Aztec Samples up to 15.6 gpt Gold & 177.3 gpt Silver at the Cervantes Project, Sonora, Mexico; Surface Exploration Program Outlines Multiple Strong Precious Metals Targets
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News Release - Vancouver, Canada – TheNewswire - August 6, 2025 - Aztec Minerals Corp. (AZT: TSX-V, OTCQB: AZZTF) (“Aztec” or the “Company”) announces results from the initial phase of its 2025 exploration program at the Cervantes porphyry gold-copper project in Sonora, Mexico.
Aztec has now completed an initial phase of its 2025 surface exploration program comprised of reconnaissance outcrop sampling and geological mapping of several targets at the 3,649 hectare, 100%-owned property. The program was focused on three high-priority gold mineralization target areas of California East, California North, and the Brasil target, as well as additional work in other adjoining portions of the Cervantes project (see Figure 1 below).
The phase 1 surface exploration program was conducted during the end of the regional dry season in May-June 2025. Field teams examined and sampled outcrops and subcrop angular rock rubble found in adjoining remote target areas currently only accessible by foot. The teams collected 151 outcrop and subcrop samples while doing reconnaissance scale mapping. This work found and confirmed new areas of mineralization and alteration surrounding the California Zone discovery.
The initial phase 1 exploration program produced strong results, expanding the known extent of the California Au-Cu porphyry system another 0.5 kms to the east, finding and confirming new prospects with porphyry related mineralization with results of up to 15.6 gpt Au, 177.3 gpt Ag, and 8,062 ppm Cu in the adjoining target areas of Brasil, Estrella, California East, California North, and Purisima East (See Surface Sampling Highlights, Table 1 below). These prospects have strong mineralization in hydrothermal breccias, porphyritic and sedimentary rocks. The steep mountain slopes are almost entirely covered with heavy brush upon extensive talus/skree colluvial deposits, thereby limiting exposures.
Of particular interest was the discovery of easterly extensions of the California porphyry target area with small outcrops of B-type vein stockworking and disseminated mineralization in Quartz Feldspar porphyry along with hydrothermal breccias in the colluvial mountain slopes over 0.5 kms east of the California target. The target zone was also expanded with similar mineralization 100 to 300 meters directly north in the California North target, and as well in the Brasil and Estrella targets.
The initial surface exploration mapping and sampling program has found numerous exposures of mineralized hydrothermal breccias, Quartz Feldspar porphyries and the siliciclastic country rocks and associated mineralized structures with strong Au and Cu values beyond the exposed California Au-Cu porphyry (see Figure 2).
Figure 1: Cervantes Project 2025 Surface Exploration Areas
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It is interpreted that that the mineralization found in the 2025 program distal to the California Au-Cu porphyry is related to the California porphyry complex and often represent expressions of buried porphyry mineralization, specifically to the east along the California porphyry strike and to the north, where the porphyry appears to be dipping underneath the country rocks.
Table 1: Cervantes Project 2025 Surface Sample Highlights
Sample Number
| Target
| Sample type
| Au (PPM)
| Cu (PPM)
| Ag (PPM)
| Description
| |
830052
| California North
| Subcrop
| 8.2
| 1071
| 38.8
| Grey Quartzite with moderate type B veinlets and FeOx
| 830069
| California North
| Outcrop Chip
| 1.8
| 257
| 9
| Hydrothermal Bx, orange-red with moderate silicif, Fe and MnOx, Type B veinlets. 2 m x 1 m composite
| 830070
| California North
| Outcrop Chip
| 1.0
| 1938
| 7.2
| Hydrothermal Bx, orange-red with moderate silicif, Fe and MnOx, Type B veinlets. 1.5 m x 1 m composite
| 830089
| Estrella
| Outcrop Chip
| 10.2
| 824
| 15.3
| Hydrothermal Bx, orange-red, with strong Fe and MnOx. 2 m x 1 m composite
| 830097
| Purisima East
| Outcrop (Adit) Chip
| 0.1
| 8062
| 1.2
| Siltstone, orange-red with strong argillic alteration, FeOx, moderate CuOx. 2 m channel
| 830113
| Brazil
| Outcrop Chip
| 3.0
| 734
| 81.2
| Siltstone, grey-red, with moderate silicif and FeOx, at mine adit. 2 m channel
| 830115
| Brazil
| Composite Adit Dump
| 15.6
| 1095
| 177.3
| Hydrothermal Bx, with moderate silicif, Fe and MnOx. 3 m area composite
| 830116
| Brazil
| Outcrop Chip
| 7.6
| 1358
| 150.5
| Hydrothermal Bx, red-brown, with moderate silicif, Fe and MnOx, wk pyrite relicts. 2 m channel
| 830117
| Brazil
| Outcrop Chip
| 2.0
| 529
| 28.5
| Hydrothermal Bx, red-brown, with moderate silicif, Fe and MnOx, trace pyrite relicts. 2 m channel
| 830147
| California North
| Outcrop Chip
| 1.6
| 831
| 97.3
| Hydrothermal Bx, red-orange, in prospect, 0.5 m vein in strong silicif and FeOx, mod pyr relicts. 1.5 m channel
|
The primary objectives of the two phase 2025 exploration program are to continue to define the open pit, heap leach gold potential of the porphyry oxide cap at California, test the down dip extensions of the phyllic alteration in the Qfp intrusive for deeper copper-gold porphyry sulfide mineralization underlying the oxide cap, and test for extensions of mineralization at the adjoining targets including California North, California East, Estrella and Brasil target areas.
