Ivanhoe Electric–SQM Chile copper JV: geophysics, drilling and JV terms for engineers
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan

First reported on MINING.com
30 Second Briefing
Ivanhoe Electric has partnered with SQM to explore copper on 2,000 km² of caliche-covered concessions in Chile’s Atacama Desert using the high-power Typhoon geophysical system with Computational Geosciences Inc.’s inversion software to image sulphide targets beneath highly resistive cover. SQM will fund US$9 million of work over three years, with Ivanhoe operating Typhoon surveys and SQM running follow-up drilling on porphyry copper and polymetallic manto belts adjacent to major existing mines. Any discovery exceeding 1 million tonnes copper (or equivalent) gives Ivanhoe a 50/50 JV option by reimbursing twice SQM’s exploration spend.
Technical Brief
- Typhoon transmits a high-power, “clean” electrical signal specifically engineered to penetrate highly resistive caliche.
- Caliche cover in SQM’s Atacama concessions severely attenuates conventional low-power EM transmitters, masking deeper sulphides.
- CGI’s inversion software will process Typhoon data to resolve concealed porphyry and manto-style sulphide geometries at depth.
- Exploration governance will run through a joint technical committee, coordinating survey layouts, budgets and drill targeting.
- Ivanhoe Electric is responsible for all Typhoon field operations, while SQM manages the follow-up drilling campaigns.
- Any qualifying discovery triggers Ivanhoe’s 50/50 JV option only after reimbursing 2× SQM’s cumulative exploration spend.
Our Take
The Atacama region already features in our coverage via Rio2’s Fenix gold project, and adding Ivanhoe Electric–SQM copper exploration there underlines how the district is evolving from primarily gold–silver to a more diversified copper–battery metals play.
A 1-million-tonne copper-equivalent threshold for triggering the 50/50 JV suggests Ivanhoe Electric is targeting camp-scale discoveries rather than satellite deposits, which could materially shift SQM’s portfolio beyond its core lithium, potassium nitrate and iodine operations in Chile.
Within our 764 Mining stories, copper–lithium pairings like this Ivanhoe Electric–SQM arrangement are still relatively uncommon, signalling that SQM’s move into copper exploration in Chile may give it an edge over lithium-only peers in securing long-term electrification exposure.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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