Aztec Minerals Corp. Drilling Expands Oxide Gold-Silver Zone at Tombstone Project, Arizona

13:00 Uhr  |  ACCESS Newswire

intersecting 0.62 gpt Au and 24.8 gpt Ag over 107.9m in Westside Area and 0.48 gpt Au and 12.6 gpt Ag over 112.5m at Contention Area

• Step-Out Drilling Continues to Expand the Contention and Westside zones of Oxide Au/Ag Mineralization


• Drill holes TR26-1, 2, 8, 9, 13 and 14 encountered multiple mineralized zones expanding the Westside Anticline and Center target areas including an intersection of 107.9m averaging 0.62 gpt Au and 24.8 gpt Ag


• Drill holes TR26-3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11 and 12 expand the Contention Main target area to the west and depth, with multiple mineralized zones including an intersection of 112.5m averaging 0.48 gpt Au and 12.6 gptAg


• 59 RC holes including 5 pre-collars have now been drilled in the 2025-2026 drill program with 9 drill holes pending final analysis as the drilling campaign continues

Aztec Minerals Corp. (TSXV:AZT) (OTCQB:AZZTF) ("Aztec" or the "Company") announces the results from 14 drill holes from its reverse circulation ("RC") portion of the 2025-2026 drilling program at the Tombstone Property in Southeastern Arizona. Step out drilling in the Westside target area of the property has discovered additional strong, wide, shallow oxide gold-silver intersections. The mineralized zone has been further extended to 0.4km of width into the Westside area, with the Contention Au/Ag zone from the northern property limit to over 1km N-S on strike. Pending drill results include additional Westside area drill targets as well as several step out targets drilled in the immediate, westerly and deeper extensions of the Main Contention zone. The 17,000m 2025-2026 drilling program has now completed 59 RC and 6 core drill holes.

Highlights from the RC drilling reported for the Contention and the Westside targets include:

• Holes TR26-11 and TR26-12 are collared in western limits of the central Contention area, drilling towards the east to test the western limits and to depth the Contention mineralization. Combined they expanded the Contention Target mineralization 50 to 70 meters further west and to depth. TR26-11 intercepting 100.3m averaging 0.173 gpt Au and 11.46 gpt Ag and in TR26-12 intercepting 48.6m averaging 0.172 gpt Au and 18.04 gpt Ag.

All of the fourteen RC drillholes reported herein intersected Au-Ag mineralization and joined portions of and also expanded the Contention and Westside target areas to the west and to depth. The intercepts show broad continuity of mineralization. All reported intersection lengths are apparent widths of mineralization, not true widths, which can range at the property from 30% to 100% of apparent widths.

Aztec Minerals CEO Simon Dyakowski commented: "Our expanded drill program continues to demonstrate the potential for significant growth of the near-surface oxide gold-silver mineralized zone at Tombstone. We are now aggressively and successfully testing the Westside area target. Drilling in the Contention zone continues to demonstrate consistently strong oxide gold and silver grades at shallow depths. The 17,000 meter 2025-2026 program is currently following up on Westside area targets, and testing newly generated targets in the Southwest of the property which include the Ingersoll, Hard-up, and Independence targets. These new targets represent the potential to reframe the project to an even larger scale with shallow targets in areas over 1km away from the historic open pit operations."

Figure 1. Cross section of RC drill hole TR26-14 showing Au and Ag assay results.

Tombstone 2025-2026 Drilling Plan Completed and Pending

Figure 2 & 3. Plan maps showing drill hole collars from the 2025-2026 drill campaign at the Tombstone Property, southeastern Arizona.