Depending on permitting, market conditions, and available funds, Aztec anticipates planning a potential follow up drilling program and additional field work after the regional rainy season (which is from July – October). Follow up drilling would be targeted to expand the mineralized California Au target and potentially include first pass drilling in the mineralized hydrothermal breccias and Quartz Feldspar porphyries at the California North, Brasil, and Estrella target areas.
Figure 2: California Target with mineralized lithologies, outcrop Cu sample locations, Au and Cu sample influence halos
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Figure 3: Brasil Target with mineralized >100 ppb Au sample influence halos
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The company uses quality assurance-quality control as 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 insertions of certified standards, blanks and sample duplicates. The samples are being regularly shipped to and received by the Bureau Veritas Minerals laboratory in Hermosillo, Mexico for geochemical analysis.
Cervantes Project Overview
Cervantes is a highly prospective porphyry gold-copper project located in southeastern Sonora state, Mexico. The project lies 160 km east of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico within the prolific Laramide porphyry copper belt approximately 265 km southeast of the Cananea porphyry copper-molybdenum mine (Grupo Mexico). Cervantes also lies along an east-west trending gold belt 60 km west of the Mulatos epithermal gold mine (Alamos Gold), 35 km northeast of the Osisko San Antonio gold mine, 45 km west of the La India mine (Agnico Eagle), and 40 km northwest of Santana gold deposit (Minera Alamos).
View: Cervantes Project Location Map
Cervantes Project Highlights
- Large well-located property (3,649 hectares) with good infrastructure, road access, local town, all private land, water wells on property, grid power nearby
- Seven prospective mineralized zones related to high level porphyries and breccias along a 7.0km east-northeast corridor with multiple intersecting northwest structures
- Distinct geophysical anomalies, California target marked by high magnetic and low resistivity anomalies, high radiometric and chargeability anomalies responding to pervasive alteration
- Extensive gold mineralization at California target, 118 soil samples average 0.44 gpt gold over 900 m by 600 m area, and 263 trench rock-channel samples over the target averaging 0.328 gpt Au and of 3 m in average length
- Already drilled the first discovery holes at the California target, intersected gold oxide cap to a classic gold-copper porphyry system, drill results up to 1.49 gpt gold over 137 m and 1.00 gpt gold over 165m
- Excellent gold recoveries from preliminary metallurgical tests on drill core from California target; oxide gold recoveries in bottle roll tests range from 75% to 87%
- California IP geophysical anomaly wide open laterally and at depth, IP chargeability strengthens and broadens to >500m depth over an area 1100 m by 1200 m, and has been confirmed by exploration drilling
- Three-Dimensional IP Survey conducted in 2019 extends strong chargeability anomalies to the southwest covering Estrella, Purisima East, and Purisima West, coinciding well with alteration and Au-Cu-Mo soil geochemical anomalies
- Cervantes Project Aeromagnetics Survey completed in 2019 found a magnetic low associated with the California Au porphyry
California Target
In 2017-18, Aztec completed a Phase 1, 17 diamond core hole drill program, totaling 2,675 meters (m) (see news release dated June 26, 2018). Phase 1 drilling tested the California target 900m by 600m gold-in-soils anomaly that averaged 0.44gpt covering hydrothermal breccias within the Quartz feldspar porphyry stock intruding Paleozoic siliciclastic sediments.
In 2019 a series of technical studies were conducted including airborne geophysics (Gravity, magnetics, radiometrics, and VLF, surface IP, soil and outcrop geochemistry, and geologic mapping and completing initial metallurgical studies with positive results.
Then in late 2021 and into 2022, Aztec completed a Phase 2, 26-hole, RC (reverse circulation) drill program totaling 5,267 m focused on expanding the California target with two drill hole fences parallel to and on either side of the 2017-18 Phase 1 drill hole fence. The Phase 2 RC drilling program was followed by the Phase 2 oriented core drilling program of 2,588 meters in 11 drill holes combined successfully expanded the primary California target to an area measuring approximately 1,000 meters long by 300 to 500 meters wide, with demonstrated, continuous anomalous gold with copper mineralization to over 265 meters depth vertically (See Highlights below).
