Lodestar Minerals (ASX:LSR) has added another major copper target to its Chilean portfolio, securing an option over the Pacifico copper-molybdenum-gold porphyry project in the Atacama Region.
The deal consolidates around 22km² of tenure across a ~6km prospective porphyry corridor that was historically explored as separate northern and southern projects.
The entry cost is modest, US$30,000 upfront for sole access rights.
The majors already drilled it
Pacifico is not starting from a blank page.
Previous explorers First Quantum and Hudbay completed 16 diamond holes for around 8,000m, intersecting multiple mineralised porphyry intrusions from near surface to depths beyond 700m.
Historical assays reached up to 0.67% Cu, 817ppm Mo and 1.03% CuEq, while broader lower-grade mineralisation was intersected over substantial down-hole widths.
The historical data is not sufficient for a JORC resource, but it gives Lodestar a sizeable dataset to work with before spending heavily on new drilling.
Figure 1: Pacifico Project regional location and access.
The gap in the middle
The most interesting part may be the least explored.
Lodestar has identified outcropping porphyritic dykes in the central portion of the corridor, an area that has never been drilled.
That gives the company three clear target zones. North, Central and South, all now sitting within one geological interpretation rather than disconnected historical projects.
CEO Coraline Blaud said the acquisition gives Lodestar a measured way into a prospective Chilean copper system while it builds the geological case.
Figure 2: Lodestar geological team on the ground and reviewing historical drill core at the Pacifico Project.
What’s next
The immediate job is data integration.
Lodestar Minerals will reinterpret historical drilling and geophysics, complete fresh mapping and surface sampling, and refine targets across Pacifico.
Maiden Lodestar drilling is targeted for Q2 CY2027.
The old explorers proved there is a porphyry system, now Lodestar gets to test the bit they barely touched.