Core Drilling Update

The core drilling portion of the program in 2026 continues with drilling ongoing in the 7^th attempted core hole in the program TC26-03 targeting the central portion of the Contention mineralization of the property. Drill hole TC25-04 targeting the large, southern NSAMT target was recently completed at 831.7 m depth; however, was terminated by drillhole caving above the planned total depth of 1000m. TC25-04 encountered mild to moderate strength retrograde exoskarns in the hornfels of the lower Cretaceous basal Bisbee siliciclastic sediments at 575 m depth and it continued for the rest of the drillhole. The skarns are typified by epidote and chlorite with associated hematite staining. The skarns are accompanied by several silicified hydrothermal breccia dikes with occasional Qfp clasts and with evidence of potential "B-type" porphyry veinlets over that thickness. The skarns are notably more competent rock than the hornfels. The underlying Paleozoic Naco Formation limestones were encountered at 783.8 m depth in TC25-04.

Core drilling to-date has confirmed the NSAMT target as based on a geologic (Skarn) anomaly within the upper portion of the NSAMT target. It was planned to continue drilling to depth in TC25-04; however, drillhole caving terminated the hole. The core rig was then moved to drill TC26-01 to test to the west and below of TR21-12 but due to poor ground conditions and the completion of the RC precollar for TC26-02 the core rig was moved onto TC26-02 and it was completed at 861.9 m depth to test the southwestern NSAMT target. TC26-02 has intercepted skarning and sulfides recently as well. Aztec has previously identified several large, strong, conductive bodies, underneath the historic gold-silver district through NSAMT (natural-source audio-frequency magneto-telluric surveys) anomalies¹.

The continued, successful drilling of the Contention pit area was supported by Aztec's 3D geologic and underground workings model that was constructed to assist in targeting potential expansion of the Contention system. The overall Contention system has yet to be defined and marks the confluence of other mineralized zones including the Westside Anticline.

Detailed Drillhole Summary Highlights (see Table 1 & 2 below):

• Hole TR26-14 was drilled across the upper portion of the Westside anticline towards the southwest from north of TC25-03. It encountered multiple zones of oxide mineralization in the Bisbee sediments, from 0 to 10.6m depth for 10.6m averaging 0.195 gpt Au and 13.0 gpt Ag, 39.5m to 147.4m for 107.9m averaging 0.618 gpt Au and 24.8 gpt Ag, 176.3m to 225.0m for 48.6m averaging 0.091 gpt Au and 8.106 gpt Ag and ending at 234.1m to 243.2m for 9.1m averaging 0.121 gpt Au and 10.17 gpt Ag. TR26-14 demonstrated that the entire width of the Westside anticline has potential to host oxidized precious metal mineralization and is open on all sides and to depth.

View drill sections here:

Link to section view hole TR26-01
Link to section view hole TR26-02
Link to section view hole TR26-03
Link to section view hole TR26-04
Link to section view hole TR26-05
Link to section view hole TR26-06
Link to section view hole TR26-07
Link to section view holes TR26-08 and TR26-09
Link to section view hole TR26-10
Link to section view holes TR26-11 and TR26-12
Link to section view hole TR26-13
Link to section view hole TR26-14

