OTCQB:COBA
SAN JUAN MINING DISTRICT
“The San Juan Mining District in Chile’s Atacama region is a historic cobalt-copper-gold district that was once Chile's principal cobalt-producing region, with production from the mid-1800s until the mid-1940s following the end of World War II. Evidence of both open-pit and underground mining reflects the district’s long history of polymetallic mineral production. Chilean Cobalt conducted the district’s first modern exploration campaign in 2018-2019, setting the stage for potentially significant follow-up exploration and development work.”
Duncan T. Blount, Chairman & CEO
La Cobaltera, San Juan District, Northern Chile – Chilean Cobalt currently holds approximately 6,377 of 100%-owned concessions within the San Juan mining district, including 3,007 hectares in the core La Cobaltera area and a further 3,370 hectares at El Cofre. Together, these properties represent a significant exploration and development opportunity within the broader district. La Cobaltera is a historically productive cobalt-copper district where modern exploration has confirmed extensive mineralized vein systems, while El Cofre, an extension of the San Juan mining district, offers additional copper-gold-cobalt potential along the Atacama Fault System. Together, the La Cobaltera / El Cofre project offers complementary exploration potential across a well-established mining region.
The La Cobaltera / El Cofre project spans 25+ km of the Atacama Fault System, a historic cobalt, copper, and gold mining district. Multiple exploration and development targets have been identified by Chilean Cobalt’s ongoing exploration campaigns. Located in Chile’s Coastal Cordillera, the project offers easy access, low cost development, and nearby infrastructure.
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Proven production: Historically produced >7,000mt of cobalt (mid-1800s to 1944), with high grades (1-15%) from open pit and underground mining; production ceased post-WWII, resource not depleted
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Brownfield & greenfield focus: Targeting historical mining areas with near-surface, high-grade cobalt-copper veins for rapid evaluation and early production potential
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Near-term production potential: Surface-exposed targets and proximity to existing infrastructure support low-capex, rapid development opportunities
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District-scale opportunity: 25+ km strike along the Atacama Fault System with historical cobalt grades up to 15% and multiple metals (Cu, Au, Ag)
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Phased exploration strategy: Near-mine oxide targets, deeper sulphide zones, and tailings reprocessing with promising bioleaching results
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Modern exploration validation: First-ever modern drilling and geochemical work confirming brownfield sites plus greenfield targets, unlocking high-impact, near-term production and optionality
Despite more than 100 years of mining activity, the San Juan mining district had never been consolidated or systematically explored using modern exploration techniques prior to Chilean Cobalt’s involvement, which initiated the district’s first modern drilling campaign.
Geologically, this district is a large-scale hydrothermal system characterized by exceptionally high historical grades, extensive outcropping vein targets, and evidence that mineralization continues along strike and at depth. The La Cobaltera / El Cofre project encompasses three major copper trend systems interlaced with a cobalt-rich vein system, with additional evidence of gold mineralization associated with deeper quartz-vein systems.
Chilean Cobalt has assembled an experienced team of industry experts with the technical capabilities to further consolidate the district and advance exploration and development, while maintaining a strong focus on long-term, responsible and sustainable development.
La Cobaltera / El Cofre Regional Infrastructure
The La Cobaltera / El Cofre project is strategically located in the Huasco Province within the Atacama Region of Chile. The project has considerable infrastructure advantages, which support near-term project development and regional exploration opportunities.
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Proximity to key infrastructure: 15km to grid power connection (solar power potential), 30km to Port of Huasco (an iron ore export terminal with existing and further planned water desalination infrastructure), 70km to ENAMI copper processing plant
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Operational advantages: Low altitude, dry climate, good roads, and local labor access with no large camps required
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Resource development potential: Surface-exposed targets allow low-capex brownfield restart opportunities and significant greenfield exploration potential
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Community relations: Building strong local relationships through engagement and no on-site communities
Prior exploration by Chilean Cobalt in the San Juan mining district has validated and expanded upon historical geological data, including nearly 22,000 meters of diamond drilling and technical geological modeling by SRK Consulting. This extensive exploration dataset is being integrated with Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) tools to enhance geological interpretation, target validation and generation, and ongoing exploration efforts. The combined approach is designed to support the potential restart and expansion of historical brownfield operations, while identifying additional greenfield exploration and development opportunities across the district. Chilean Cobalt initiated an extensive exploration and development program in 2018, including…
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District-wide topography and geological mapping, including systematic assessment of surface vein outcrops and identification of multiple cobalt-copper exploration trends
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Systematic trenching and surface sampling, supported by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis, geochemical studies and mineralogical work
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District-wide geophysical surveys, including magnetic and induced polarization (IP) surveys, supporting the identification and extension of subsurface vein structures extending to depths of at least 300 meters
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Extensive diamond drilling program, totaling 21,943 meters across the broader district, targeting cobalt-rich vein systems and other priority targets
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Three-dimensional geological and geometallurgical modeling, geostatistical analysis, grade estimation and block modeling undertaken by SRK Consulting to evaluate mineralization continuity and resource potential
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Identification of a 2.5 km drill-defined mineralized trend, representing less than 10% of the vein potential identified through surface mapping, highlighting significant scope for additional drill-defined resource expansion
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SRK exploration targeting and strategy work, including technical audits, historical data compilation, prospectivity ranking and synthetic modeling of potential mineralized zones to prioritize high-value exploration targets and develop phased drilling programs
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Technical reporting and mine-development planning, including a Technical Report on Exploration and a Technical Report on Mineral Resources prepared in accordance with Canadian National Instrument (NI) 43-101 disclosure standards
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Metallurgical and economic evaluation, including recovery assumptions, open-pit and underground optimization, cutoff-grade considerations, and assessment of reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction
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Baseline geomechanical studies supporting future mine design and development planning
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Site design and layout for small-scale cobalt operation with initial infrastructure design
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Environmental baseline and hydrological work completed by SLR Consulting (formerly, SGA) on small-scale cobalt operation
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Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) exploration initiatives in collaboration with Mineral Forecast SpA and MinersAI, integrating historical and modern geological datasets to support target validation and generation, and to identify additional extensions and greenfield opportunities
Chilean Cobalt’s Phase 1 is focused on near-term production potential from cobalt-copper and copper oxide mineralization located near surface, with little to no overburden. The approach leverages the district’s historical open-pit workings, which Chilean Cobalt is evaluating and delineating to support the redesign and potential expansion of brownfield mine sites, including extensions at depth and along established mineralized trends. Phase 1 is designed around a relatively simple processing flowsheet consisting of crushing, classification, curing, and flotation to produce a cobalt-copper (Co-Cu) concentrate, while also evaluating potential near-term opportunities to reprocess historical tailings and waste piles to recover additional cobalt and copper.
La Cobaltera Phase 2 is focused on the deeper sulphide and transitional mineralization, containing copper and cobalt with evidence of associated gold mineralization. Processing would expand to include grinding and floatation to produce a copper-cobalt (Co-Cu) concentrate, and to accommodate the characteristics of these deeper ores and potentially unlock additional resource and production opportunities. Together, the phased approach provides a pathway to pursue near-term production opportunities while advancing the district’s deeper and potentially larger mineralized systems.
Numerous Historic Open Pits
La Cobaltera Mineral Layers