The porphyry gold-copper mineralization is still open in all directions. Aztec’s drilling to-date has consistently intersected an oxidized gold cap to a porphyry-type gold-copper system at California, including multiple 100+ meter widths of exceeding 0.40 gpt gold.
Highlights of the 2017-18 diamond core and 2021-23 RC and Core ( see news releases dated June 14, 2022, December 27, 2022 , and March 7, 2024) drill programs are as follows
• 137m @ 1.49 gpT Au incl 51.7m @ 3.42 gpT Au, 119m @ 0.091% copper in CAL22-005
• 165m @ 1.00 gpT Au incl 24.4m @ 4.25 gpT Au, 160m @ 0.065% copper in CAL22-004
• 152m @ 0.87 gpT Au, incl 33.5m @ 2.05 gpT Au, 123m @ 0.095% copper in CAL22-012
• 160m @ 0.77 gpT gold incl 80m @ 1.04 gpT gold, 0.11% copper in 18CER010
• 139m @ 0.71 gpT gold incl 20m @ 2.10 gpT gold, 0.16% copper in 17CER005
• 94m @ 1.04 gpT Au incl 15.2m @ 3.96 gpT Au, 55m @ 0.36% copper in CAL22-001
• 118m @ 0.63 gpT gold incl 43m @ 1.18 gpT gold, 0.16% copper in 17CER003
• 100m @ 0.75 gpT Au incl 9.14m @ 3.087 gpT Au, 138m @ 0.10% copper in CAL22-006
• 122m @ 0.60 gpT gold incl 62m @ 0.88 gpT gold, 0.06% copper in 18CER007
• 170m @ 0.42 gpT gold incl 32m @ 0.87 gpT gold, 0.06% copper in 18CER006
Preliminary metallurgical tests on California drill cores were conducted in 2019 (see news release dated March 12, 2019). Drill core samples were grouped into 4 separate types of mineralization: Oxide 1, Oxide 2, Mixed Oxide/Sulfide and Sulfide. The preliminary results of bottle roll tests showed excellent potential for heap leach gold recovery, as follows:
• 85.1% recovery on 2.0mm material and 94.3% on 75-micron material in sample Oxide 1
• 87.7% recovery on 2.0mm material and 94.2% on 75-micron material in sample Oxide 2
• 77.9% recovery on 2.0mm material and 89.0% on 75-micron material in sample Mixed Oxide/Sulphide
• 51.2% recovery on 2.0mm material and 78.7% on 75-micron material in sample Sulphide
Additional Exploration Targets
Purisima East – outcropping gossans, altered and mineralized diatreme breccias and porphyry intrusions marked by a 700m by 600m geochemical soil anomaly in 193 samples that average 0.25 gpt gold, a small historic ‘glory hole’ mine where rock chip sampling returned high-grade mineralization up to 44.6 gpt gold.
Estrella - outcrops of gossan and sulfides in silicified Paleozoic siliclastic sediments cut by hydrothermal breccias and quartz porphyry (Qfp) with rock chip samples up to 10.2 gpt gold and 2,010 ppm copper.
Brasil - outcrops of gossans with small mines in silicified Paleozoic siliclastic sediments cut by hydrothermal breccias and quartz porphyry (Qfp) with rock chip samples up to 15.6 gpt gold and 6,813 ppm copper.
Purisima West - a mirror image of Purisima East in size and type of gossans, altered and mineralized breccias and intrusions in association with gold and copper soil anomalies.
Jasper – 2017 trenching returned skarn/replacement-type mineralization up to 0.52% copper and 0.62 gpt gold over a 92.4 m length. In 2022 RC drilling found a broad zone of copper – gold mineralization 69.9 m of 0.215 % Cu within 200.6 m of 0.117 % Cu in JAS22-001 ( see news releases dated June 14, 2022 and December 27, 2022)
California North – coincident IP chargeability and gold-copper-molybdenum soil geochemical anomalies with demonstrated gold – copper mineralization by RC drilling, it may be a north extension of the California target
Other zones – porphyry alteration and geochemical soil anomalies mark the Jacobo, El Indio, Bohemia and La Verde prospects but more work is required to expand and define these targets
Allen David Heyl, B.Sc., CPG., VP Exploration of Aztec, is the Qualified Person under NI43-101, supervised the Cervantes exploration program. Mr. Heyl has reviewed and approved the technical disclosures in this news release.
“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 Cervantes Project, drill and sampling results including additional potential work and results therefrom, the Company’s plans for its Cervantes Project, potential for further expansion of the mineralization at the Cervantes 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. |