Table 1A: Drill Results Currently Reported

Drill Hole	From (m)	To (m)	Interval (m)*	Au (gpt)	Ag (gpt)	Comments
TR26-01	51.7	74.5	22.8	0.038	11.76	Working 71.4 - 73.0 m no sample
	86.6	110.9	24.3	0.039	13.37	Last 4 samples in working, no recovery
TR26-02	0.0	19.8	19.8	0.136	12.62
	54.7	60.8	6.1	0.088	13.67
	91.2	100.3	9.1	0.094	5.65
	130.7	147.4	16.7	0.076	2.76
TR26-03	147.4	161.1	13.7	0.069	3.73
	167.2	177.8	10.6	0.103	7.21
	193.0	205.2	12.2	0.149	8.7
TR26-04	53.2	63.8	10.6	0.057	8.17
	147.4	161.1	13.7	0.040	4.16
	168.7	188.5	19.8	0.220	13.75
TR26-05	16.7	36.5	19.8	0.223	8.78
	60.8	73.0	12.2	0.117	3.85
	80.6	130.7	50.2	0.112	4.90
	136.8	158.1	21.3	0.117	11.44
	165.7	174.8	9.1	0.086	4.65
	182.4	217.4	35.0	0.119	5.95
	231.0	255.3	24.3	0.091	3.6	TD in mineralization
TR26-06	31.9	47.1	15.2	0.124	4.06
	62.3	69.9	7.6	0.223	11.66
	88.2	120.1	31.9	0.159	3.86
	130.7	158.1	27.4	0.057	29.22
	202.2	261.5	59.3	0.104	4.96	TD in mineralization
TR26-07	50.2	162.6	111.5	0.479	12.64	Working 59.3 to 62.3 m
	173.2	185.4	12.2	0.127	8.11
	221.9	238.6	16.7	0.049	7.49	TD in mineralization
TR26-08	121.6	129.2	7.6	0.576	8.4
TR26-09	35.0	45.6	10.6	0.069	9.06
	53.2	59.3	6.1	0.181	13.1
	158.1	164.1	6.1	0.041	7.37
TR26-10 PC	112.5	118.6	6.1	0.162	9.15
TR26-11	100.3	200.6	100.3	0.173	11.46
TR26-12	100.3	149.0	48.6	0.172	18.04
TR26-13	18.2	27.4	9.1	0.056	8.27
	63.8	68.4	4.6	0.132	3.33
	85.1	91.2	6.1	0.039	5.00
	194.5	200.6	6.1	0.062	4.275
TR26-14	0.0	10.6	10.6	0.195	13.00
	39.5	147.4	107.9	0.618	24.80
	176.3	225.0	48.6	0.091	8.11
	234.1	243.2	9.1	0.121	10.17	TD in mineralization

The 60 RC drill holes in the current 2025-26 program completed to date primarily are part of a "fan grid pattern" being drilled in the Contention area since 2020. Most of the RC drill holes are oriented to test for extensions on the western, eastern borders, the southern extensions, and underneath the north-trending main Contention target zone which hosts the historic underground and open pit Contention mine. Several RC drill holes tested targets in the Westside area on projected anticline, dike and fissure vein intersection under mineralized outcrops and historic shafts. The drill program has continued to identify to depth and horizontally pervasively oxidized and hematite-rich, silicified hydrothermal breccias composed of quartz feldspar porphyry dike and Bisbee Group clastic sedimentary fragments, typical of the material mined historically at the Contention Mine.

Additional mineralization types continued to be outlined by the current drilling including: manganese replacements in limestone beds and skarns, quartz veinlets, oxidized sulfide relicts as disseminations, silicification of altered hornfels, quartz feldspar porphyries and hydrothermal breccias. For the 2026 program, TR26-03 is the deepest RC hole drilled, it has an inclination of -80 degrees and was drilled to a depth of 274.4m (270.3 m vertical) remaining in mineralized and oxidized rocks most of its length.

The drilling results showed that the Contention area mineralization is still open at depth and the mineralized volume is expanding.

2025-2026 RC and Core Drill Program

The RC drilling program is targeting shallow zones associated with surface exploration and 3D geological modelling, prospective for wide oxide gold-silver mineralization, and drilling pre-collars for the deeper CRD targets. The drill program has completed 40 RC and RC precollar drill holes in 2025 and 18 RC and one RC precollar drill hole since the start of 2026, focusing on testing both the Contention Main and Southern Extension areas as step out targets and Westside Area first pass targets, with results from the first 14 RC holes now announced. Initial assay results continue to validate the oxide gold-silver geological setting as outlined in Aztec's geological exploration model. Six core holes (TC25-01, 02, 03, 04 and TC26-01,02) have been attempted and another (TC26-03) is currently being advanced (167.4 m) testing the central Contention target.

