Adventus Zinc Corporation (TSX-V: ADZN) and Salazar Resources Limited (TSX-V: SRL) are pleased to announce additional drill holes from the 2018 infill drilling program on the El Domo volcanogenic massive sulphide deposit; which is part of the approximately 22,000-hectare Curipamba project located near Las Naves, Ecuador.

Highlights

• CURI-262 intersected 13.66 metres of 5.68% copper, 6.98 g/t gold, 1.97% zinc, 59.3 g/t silver, and 0.21% lead for 11.8% CuEq;
• CURI-265 intersected 10.30 metres of 8.72% copper, 2.74 g/t gold, 0.15% zinc, 27.3 g/t silver, and 0.01% lead for 10.9% CuEq;
• CURI-266 intersected two adjacent intersections of 5.33 metres of 2.12% copper, 7.72 g/t gold, 9.70% zinc, 186.9 g/t silver, and 0.94% lead for 13.4% CuEq, followed immediately by 32.43 metres of 4.40% copper, 1.29 g/t gold, 1.84% zinc, 13.3 g/t silver, and 0.09% lead for 6.2% CuEq; and
• CURI-268 intersected 3.91 metres of 5.50% copper, 4.54 g/t gold, 5.71% zinc, 32.1 g/t silver, and 0.15% lead for 11.2% CuEq.

“Infill drilling at El Domo continues to highlight the high-quality nature of the Curipamba project amongst its peer group of copper deposits,” said Christian Kargl-Simard, CEO of Adventus. “Adventus is confident that as infill drilling continues, El Domo will continue to yield results that will contribute greatly to moving the project forward towards an updated Preliminary Economic Assessment for stakeholders in the first half of 2019.”

Fredy Salazar, CEO of Salazar said, “The Salazar team is very pleased with the most recent results from the infill drilling program that confirm the high-grade nature of the El Domo deposit. We look forward to their inclusion in an update to the Mineral Resource for next year.”

El Domo Infill Drilling Results

Infill drilling continues to yield intercepts of high-grade, copper- and gold-rich semi-massive to massive sulphide mineralization within the open-pit constrained Mineral Resource update for the El Domo VMS deposit completed by Roscoe Postle Associates Inc. (“RPA”). The Indicated Mineral Resource totals 8.8 million tonnes grading 1.62% copper, 2.34 g/t gold, 2.42% zinc, 48.0 g/t silver, and 0.27% lead. The Inferred Mineral Resource totals 2.6 million tonnes grading 1.29% copper, 1.09 g/t gold, 1.51% zinc, 29.0 g/t silver, and 0.14% lead (see January 31, 2018 news release). The National Instrument (“NI”) 43-101 Technical Report was authored by Independent Qualified Person Dr. Lars Weiershäuser, P.Geo., of RPA (based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) who is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. 

The infill drilling program commenced in early March 2018 with the objective of upgrading the confidence level of the higher-grade portion of the open-pit constrained Mineral Resource by decreasing drill spacing; which will also generate material for a planned metallurgical program in the second half of 2018. To date, drilling within higher-grade portion of the open-pit constrained Mineral Resource has successfully completed approximately 3,500 metres from a planned 7,500 metre work program that is expected to be completed by the end of the second quarter of 2018.  

Drill hole CURI-262 intersected a zone of grainstone from 44.51 to 50.24 metres for an approximate true thickness of 4.56 metres that possessed resedimented clasts of massive sulphide mineralization and graded 1.26% copper, 1.88 g/t gold, 1.47% zinc, 33.9 g/t silver, and 0.11% lead.  Massive sulphide mineralization then occurs from 63.69 to 77.35 metres for an approximate true thickness of 12.98 metres, grading 5.68% copper, 6.98 g/t gold, 1.97% zinc, 59.3 g/t silver, and 0.21% lead. A subset interval of semi-massive sulphide mineralization does possess higher gold and silver assay results from 63.69 to 67.88 metres, grading 10.68% copper, 18.34g/t gold, 3.51% zinc, 111.9 g/t silver, and 0.30% lead.

Drill hole CURI-264 intersected fine-grained sediments off the western margin of the massive sulphide mineralization that are time-stratigraphic equivalent, or coeval and therefore linked to the seafloor hydrothermal processes that formed El Domo.  The top of the interval is caught up in an apparent fault structure from 74.50 to 76.83 metres, but this sedimentary unit continues to 82.60 metres.  Significant gold mineralization was intersected from 74.50 to 81.00 metres for an approximate true thickness of 5.53 metres grading 0.52% copper, 6.55 g/t gold, 0.52% zinc, 48.0 g/t silver and 0.10% lead.  A subset interval of higher-grade occurs from 76.83 to 78.00 metres grading 1.48% copper, 14.50 g/t gold, 0.63% zinc, 45.6 g/t silver, and 0.01% lead.

Grainstone and fine-grained sediments were intersected in CURI-265 from 39.50 to 65.04 metres for an approximate true thickness of 24.26 metres; however, it appears the fine-grained sediments are entirely overprinted by faulting from 56.00 to 65.04 metres.  Overall, the grainstone and fine-grained sediments are only weakly mineralized from 49.50 to 65.04 metres, grading 0.35% copper, 1.33 g/t gold, 1.37% zinc, 41.2 g/t silver, and 0.28% lead.

