Peru's Jan-Jul copper output rises 2.2% as Antamina and Las Bambas lead mines

AusQuest (ASX:AQD) has released results of a Controlled Source Audio-frequency Magnetotelluric (CSAMT) survey at its 100%-owned Cangallo porphyry copper-gold project in southern Peru, carried out by Quantec Geoscience. The survey outlines an interpreted mineralised porphyry footprint of at least 2.5 km by 1 km and identifies two additional high-priority targets east and west of the known system whose resistivity signatures resemble the main Cangallo porphyry. Deeper low-resistivity anomalies (250-400 ohm-metres) beyond 500 m at the northern and southern margins point to untested porphyry centres now ranked as priority drill targets. Cangallo spans about 60 km2 near the coast; prior RC drilling confirmed mineralisation over 1,500 m of strike, 250-500 m wide and beyond 400 m depth, with broad intervals around 0.5% copper. Follow-up drilling begins once Stage 4 permits are secured.

Aldebaran Resources (TSX-V:ALDE) has closed out the 2025-2026 infill and geotechnical campaign at its Altar copper-gold project in San Juan, Argentina, with hole ALD-26-260 returning 1,728.9 m (close to 2 km) of continuous mineralisation grading 0.45% CuEq from 141 m, including 756 m at 0.68% CuEq at depth. CEO John Black said the more-than-1.7-km interval in a single hole underscores the enormous scale of the Altar system. Since the late-2024 resource estimate, over 40,000 m have been drilled at the main deposit, with about 30,000 m at the adjacent Pórfido Radio target still outside any resource. The infill work is designed to upgrade Inferred resources to Measured and Indicated categories and to feed a 2026 resource update and the 2027 pre-feasibility study. Altar comprises several copper-gold porphyry deposits; Aldebaran holds an 80% interest.

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on 29 September denied a petition for rehearing en banc, refusing to reopen a 13 March ruling that allows the transfer of roughly 2,400 acres of federal land at Oak Flat, Arizona, to Resolution Copper. The exchange, completed on 16 March 2026, hands the site to the Rio Tinto (55%) and BHP (45%) venture and removes a major legal overhang. Rio Tinto has since launched a US$500 million drilling programme to test portions of the orebody previously inaccessible, a step needed before construction and production timelines are set. The deposit is estimated to host more than 40 billion pounds of copper (about 18.1 Mt) and could supply over a quarter of US copper demand across its life. Permitting and processing economics remain execution risks.