The primary objectives of the 2025-26 drilling program were to: Expand the known mineralization horizontally to the west, north and south, and down dip beyond the holes drilled by Aztec in 2020-24 at the Contention Pit with step outs to enlarge the shallow, broad, bulk tonnage gold-silver mineralization discovered there; test by core drilling the initial deep CRD targets and also, to explore with first pass drilling new targets identified in the Westside area.

Table 2 - 2026 Drillhole Coordinates

Drill Hole	UTM East	UTM North	Azimuth	Inclination	Total Depth (m)
TR26-01	588429	3508259	40	70	117.4
TR26-02	588463	3507996	10	60	231.7
TR26-03	588670	3508001	105	80	274.4
TR26-04	588712	3508065	105	60	207.3
TR26-05	588625	3507804	105	60	256.1
TR26-06	588625	3507751	105	65	262.2
TR26-07	588792	3507896	100	60	239.3
TR26-08	588445	3508184	18	65	175.3
TR26-09	588487	3508275	114	-65	219.5
TR26-10	588271	3507282	105	-80	274.4
TR26-11	588653	3507717	109	-60	250.0
TR26-12	588699	3507669	125	-70	237.8
TR26-13	588455	3508123	110	-50	219.5
TR26-14	588669	3508049	230	-68	243.9

Drill samples are collected every 1.52 m from RC chips and every 1.5m from sawing the core drill holes. The samples are analyzed by Bureau Veritas for gold with a 30-gram sample size using the method FA430 followed by MA300. Bureau Veritas is independent of the Company and of the Qualified Person. Over limits, when present, are analyzed by MA370 or FA530. The company uses quality assurance-quality control as a standard part of its sampling-assaying-assessments in conjunction with its exploration sampling programs. Samples and their collection are controlled by an industry standard conforming QAQC program including all drill holes containing certified blanks, standards, and duplicates. The samples are being regularly shipped to and received by the Bureau Veritas Minerals laboratory in Hermosillo, Mexico for geochemical analysis. The QAQC for the drilling programs has been evaluated and found to have good results.

Tombstone Project Overview

Aztec Minerals holds a 85.0% interest in the Tombstone Property Joint Venture, which includes most of the original patented mining claims in the main district as well as some recently acquired properties.

The main target of the current drilling is to continue testing the shallow, bulk tonnage, potentially heap leachable, mesothermal gold-silver oxide mineralization adjacent and below the previously mined Contention pit by step-out drilling. Future drilling is expected to focus on follow-up on the current program's results. It is anticipated that possible targeting could include strike and dip extensions of the shallow oxide mineralization, and move along those trends deeper into the sulfide zone as historically there was significant production to 300 m depth^*2.

The Tombstone project is located 100 kilometers (km) southeast of Tucson, Arizona and covers much of the historic Tombstone silver district. Tombstone is renowned for its high grade, oxidized, silver-gold mesothermal stringer lode veins, hydrothermal breccias and manto CRD orebodies that were mined in the late 1800's and early 1900's. The historic silver production in the Tombstone district from 1878 to 1939 was estimated at 32 million ounces and 250,000 ounces of gold^*2.

The district geology consists of a mix of shallow-level, oxidized Au-Ag and base metal deposits related to CRD and skarns hosted in folded and thrusted sediments, intrusive dikes, and lode veins, and as well the under explored, sulfide versions located below the water table.

Host rocks to the mineralization are primarily the clastic sediments of the lowest portion of the Cretaceous Bisbee Formation. Between 50 and 300 meters (m) in depth, the Bisbee is underlain by approximately two kms thick of the same Paleozoic carbonate formations that host the Hermosa-Taylor zinc-lead-silver deposit of South32 located 60 km southwest of Tombstone.

