Aztec Minerals Corp. (TSX-V:AZT) (OTCQB: AZZTF) continues to intersect long intervals of porphyry-type gold (copper, silver) mineralization at the California Target on the Cervantes property in Sonora, Mexico. Drill hole 18CER010 intersected 160.0 metres (m) grading 0.77 grams per tonne (gpt) gold, 0.125% copper and 3.4 gpt silver, including a higher grade intercept assaying 1.04 gpt Au, 0.11% Cu, and 4.0 gpt Ag over 80.0 m starting at a down hole depth of 4.0 m. (see Cervantes drill location map here)

President and CEO Joey Wilkins stated: “Hole 18CER010 is the best we’ve seen thus far at Cervantes as part of our Phase 1, 17 hole, 3,000 m drill program. These positive drill results, combined with our recent land acquisition that expanded the property six-fold to 3,619 hectares and added several new porphyry-type gold-copper targets, significantly enhance the potential of the Cervantes Property.”

Drill Results Table

Drill holes were oriented to cross the most prominent structures seen in outcrops so core lengths reflect the approximate interpreted true width of the California zone mineralization. One sample in hole 18CER010 had a value of 183.8 gpt Ag but was capped at 20.5 gpt Ag by statistical analysis. No other sample results required capping.

Brief hole-by-hole descriptions follow below.

18CER009:    California Zone—Southern edge of gold geochemical anomaly

0-105.6m, Quartz Feldspar Porphyry and QFP polymictic clast breccia, moderate to strong hematite and goethite, moderate quartz veinlets and stockworks, silicification, sericite, clay and chlorite alteration, patches of sulphide from 59.0m to 105.6m, pyrite, sparse chalcopyrite, rare chalcocite. 105.6m-160.0m contains fractured and brecciated quartzite with minor siltstone, intervals of strong hematite-goethite, quartz veinlets, hornfels with possible biotite, weak disseminated vein pyrite with quartz, calcite, chlorite, traces of molybdenite.

18CER010:    California Zone—Center of gold geochemical anomaly

0-205.6m, QFP initial 54m followed by complex mixture of intrusive and matrix supported breccias, quartz veins, silicification, sericite, chlorite, tourmaline, tremolite, sparse late stage calcite. Oxidized to 23.5m then pervasive dissem, vein, and replacement style sulphide, largely pyrite and overprinting early stage fg chalcopyrite, upper zones of chalcocite to roughly 130m, sulphide content ranges from 2 to 15% with occasional 5-10cm massive veins. 5.2m diorite dyke at 94.9m which has 1.5% disseminated pyrite, clay-chlorite alteration. Lowermost 2.0m consists of pyritic hornfels with quartz stockworks.

18CER011:    California Zone—Center of gold geochemical anomaly

0-64.5m, Quartz Feldspar Porphyry breccia, abundant fragments of quartzite and hornfels, quartz veinlets and stockworks, argillic to phyllic alteration, oxidized to goethite, jarosite, and hematite, minor tourmaline, patches of residual sulphide to 3%, pyrite, chalcocite, and chalcopyrite, minor chrysocolla. Increasing sulphides at 41m, prominent at 51m to 7-8% total, minor chalcopyrite (<1%) with chalcocite coatings. 64.5 to 75.8m late diorite dyke with strong clay and sericite alteration, 1-2% disseminated pyrite, occasional veinlets, sparse chalcocite. 75.8 to 170.8m QFP breccia, clast supported intrusive and sedimentary clasts, intrusive and chlorite-sericite-tourmaline-sulphide matrix, 5-8% total sulphide, 0.5-1.0% chalcopyrite, pyrite.

Joey Wilkins, B.Sc., P.Geo., is the Qualified Person who reviewed and approved the technical disclosures in this news release. All core samples were split in half, placed into plastic bags, labeled with sample number, closed with zip ties, and placed in rice sacks. Samples were typically collected in 2.0m intervals with occasional exceptions of 2.1m to 4.35m intervals due to lower core recovery. Blanks, duplicates, and 3 different certified standards were inserted into the sample stream and subsequently reviewed without any outliers or abnormal results. The samples were delivered to Bureau Veritas Laboratories in Hermosillo and analyzed for gold using a 30gram sample by fire assay fusion with AAS finish. Samples were shipped to Vancouver and analyzed with a 0.25gram sample using 4-acid ICP-MS providing analysis on 36 elements.   

The Cervantes Property is held under an option to purchase agreement with Kootenay Silver Inc. (TSX-V:KTN) whereby Aztec can acquire up to 100% interest in the property in two stages. Additional information can be found on our website.

About Aztec Minerals

Aztec is a mineral exploration company focused on the discovery of large porphyry gold-copper deposits in the Americas. Our first project and core asset is the prospective Cervantes gold-copper property in Sonora, Mexico. The second project is the district-scale historic Tombstone properties in Cochise County, Arizona.