Luca Mining Corp. (TSXV: LUCA, OTCQX: LUCMF, Frankfurt: Z68) is currently working on something that feels both familiar and fresh in the mining world. The company owns two producing mines in Mexico, Campo Morado in Guerrero State and Tahuehueto in Durango State, and has just launched an ambitious, $25 million exploration program over the next three years. What makes this program stand out is how it combines decades of historical mining data with cutting-edge AI technology to unlock new gold potential underneath existing operations.
Campo Morado is a polymetallic underground mine with a history of producing copper, zinc, lead, gold, and silver that dates back more than a decade. It processes roughly 2,400 tonnes of ore each day. Recent efforts to optimize the mine’s operations through upgrades and better processing have already paid off, boosting the recovery rates of metals and the quality of the concentrates. But what excites the team is the untapped potential below the surface. “Intersecting thick, high-grade, gold-rich massive sulphides in Luca’s first drillhole at the Reforma deposit clearly demonstrates how quickly the company’s exploration efforts can have a transformative impact on the mine,” said Paul Gray, Vice President of Exploration. He emphasized that the company’s extensive datasets and new AI tools can uncover discoveries that traditional methods might overlook.
The Tahuehueto mine is a newer operation, having achieved commercial production in 2025. It is an underground gold and silver mine located in the prolific Sierra Madre Mineral Belt, known for its epithermal vein-style deposits. Tahuehueto’s mill can process around 1,000 tonnes daily, and while smaller in scale, it is crucial to Luca’s vision of scaling gold production. Drilling here will focus on expanding known veins and exploring promising gaps that might connect mineralized systems, fresh frontiers that could extend the mine’s life.
What sets this exploration program apart isn’t just the scale, 80,000 metres of diamond drilling scheduled across both mines, but the new way it approaches the data. Partnering with VRIFY, Luca is using an AI platform named DORA to analyze more than 30 years of geological, geochemical, and geophysical data. This includes an incredible volume of over 650,000 metres of historical drilling. The AI helps identify patterns and targets by processing complex data beyond what the human eye can easily see. As Gray puts it, “Our projects are ripe for discovery and the definition of new mineral resources. The AI-driven analysis of the datasets at both projects is a key part of this work. Luca is uniquely positioned with large and valuable historical geological datasets and highly prospective, underexplored 100% owned land packages hosting producing operations.”
With a first-year budget of US$6.5 million aimed at drilling 20,000 metres, and a further US$18.5 million for the following two years, Luca aims to methodically test both near-mine zones and district-scale targets spanning more than 220 square kilometres. At Campo Morado, 38 priority targets have been identified, including a compelling new target called Reforma Deeps, a high-grade gold zone found beneath all historical drilling defined by a significant yet untested gravity anomaly. Meanwhile, Tahuehueto will see drilling focused on near-mine and brownfield areas such as the Crestón and Perdido structures to understand their full strike and depth extent.
CEO Dan Barnholden highlighted the broader vision: “We are committed to value creation through exploration at our mines. With operating mills at both Campo Morado and Tahuehueto, we believe the potential is high for the discovery of new mineralization that can feed these mills and add to our near-term production profiles. Our belief in the potential of our assets is matched by our willingness to innovate as we apply industry-leading AI technology to a world-class dataset.”
This is a story not just about rocks and metals but about how the mining industry is evolving. Luca’s approach, melding the old with the new, combining deep historical knowledge with leading-edge tools, shows how thoughtful exploration can be both art and science. For a company with producing mines already on the books, this is as much about sustaining the future as it is about finding new deposits. It’s a high-stakes project, certainly, but one that embraces both caution and innovation as it moves forward.
