/geochemical interpretation.
| Deposit | Discovery Method | Type | Similarity to La Verde |
|---|
| 1 | Oyu Tolgoi | IP + Magnetics | Porphyry Cu-Au | Very High |
|---|
| 2 | Olympic Dam | Gravity + Magnetics | IOCG | Very High |
|---|
| 3 | Cascabel | Mag + Surface Geochem | Porphyry Cu-Au | Very High |
|---|
| 4 | El Teniente | Deep extensions via geophysics | Porphyry Cu | High |
|---|
| 5 | Los Helados | Remote, mag + drilling | Porphyry Cu-Au | High |
|---|
KeyTakeaway:
The discovery style at La Verde — usingmagnetic inversion, geochem, and drilling under shallow cover — is textbook forfinding hidden porphyry clusters. It’s the same playbook used to find some ofthe largest copper-gold deposits in the world.
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