Aztec believes that the historic silver mines at Tombstone could be related to a much larger mesothermal system with CRD mineralization below the old mines. Since 2017, Aztec has completed geological mapping, geochemical sampling and geophysical surveying to identify the most prospective areas for Au-Ag mineralization around and below the Contention open pit, and CRD zinc-lead-copper-silver-gold mineralization below the entire district. Aztec management views the district as highly prospective for the discovery of mesothermal and CRD mineralization.

Summary Tombstone Project Highlights

• Well located property on patented (33) and unpatented (73) claims (663 hectares / 1639 acres), covers much of the historic Tombstone silver mining district, great infrastructure, local town, road access, full services, water, power

• Historic silver district^*2produced 32 million ounces of silver and 250,000 ounces of gold from 1878-1939, in high grade, oxidized, silver-gold-lead-zinc-copper vein, breccia and CRD deposits, and small open pit heap leach production in late 1980's

• Drilling by Aztec in 2020-25 has demonstrated that the Contention Pit target has significant, shallow. oxidized Au-Ag bulk tonnage mineralization which is open in all directions

• Multiple other prospective targets in Cretaceous and Paleozoic rocks related to major NW and NNE trending structures hosting porphyritic intrusions crosscutting a possible caldera ring structure

^* Aztec has not verified these historic results and is not relying on them. Aztec has in its possession the historic drill logs, maps and reports but does not have any information on the quality assurance or quality control measures taken in connection with these historical exploration results.

Noted References:

1 - "Zonge International, AMT Survey, Tombstone Project, Cochise County, AZ, Data Acquisition and Processing Report, Prepared for Aztec Minerals, 18 May 2020, Zonge Job #20013"

2 - Greeley, Michael N., A Brief History and Review of Ore Grades and Production in the Tombstone Mining District with Emphasis on the Contention Mine Area, June 1984

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Allen David Heyl, B.Sc., CPG - AIPG No.11277, VP Exploration of Aztec, a Qualified Person under NI43-101. Mr. Heyl supervises the Tombstone exploration programs. Mr. Heyl has verified the data, which included a review of the sampling, analytical and test methods underlying the data, information and opinions disclosed herein.

"Simon Dyakowski"

Simon Dyakowski, Chief Executive Officer
Aztec Minerals Corp.

About Aztec Minerals - Aztec is a mineral exploration company focused on two emerging discoveries in North America. The Cervantes project is an emerging porphyry gold-copper discovery in Sonora, Mexico. The Tombstone project is an emerging gold-silver discovery with high grade CRD silver-lead-zinc potential in southern Arizona. Aztec's shares trade on the TSX-V stock exchange (symbol AZT) and on the OTCQB (symbol AZZTF).

Contact Information - For more information, please contact:
Simon Dyakowski, President & CEO, Director
Tel: (604) 685-9770
Fax: (604) 685-9744
Email: info@aztecminerals.com
Website: www.aztecminerals.com

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.

Forward-Looking Statements:

This news release contains "forward?looking information or statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, which may include, without limitation, completing ongoing and planned work, statements relating to advancing the Tombstone Project, drill and sampling results including additional potential work and results therefrom, the Company's plans for its Tombstone Project, potential for further expansion of the mineralization at the Tombstone Project, expected results and outcomes, the technical, financial and business prospects of the Company, its project and other matters. All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future, including the price of metals, the ability to achieve its goals, that general business and economic conditions will not change in a material adverse manner, that financing will be available if and when needed and on reasonable terms. Such forward-looking information reflects the Company's views with respect to future events and is subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including the risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of exploration results, risks related to the inherent uncertainty of exploration and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses, and those filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include, but are not limited to, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions, adverse weather or climate conditions, failure to maintain or obtain all necessary government permits, approvals and authorizations, failure to obtain or maintain community acceptance (including First Nations), decrease in the price of gold, silver and other metals, increase in costs, litigation, and failure of counterparties to perform their contractual obligations. The Company does not undertake to update forward?looking statements or forward-looking information, except as required by law.

SOURCE: Aztec Minerals Corp.