Aztec Minerals Expands Tombstone Project Drilling Program in Arizona

Aztec Minerals Corp. has announced an expansion of its drilling program at the Tombstone Property in Southeastern Arizona, increasing the planned meterage from 7,500 to a minimum of 8,500 meters. The expanded program, comprising 7,000 meters of reverse circulation drilling and at least 1,500 meters of core drilling, is now expected to extend into the first quarter of 2026. This decision follows a recent meeting of the Tombstone Property Joint Venture Management Committee, where Aztec holds an 85.0% interest.

To date, the 2025 program has completed 34 reverse circulation drill holes totaling 5,960 meters and 495 meters of core drilling. Of these, results from 13 drill holes have been reported, while 21 reverse circulation holes are currently awaiting geochemical analysis at the Bureau Veritas laboratory. The company anticipates receiving additional analytical results within the next 30 days as laboratory turnaround times improve following recent staff additions and equipment repairs at Bureau Veritas.

The core drilling portion of the program has resumed, with drillhole TC25-03 having advanced to 465 meters total depth. This drilling aims to test the previously identified AMT target beneath the Bisbee formation within thick Paleozoic carbonate formations. Aztec has identified several large, conductive bodies underneath the historic district through natural-source audio-frequency magneto-telluric surveys, suggesting potential for significant mineralization below known deposits.

The Tombstone project covers much of the historic Tombstone silver district, located 100 kilometers southeast of Tucson, Arizona. Historic production from 1878 to 1939 is estimated at 32 million ounces of silver and 250,000 ounces of gold from high-grade, oxidized silver-gold deposits. The current drilling program primarily targets shallow, bulk tonnage, potentially heap-leachable mesothermal gold-silver oxide mineralization adjacent to and below the previously mined Contention pit.

Aztec's exploration strategy is based on the hypothesis that the historic mines could be part of a larger mesothermal system with carbonate replacement deposit mineralization below the old workings. The company has conducted extensive geological mapping, geochemical sampling, and geophysical surveying since 2017 to identify prospective areas. The district geology consists of oxidized gold-silver deposits and the under-explored sulfide versions located below the water table, hosted primarily in clastic sediments of the Cretaceous Bisbee Formation.

Between 50 and 300 meters in depth, the Bisbee Formation is underlain by approximately two kilometers of Paleozoic carbonate formations similar to those hosting the 110 million ton Hermosa-Taylor zinc-lead-silver deposit operated by South32, located 60 kilometers southwest of Tombstone. This geological similarity suggests significant potential for discovering additional mineralization. Future drilling is expected to focus on strike and dip extensions of shallow oxide mineralization and deeper exploration into sulfide zones, where historic production reached depths of 300 meters.

The company maintains rigorous quality assurance and quality control protocols throughout its sampling and analysis processes. Drill samples are collected every 1.52 meters from both reverse circulation chips and core material, with analysis conducted at the Bureau Veritas Minerals laboratory in Hermosillo, Mexico using industry-standard methods including FA430 and MA300 for gold analysis. The QAQC program includes certified blanks, standards, and duplicates in all drill holes to ensure data reliability.

This expanded drilling program represents a significant commitment to exploring the Tombstone district's potential. Successful results could not only extend known mineralization but also reveal new discoveries in both oxide and sulfide environments, potentially impacting regional mining activity and resource estimates. The project benefits from existing infrastructure including road access, local services, water, and power, which could facilitate future development if economic mineralization is confirmed.