Andina Copper's initial drillholes confirm a new copper-gold center in San Juan.
By Panorama Minero
Andina Copper Corporation reported assay results from drillholes PIU12 and PIU13 at the Piuquenes North target, a recently generated and previously undrilled target located in the province of San Juan. The drilling campaign was designed to test a discrete magnetotelluric (MT) geophysical target delineated during the Company's 2026 geophysical survey program.
The main highlights include:
- Assay results from drillhole PIU13 confirm the discovery of a new copper-gold porphyry system at Piuquenes North.
- 468 m grading 0.50% copper, 0.30 g/t gold, and 3.04 g/t silver from 700 m.
- Including 164 m grading 0.70% copper, 0.44 g/t gold, and 4.19 g/t silver from 924 m.
- Mineralization in PIU13 is hosted within a strongly developed multiphase porphyry system intersected between 664 m and 1,168 m downhole.
- Gold represents a significant co-product, accompanied by lesser silver values.
- Drillhole PIU12 located approximately 600 m east-northeast of drillhole PIU13, intersected short intervals of mineralization within a pre-mineral porphyry and is interpreted to be located on the periphery of the mineralized system.
- Drillholes PIU12 and PIU13 have tested only a small portion of the magnetotelluric (MT) geophysical anomaly, which measures approximately 800 m by 700 m and trends toward the north-northeast. The anomaly remains open for testing in all directions.
- With this discovery, Piuquenes is now confirmed to host multiple porphyry centers, comprising the new Piuquenes North discovery together with the previously reported Piuquenes Central and Piuquenes East systems, all located immediately north of Aldebaran Resources Inc.'s Altar copper-gold porphyry project.
Andina Copper President and CEO Joseph van den Elsen commented:
"We are extremely pleased with the results received from our first drillholes at Piuquenes North. High-grade copper and gold values from PIU13 confirm a new discovery located close to the near-surface high-grade copper-gold mineralization at Piuquenes Central. Importantly, only a fraction of the large geophysical anomaly at Piuquenes North has been tested, and we are now designing the next phase of drilling to expand what has the potential to become a significant new porphyry discovery within the emerging San Juan Miocene Belt."
"Since January 2025, we have rapidly advanced the Piuquenes project and, to date, have drilled three porphyry centers immediately north of Aldebaran Resources Inc.'s Altar copper-gold porphyry project. Other major copper projects within the San Juan Miocene Porphyry Belt include El Pachón (Glencore), approximately 30 km to the south; the Los Pelambres copper mine (60% owned by Antofagasta plc) in Chile; and Los Azules (McEwen Copper), located 50 km to the northeast."
