Andina Copper Corporation (TSX-V: ANDC | FSE: FIR | OTCQB: PMMCF) has announced assay results from drillholes PIU12 and PIU13 at the Piuquenes North target in San Juan, Argentina, confirming a new porphyry copper-gold discovery. The drilling targeted a large magneto-telluric (MT) geophysical anomaly identified in the company's 2026 survey program.
Drillhole PIU13 returned 468 meters grading 0.50% copper, 0.30 g/t gold, and 3.04 g/t silver from 700 meters downhole, including a higher-grade interval of 164 meters at 0.70% copper, 0.44 g/t gold, and 4.19 g/t silver from 924 meters. Mineralization is hosted within a multiphase porphyry system intersected between 664 and 1,168 meters, featuring intense quartz vein stockwork and potassic alteration with chalcopyrite and bornite. Gold is a significant co-product, with lesser silver.
Drillhole PIU12, located approximately 600 meters east-northeast of PIU13, intersected shorter intervals of mineralization (14 meters at 0.38% copper, 0.12 g/t gold, 1.81 g/t silver from 864 meters) within a pre-mineral porphyry, interpreted as the periphery of the mineralized system. These two holes tested only a small portion of the MT anomaly, which measures approximately 800 by 700 meters and trends north-northeast, remaining largely untested.
Andina Copper's President and CEO Joseph van den Elsen commented: "We are extremely pleased with the results from our first drillholes at Piuquenes North. High-grade Cu-Au values from PIU13 confirm a new discovery, proximate to the high-grade, near surface Cu-Au mineralization at Piuquenes Central. Significantly, only a fraction of the large geophysical anomaly has been tested, and we are now designing the next phase of drilling."
The Piuquenes district now comprises three recognized porphyry systems: the new Piuquenes North discovery, and the previously identified Piuquenes Central and Piuquenes East systems, all adjacent to the north of Aldebaran Resources Inc.'s Altar copper-gold porphyry project. Other major porphyry projects in the region include El Pachon (Glencore), Los Pelambres (Antofagasta plc), and Los Azules (McEwen Copper).
The company plans to integrate assay results with geological logging to refine a 3D model for Piuquenes North and design a follow-up drill program targeting down-dip and along-strike extensions, prioritizing the north-northeast continuation and untested depth of the MT anomaly. For more information, the company's corporate presentation is available at Andina Copper Corporate Presentation. Latest news and releases can be found via the Mailing List.
