Aztec Minerals Corp. has advanced its understanding of the Tombstone Project's mineral potential through comprehensive geochemical data analysis, revealing intricate relationships between quartz-rich intrusive dikes and gold-silver mineralization in southeastern Arizona.
The study, focusing on drilling and surface sampling data from 2020-2024, uncovered two distinct metallization stages across the property. Researchers identified specific geochemical patterns that could help target shallow oxide gold-silver mineralization and potential carbonate replacement deposit (CRD) zones.
Key findings include strong gold-silver relationships in the Contention Pit area and variations in copper, molybdenum, lead, and zinc distributions. The analysis suggests the Contention Quartz-feldspar Porphyry (QFP) dike swarm plays a crucial role in remobilizing and concentrating mineral elements.
Of particular significance, the Westside Area demonstrated considerable exploration potential, with initial drilling encountering oxide silver-gold mineralization in every drillhole. This discovery nearly doubles the project's known exploration area beyond the Contention zone.
The comprehensive 3D geological modeling, which integrated historic underground mine workings and current geological data, has proven instrumental in targeting exploration efforts. One notable success was the discovery hole TR24-13 on the Westside Anticline, which intercepted an old mine working within one meter of its projected location.
Historically, the Tombstone district produced 32 million ounces of silver and 250,000 ounces of gold between 1878 and 1939. Aztec's current research suggests the potential for a larger mesothermal system with CRD mineralization beneath the old mines.
Future exploration plans include a structural study of dikes, fissures, and anticlines, with the goal of developing a model to explore potential mineralization depths exceeding 300 meters.
