The South American story behind claims of a “world’s largest” copper discovery is Filo del Sol, part of the Vicuña project on the Argentina–Chile border. The available figures describe a very large, company-reported mineral resource—not a producing mine, a mineral reserve, or proof that it is the world’s largest copper deposit overall.
Where is the copper deposit?
Filo del Sol is in the Andes along the Argentina–Chile border. It is part of Vicuña, a project that also includes the Josemaria deposit. Vicuña Corp. is independently operated and owned equally by BHP and Lundin Mining, according to BHP’s FY2026 filing (BHP FY2026 filing).
How much copper has been reported?
In its May 4, 2025 announcement, Lundin Mining reported a combined Vicuña Mineral Resource containing 13 million tonnes of copper in the measured and indicated categories, plus 25 million tonnes in the inferred category (Lundin Mining announcement; resource details). These are separate resource categories: measured and indicated resources have greater geological confidence than inferred resources. Neither is a mineral reserve, and the figures should not be added together without keeping their categories clear.
For Filo del Sol’s high-grade core, Lundin reported 606 million tonnes in the measured and indicated categories at 1.14% copper equivalent (CuEq), including 0.74% copper (Lundin Mining resource details). CuEq is a calculated measure that expresses the value of multiple metals on a copper-equivalent basis; it does not mean the full 1.14% is copper.
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In February 2026, Lundin said Vicuña’s combined project resource contained approximately 23% more copper, 20% more gold, and 21% more silver than in the May 2025 estimate (Lundin Mining technical-study announcement). Those are changes to the combined Vicuña estimate, not increases attributable to Filo del Sol alone.
Is it really the world’s largest copper deposit?
The evidence supports a narrower claim. In a May 13, 2025 conference presentation, BHP called Filo del Sol “the largest greenfield copper deposit discovered in the last 30 years” (BHP presentation). That is BHP’s characterization, with specific limits: it refers to a greenfield discovery over the previous 30 years. It is not an independently established ranking of the world’s largest copper deposits overall.
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- EXCELLENT GIFT: These make a nice made by Mother Nature gift for crystal collectors and friends for Birthdays, Christmas, home or office decoration and more.
- A+ SERVICE: Please contact us for special orders to meet you special needs, wholesale volume purchases or if there are any problems with your order. Customer satisfaction is our first priority!
Scale claims also depend on what is being counted. Filo del Sol is one part of Vicuña; the combined project includes Josemaria. A copper-equivalent grade includes other metals, while contained copper is a different measure. And resource estimates, including inferred resources, are not the same as reserves that have been demonstrated to be economically mineable. For those reasons, the headline’s unqualified “world’s largest” wording goes beyond what the reported figures establish (qualification of the global ranking).
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Has a mine just been discovered, and when could production begin?
No producing mine is described in the cited project information. Vicuña is advancing a staged development plan, with initial production planned from Josemaria and Filo del Sol considered for later stages. BHP’s FY2026 filing said a Stage 1 final investment decision could occur as early as the end of calendar 2026; that was a target stated at filing, not a completed investment decision (BHP FY2026 filing).
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Vicuña’s February 2026 development-plan page estimated initial investment at about US$7 billion. It projected that the first ten production years could yield approximately 2.5 million tonnes of copper, 5.5 million ounces of gold, and 214 million ounces of silver (Vicuña development plan). These are project projections over that stated period, not current output or a guaranteed production schedule.
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