The top contact of the VMS mineralization appears to be semi-massive sulphide mineralization that transitions from fine-grained sediments to the massive sulphide mineralization downhole.  The massive sulphide mineralization occurs from 65.04 to 75.34 metres for a true thickness of 9.79 metres, grading 8.72% copper, 2.74 g/t gold, 0.15% zinc, 27.3 g/t silver, and 0.01% lead.  A subset interval of the massive sulphide mineralization is of even higher grade from 66.20 to 70.00 metres, grading 14.05% copper, 5.69 g/t gold, 0.11% zinc, 47.0 g/t silver, and 0.01% lead.  The lower contact also appears to be faulted and transitions into dacite volcaniclastic rocks that are weakly mineralized and hydrothermally altered by gypsum.

Drill hole CURI-266 intersected well-mineralized, fine-grained sediments from 51.24 to 56.57 metres for an approximate true thickness of 4.53 metres grading 2.12% copper, 7.72 g/t gold, 9.70% zinc, 186.9 g/t silver, and 0.94% lead.  A subset interval from 53.70 to 56.57 metres grading 2.64% copper, 9.48 g/t gold, 14.77% zinc, 251.3 g/t silver, and 1.11 % lead. 

The fine-grained sediments transitioned into a thick interval of massive sulphide to semi-massive mineralization that occurs from 56.57 to 89.00 metres for an approximate true thickness of 27.56 metres grading 4.40% copper, 1.29 g/t gold, 1.84% zinc, 13.3 g/t silver, and 0.09% lead. A subset interval of massive sulphide mineralization is of even higher grade from 66.16 to 72.04 metres, grading 14.82% copper, 2.48 g/t gold, 5.54% zinc, 22.8 g/t silver, and 0.03% lead.

Drill hole CURI-268 intersected grainstone from 34.24 to 47.80 metres for an approximate true thickness of 12.88 metres; however, it only has narrow intervals that is rich in sulphide clasts.  The best interval was 45.20 to 47.80 metres, grading 6.15% copper, 8.64 g/t gold, 5.97% zinc, 151.4 g/t silver, and 0.56% lead.  Stratigraphically below the grainstone were fine-grained sediments that appeared intruded by a mafic dyke, but the fine-grained sediments were well-mineralized directly above the massive sulphide mineralization from 59.66 to 61.04 metres for an approximate true thickness of 1.31 metres grading 1.65% copper, 5.75 g/t gold, 0.98% zinc, 29.0 g/t silver, and 0.14% lead. 

The fine-grained sediments transitioned into a thick interval of massive sulphide mineralization, most of which appeared faulted.  This mineralization was intersected from 61.04 to 69.00 metres for an approximate true thickness of 7.56 metres grading 2.89% copper, 2.74 g/t gold, 2.86% zinc, 17.1 g/t silver, and 0.08% lead.  A subset interval of massive sulphide mineralization is of even higher grade from 61.04 to 64.95 metres, grading 5.50% copper, 4.54 g/t gold, 5.71% zinc, 32.1 g/t silver, and 0.15% lead.

Technical Information Quality Control & Quality Assurance

The Curipamba project work program is being managed and reviewed by Vice President Exploration, Jason Dunning, M.Sc., P.Geo., a Qualified Person within the meaning of NI 43-101. Salazar staff collect and process samples that are securely sealed and shipped to Bureau Veritas in Quito for sample preparation that includes crushing and milling to prepare pulps that are then split for shipment to their facility in Lima, Peru for analysis. All assay data have undergone internal validation of QAQC; noting there is an established sampling control program with blind insertion of assay blanks, certified industry standards and sample duplicates for the Curipamba project. A QAQC program is also in place at BV and includes insertion of blanks, standards and duplicate reanalysis of selected samples.  BV’s quality system complies with the requirements for the International Standards ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 17025: 1999. At BV, gold is analyzed by classical fire assay techniques with an ICP-AES finish, and both silver and base metals are analyzed by a 44-element aqua regia ICP-AES technique. Overlimit protocols are in place for gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc.

Qualified Person

The technical information of this news release has been reviewed and verified as accurate by Mr. Jason Dunning, M.Sc., P.Geo., Vice President Exploration for Adventus, a non-Independent Qualified Person, as defined by NI 43-101.

About Adventus

Adventus is a well-financed company focused on zinc-related exploration and project development globally. Its strategic shareholders include Altius Minerals Corporation, Greenstone Resources LP, and Resource Capital Funds; as well as other highly respected investors in the mining business. Adventus currently has large prospective land packages in both Ireland and Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, and is earning a 75% ownership interest in the Curipamba copper-gold-zinc project in Ecuador. In addition, Adventus has a country-wide exploration alliance with its partners in Ecuador, incorporating two projects to date. Adventus is based in Toronto, Canada, and is listed on the TSX-V under the symbol ADZN.

About Salazar

Salazar is a publicly-listed mineral resource company engaged in the exploration and development of new highly prospective areas in Ecuador. Led by a senior Ecuadorian management team and most notably by its namesake Fredy Salazar, this team has been instrumental in other major discoveries throughout Ecuador, including Aurelian’s Fruta Del Norte discovery, Mozo Deposit, Ex Newmont’s Cangrejos Project and International Minerals Rio Blanco and Gaby Deposit. Being an Ecuadorian-based company gives the Company a strategic advantage enabling the Company to complete exploration at a rapid pace.  With an excellent property portfolio (6 projects – 33,383 hectares), good geopolitical positioning and a number of strategic corporate and financial partnerships, Salazar has positioned itself to be a strategic player in Ecuador.