Reconnaissance Sampling Program Further Expands High-Grade Gold & Silver Mineralization At Tombstone Project
VANCOUVER - Aztec Minerals Corp. reported on the 2024 surface reconnaissance exploration program which has discovered indications of broad gold-silver mineralization south of the Westside Target area and has discovered several additional mineralized zones outside of the Contention pit zone.
The field work verified specific, reported, key geologic, and historical mine features and found what could be potentially broad zones of alteration and mineralization for exploration west of the Contention Pit at the Tombstone project (which covers most of the historic Tombstone silver mining district in southeastern Arizona). Reconnaissance fieldwork has identified several, laterally broad zones of alteration associated with many of the samples taken in the recently reported pit sampling program.
Selected surface sample highlights include: 1) 8.66 gpt Au, 225 gpt Ag (11.47 gpt AuEq) ~120m west fromNo. 3492, dump sample from a 1.0 m thick limestone layer in outcropping Bisbee Formation siltstone with moderate argillization and strong Mn oxides, moderate Fe oxides. Roughly 100m above the area of the Last Chance/Arizona Queen CRD orebody (sample # 3501). 2) 4.94 gpt Au, 268.0 gpt Ag, (8.29 gpt AuEq) from a composite grab of outcropping Bisbee Formation siltstone with moderate silicification and argillization and strong quartz veinlets. The sample was taken ~100m above the area of the historic Last Chance/Arizona Queen CRD orebody. (sample # 3502). 3) 3.79 gpt Au, 104.5 gpt Ag (5.10 gpt AuEq) from a 2.0m chip channel of outcropping Bisbee Formation siltstone with moderate silicification and argillization and strong quartz veinlets. The sample was taken ~100m above the area of the historic Last Chance/Arizona Queen CRD orebody. (sample # 3492). 4) 1.33 gpt Au, 366 gpt Ag (5.91 gpt AuEq) from the Westside No. 1 shaft, a select sample of mineralized dump material, Bisbee Formation Hornfels with moderate argillization, strong iron oxides, moderate quartz veinlets. From the Westside fissure historic orebody (sample # 3459). 5) 0.60 gpt Au, 360 gpt Ag, (5.10 gpt AuEq) from a shaft on the Westside fissure system, a select sample of mineralized dump material, Bisbee Formation Hornfels with moderate argillization, strong iron oxides, moderate quartz veinlets. (sample # 3460).
The reconnaissance sampling had 41% of the samples returning AuEq assays of over 1 gpt AuEq. The field work verified the surface locations of key features such as the mineralized and mined Boss dike, the Westside fissure, and Westside No. 1 and No. 3 shafts. The recently acquired knowledge of the mesothermal mineralization geological setting indicates a high potential for further discovery of wide oxide Gold Silver along strike and down dip of prospective hosting rocks outcropping in the Contention Pit areas.
Many of the high-grade gold-silver sample results are located immediately inside or adjacent to the Westside target area and indicate the strong potential to expand into multiple zones of broad Au-Ag oxide mineralization to the west.
The results of the Reconnaissance Sampling Program supports the presence of broad, mesothermal, gold and silver oxidized mineralization and suggests the potential for further expansion of the mineralization footprint in the host formations down dip and along strike, including the potential extension westward of the historical Contention Pit.
The primary objectives of the 2024 surface exploration program were to continue to expand and define the shallow, open pit-table, oxidized gold/silver potential mineralization, and to also develop targeting for the CRD mineralization historically demonstrated to be present at depth.