Near Surface Mineralization Continues To Be Defined At MainSpring

CASA GRANDE, AZ - Arizona Sonoran Copper Company Inc. (ASCU) reported the first 16 drill holes (19,219 ft | 5,858 m) from an infill drilling program at MainSpring, within the Cactus Project in Arizona. Drilling is infilling the shallow mineralization to the southern end of the area, in support of a potential open pit design. An open pit design using the inferred category resources is being evaluated for inclusion within the pending Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA), expected in Q3 2024.

The MainSpring infill drill program is reducing drill spacings from 500 ft (152 m) to 250 ft (76 m) to upgrade the pending MainSpring mineral resource classification from inferred to an indicated category, funded by the Company. Additionally, the Geology team is concurrently conducting an inferred drill program at Cactus West. The Cactus West program is focused on expanding the known primary sulphide mineral resource.

Near surface mineralization within 100 m of surface in southern MainSpring; infill drilling at 250 ft (76 m) drill spacings. ECM-230: 827 ft (252 m) @ 0.30% CuT of continuous mineralization, 461 ft (141 m) @ 0.45% CuT, 0.36% Cu TSol, 0.001% Mo (enriched) including 60 ft (18 m) @ 1.68% CuT, 1.60% Cu TSol, 0.001% Mo. ECM-236: 383 ft (117 m) @ 0.39% CuT of continuous mineralization, 41 ft (13 m) @ 0.23% CuT, 0.20% Cu TSol, 0.002% Mo (ox) - 65 m from surface, and 275 ft (84 m) @ 0.46% CuT, 0.41% Cu TSol, 0.002% Mo (enriched). ECM-231: 498 ft (152 m) @ 0.28% CuT, 0.24% Cu TSol (enriched), including 56 ft (17 m) @ 0.43% CuT, 0.40% Cu TSol, 0.001% Mo, and 49 ft (15 m) @ 0.71% CuT, 0.66% Cu TSol, 0.001% Mo.

George Ogilvie, President and CEO, said, “ASCU continues to demonstrate itself as a lower-risk copper developer, with a short timeframe to construction decision and the potential to benefit from this copper cycle. Our Pre-Feasibility Study issued in February of this year set a solid foundation, from which our team is building opportunities and optimizations, while assuming current and realistic economic assumptions. Specifically, MainSpring’s shallow low-grade mineralization is supportive of a potential open-pit immediately south of Parks/Salyer. Our pending PEA will explore this potential, as well as a first look at the potential impacts of heap leaching the Cactus Mine primary sulphides using the Nuton leaching technologies.

We are a unique emerging brownfields developer working towards a construction decision in the near term. While the team integrates the several new opportunities presented to us through the continued expansion of our porphyry system, we remain focused on the goal of advancing Cactus to a construction decision and presenting a solid mine plan with low execution risk.”